2001 National Finals Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

17th Annual

The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival is 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.

2001 National Finals Champions

Sixth Wave

January 2005 brought on a season of change for us, as Amy Fogerson left the group and was replaced by Jennifer Barnes. Shortly thereafter, both Gerald White and Gary Rosen also made the decision to leave the group to pursue other ventures, which created openings filled by tenor Greg Whipple and baritone Greg Jasperse. This 50% new group is now eagerly working towards the goal of being a powerful and cohesive musical unit, adding exciting new repertoire while maintaining the spirit and integrity for which Sixth Wave has always been known. Please keep checking back for new and exciting news and updates as things progress.....

2001 Results
1st	Sixth Wave
2nd	Voice Trek
3rd	Freestyle
Audience Favorite	Voice Trek
Best Original Arrangement	"Vincent"
Best Original Song	"Slinky Variations" Voice Trek

2001 Participating Groups

TBA

2001 Judges

Steve Baker

Steve Baker has been the Executive Director of the Freight & Salvage since 1996. Since its founding in 1968, the Freight has been a leading presenter of a cappella music—perhaps, as some have described, "the home of Bay Area" a cappella.” Groups who have performed there include The House Jacks, Bobs, M-Pact, Kitka, Hookslide, Edlos, Da Vinci's Notebook and many others. Before joining the Freight family he worked in the nonprofit arts sector as an attorney and a program administrator and attorney. In addition, Steve plays guitar and performs regularly with his musical cohorts at clubs and private events throughout the Bay Area.

Sandy Cressman

Professional singer, instructor, composer and arranger Sandy Cressman began her professional career with the acclaimed vocal trio "Pastiche", who won the Harmony Sweepstakes back in 1987. After recording and touring with Pastiche, Sandy branched out, following her love for Latin music, and forming a new group, "Homenagem Brasileira", who have been performing in major festivals and venues since 1997. She will release her second Homenagem Brasileira CD on August 1 of this year. As a session singer, Sandy has recorded with such diverse artists as Eddie Money, Jonathan Cain (Journey), Pete Escovedo, Ray Obiedo and Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra. Sandy is a Governor of the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy, and teaches private lessons and classes at Cressman Studios, Blue Bear School, and the Music Center of San Francisco.

Rhiannon

Rhiannon is a performer, master teacher, composer and recording artist with five albums on her own Rhiannon Music label. She continues to perform and teach internationally, is initiating a certification program based on her unique approach to vocal improvisation and is working on her first book, The Vocal River. She is an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston specializing in vocal improvisation.

A vibrant, gifted singer, performance artist, composer, and master teacher, Rhiannon has been bringing her unique and potent blend of jazz, world music, improvisation and storytelling to audiences for over three decades. From her stellar collaborations with the all-women’s jazz ensemble Alive! to a cappella ensemble SoVoSo to Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra to her ground breaking solo and ensemble performances, Rhiannon enthralls and inspires her audiences. The unique body-based vocal improvisation and sound healing process that she teaches internationally is a result of living in these times as an artist on the cutting edge of music and theater

Complete list of 2001 participants

National Finals Recordings

Interested in Performing?

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

Groups of any style are welcome, but you must have between 3 and 12 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 music and photos to the regional director :

Our Hall of Fame - The Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions