25th Annual

The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, the premier American showcase for vocal harmony music. The annual national competition draws from hundreds of vocal groups from around the country with regional competitions in eight cities. The winning group from each festival is flown to perform in front of celebrity judges and a sold out house of enthusiastic a cappella fans at the National Finals.

Boston Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

2009 Champions

Our Town

Much like the play, OUR TOWN quartet embraces traditional values. They prefer classic songs by great American writers and composers; songs that lend themselves to four-part harmony singing, a unique American art form. Influenced by popular quartets of the past, including the Mills Brothers and Buffalo Bills, the group strives for audiences to leave performances humming the songs they heard the quartet sing. All four members boast outstanding credentials within the Barbershop Harmony Society circles.

Members: Scott Brannon (lead), Jamie Carbone (tenor), Terry Clarke (bass), and Larry Tully (baritone).

2009 Results
1st	Our Town
2nd	Road Show
3rd	None of the Above
Audience Favorite	Our Town

2009 PARTICIPATING GROUPS

Alley Cats - Having met in 2000 as members of the international medalist, Coastline Show Chorus, this quartet bonded around the desire to bring their mischievous interpretations of old and new standards to a wider audience while exploring more contemporary styles that appeal to their eclectic tastes. The repertoire of these finicky felines spans jazz, bebop, and Motown with pop hits, and standards, all getting the unique Alley Cat treatment. From private performances to community events to the concert stage, their charming approach to a saucy mix of musical styles makes the Alley Cats a captivating harmonic treat, purrrfect for all venues.

Members: Lori Nelso, Carroll Venable, Chris Gagnon, Pat Taft

5-Alone is a talented group from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School in South Hadley, MA. 5-Alone performs a mix of jazz and pop a cappella, and they are excited to be competing at Sweeps this year!

Members: O.J. Martori, Erin Richardson, Daniel Plimpton, Rose Whitcomb-Detmold, current student Harpo Jaeger, and director Tony Lechner.

KnightSong - We are in our twentieth year! KnightSong is a group of friends from diverse backgrounds who share a love of singing beautiful music. We have two regular concerts a year, have performed for many seasons of "Christmas Candlelight Nights" at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and perform at private functions and community events throughout the year. We have two CDs available for sale and are about to release our third, "Twentig," in honor of our first twenty years.

Members: Pat Buonodono, Brad Ketch, Keith Duggan, Becky Strickland, Rebecca Ballard, David Pylate, Dave Ballard, Courtney Strickland

None of the Above - Take 8 gifted voices from a myriad of musical backgrounds. Add equal parts of early polyphony, cutting-edge modern harmony, familiar folk songs, uplifting spirituals, catchy pop tunes, and lush jazz standards. You'll get the eclectic, thought-provoking, and entertaining performance that only None of the Above can deliver to your next event.

Members: Alisa Manning (soprano), Elena Krasnovsky (soprano), Deb Abberton (alto), Elyssa Miller (alto), Charlie Hodges (tenor), Tony Vuolo (tenor), Matt Ettore (baritone/director), Jeff Auerbach (bass

Our Town - Much like the play, OUR TOWN quartet embraces traditional values. They prefer classic songs by great American writers and composers; songs that lend themselves to four-part harmony singing, a unique American art form. Influenced by popular quartets of the past, including the Mills Brothers and Buffalo Bills, the group strives for audiences to leave performances humming the songs they heard the quartet sing. All four members boast outstanding credentials within the Barbershop Harmony Society circles.

Members: Jamie Carbone (tenor), Scott Brannon (lead), Terry Clarke (bass), Larry Tully (baritone)

Road Show - This highly accomplished foursome brings more than 100 years of musical experience to the stage. Combination of their voice style and talents, makes them one of the premier a capella groups in the Northeast. They were the first group to win both the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) Northeastern Championship, and the Harmony Sweeps (Boston) a capella Championship.

Members: Mike Gabriella (tenor), Bob O’Connell (lead), Mike Maino (bass), Jimmy Berger (bari)

Snowday - Snowday, a DC based vocal band of seasoned performers, has emerged in music education to a world of applause throughout the East Coast. New harmonies combined with upbeat dialogue engage students in learning about music while listening to the popular music they love. Through varied vocal techniques, four voices and four mics, Snowday creates the full sound of a band with just voices! In addition to public performances, Snowday performs as part of the Class Acts Art roster for schools and libraries throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Members: Amanda, Becky, Marco, Hugh, Ward

Tuckermans at 9 was conceived April 2004 on our baritone's living room floor (sadly, not as much fun as it sounds) and premiered the following September at a popular Boston-area venue. Okay, so it was the Somerville, Massachusetts, Red Line T Station... picky, picky. We steal only the best from Bonnie Raitt, Boston, James Taylor, Three Dog Night, The Beatles, Steam, Linda Ronstadt, The Kingston Trio, George Michael, The Roches, are you still awake? If so, we'd have a lot of fun singing for you! And it could be the high point of your year. In which case, you really need to get out more.

Members: Mark, Bill, Ashley, Frances, Walt, Daryl, and Kam.

BOSTON REGIONAL JUDGES

Michele Adams is finishing her second season as the Assistant Artistic Director of the Boston Children’s Chorus. She conducts five training and intermediate level choirs and directs the innovative education program for urban singers. A native of South Carolina, she has served as a music educator and conductor for students of various ages in Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Florida, and South Carolina. Prior to joining the BCC, Adams lived in Nebraska where she was a staff member of the Nebraska Choral Arts Society, conducting both intermediate and advanced level children’s choirs. She also served the American Choral Directors Association as a Repertoire and Standards Chair for the North Central Region and taught for a magnet school for the arts and global studies in Omaha. Adams was a lead teacher with Communities LinkUP!, a collaboration between Carnegie Hall and the Omaha Symphony Orchestra linking the symphony and its musicians with classrooms. Previously, she worked in the New York City Public Schools where, as a Project ARTS (Arts Restoration Throughout the Schools) Liaison, she coordinated arts collaborations between the school and community. She also taught music and founded the choral program in her magnet school. She earned a Bachelor of Music in music education from The University of South Carolina. In addition, she earned a Master of Music in choral conducting from Florida State University where she studied conducting with Rodney Eichenberger and André Thomas. Adams has also completed Level I Kodály certification at New England Conservatory. She has authored articles for affiliate publications of MENC: The National Association for Music Education and the American Choral Directors Association and is active as an adjudicator and speaker. She and her husband, Nick, are delighted to be living on the east coast again. They have one daughter, Anna Beth.

Joey Blake is one of the founding and current members of Voicestra, the a cappella ensemble created by Bobby McFerrin in 1989. He currently tours and performs with the Trio We Be 3, an all-vocal group that performs totally improvised concerts. Joey also was a founding member of the ensemble SoVoSo, a six member a cappella ensemble that spun from Voicestra. Joey recorded & produced five albums for this group, (Precious - a European release, Bridges and Seasonings for the US, as well as Crack the Nut and Then and Now). He also holds numerous arranging credits to his name, including his work with SoVoSo. His discography includes recordings with McFerrin (Medicine Music, CircleSongs), Kenny Loggins, Mickey Hart, to name a few. His has two solo CDs (Through My Eyes, Songs from the singing soul) and one with We Be 3 (Live & Improvised). Joey has taught at the Oakland College Prep School as The contemporary Vocal Instructor, and has served as Director of music at The Golden Gate Academy in Oakland, California. He was commissioned by the Oakland Youth Chorus to write and arrange for its professional touring ensemble, Vocal Motion. Joey was on the faculty of the Berkeley Jazz School for four years, as the Conductor of the Berkeley Jazz School A cappella Ensemble, a course that he designed himself.

Victoria Hayes is currently both Program Director and teacher for the Bubs Foundation’s Be The Music Program, which brings a cappella singing classes into schools throughout the Boston area that are in need of musical opportunities. She received her undergraduate degree in music from Colby College and will be graduating this June from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Master’s degree in education that focuses on the arts. A vocalist with a strong a cappella background, Victoria was the leader and musical director of Colby College’s oldest all-female a cappella group, the Colbyettes. Victoria is also a classically trained violinist and plays with several orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout New England.

Brian O'Connell is the former Chairman of the Voice Department at Berklee College, where he taught for fifteen years. Presently, he is the Directer of Vocal Activities at Lexington High School, which boasts of one of the largest student directed a cappella programs in the nation. Brian is also directer of the Sarteano Chamber Choral Conducting Workshop each summer in Tuscany, Italy, and directs Canta Mundi (The Greater Boston Scholastic Touring Choir) that will travel to Costa Rica in April. The group is comprised of 15 to 25 year olds, who love to travel and sing. He is an adjunct faculty member at UMass/Lowell, where he teaches Vocal Pedagogy and Choral Methods, and The Boston Conservatory, where he teaches graduate Choral Methods. While at Berklee, Brian was very active in Boston's rock, a cappella and recording scene .

Amanda Roeder directs the Marblehead High School choral program which includes two choirs and four a cappella groups - most notably, the award-winning Jewel Tones and Luminescence. Her ensembles have appeared on the Best of High School A Cappella compilation and have earned five Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award nominations. Amanda serves on the board of the Northeast District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association and performs extensively as a freelance vocalist and flutist. She holds music education degrees from the University of Massachusetts and Gordon College.

Complete List of Boston Champions

Complete list of 2009 national participants

Previous complete Boston results:- 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998

Prizes

Regional winners win roundtrip airfare plus two nights accommodation in the San Francisco Bay Area to compete in the Harmony Sweepstakes National A Cappella Festival

A selection of compact discs from the Primarily A Cappella catalog

A $250 coupon from Discmakers

THE BOSTON A CAPPELLA NEWSGROUP

Keep in touch with the Boston a cappella scene! Subscribe to this regional resource for a cappella fans and groups.
Stay informed about upcoming shows and auditions, find a new member for your group or just keep up with the local a cappella news.

Interested in Competing?

We are always seeking groups who would like to compete in our events.

Groups of any style are welcome, but you must have between 3 and 8 members. We have a rule book which explains many of the details of the event, which you can see by clicking here. All groups must audition in order to compete. Generally this is done by sending a current tape and photo, although live auditions are sometimes arranged. The purpose of the audition is to make sure the group is appropriate for the Festival and to help the Director determine the performance order. If a group has competed previously, the audition process may be waived.

How to enter

Please send tapes and photos to the regional director :

Jackie Chisholm (Boston) The Bubs Foundation, formed by alumni of the Tufts University Beelzebubs A cappella singing group, has had a historic mission since 1991 of supporting vocal music programs in Boston-area public schools. With the relentless need to reduce public school budgets, music education programs have been substantially reduced or eliminated. The Bubs Foundation is proud to have contributed over $50,000 in grants to 60 music programs thus far. In addition to its annual grant-making activity, the Bubs Foundation has decided to take a more focused approach to leveraging the principal tenet of the Beelzebubs organization, namely "Fun Through Song". The Foundation will also create and implement a cappella music programs in economically underprivileged middle schools and community agencies.

Jackie Chisholm
45 Dearborn Street, #3
Medford, MA 02155
781-640-5902
jtchisholm@yahoo.com

The Harmony Sweepstakes National A Cappella Festival
PO Box D
San Anselmo, CA 94979
harmony@singers.com

Read the latest reviews, articles, features and more - A CAPPELLA NEWS

For More of The Primarily A Cappella On-Line Catalog

SEARCH OUR DATA BASE OF THOUSANDS OF A CAPPELLA RECORDINGS

To find a specific song on any recording (or to find recordings by group name or CD title),
pick the search method and type the item you are searching for here:

By Song Title
By Group Name
By Recording Title
By Music Category

or use our for more search options

Thanks to our Sponsors

25th Annual

Boston Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

2009 Results

Complete List of Boston Champions

Complete list of 2009 national participants

Prizes

Interested in Competing?

Read the latest reviews, articles, features and more - A CAPPELLA NEWS

For More of The Primarily A Cappella On-Line Catalog

SEARCH OUR DATA BASE OF THOUSANDS OF A CAPPELLA RECORDINGS