33rd Annual

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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.

Hosted by

2016 National Champions

Stiletta

Stiletta is a NYC-based, all-female sextet combining pop leads, dance beats and hip-hop choreography. In 2016, the ladies of Stiletta were crowned National Champions at the 32nd Annual National Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, winning in every possible award category: First Place, Audience Favorite, Best Arrangement, and Best Original Song. This enormous accomplishment came on the tail end of having won First Place and Audience Favorite at the 2015 Mid-Atlantic and 2016 New York Harmony Sweepstakes competitions, as well as Best Vocal Percussion and Best Arrangement. These ladies have the moves, the grooves and even the shoes. So get pumped!
Website

2017 National Finals Champions

The Sound Exchange

From soulful ballads, to blistering rock anthems, from jazz standards to chart-topping singles, The Sound Exchange does it all. Based out of the Twin Cities, this group brings dazzling harmonies and wisecracking audience interaction to every show and do it with it with joy and humor. Get ready for the hijinks and harmony of...The Sound Exchange.

2017 Results
1st
 The Sound Exchange
2nd
Lustre
3rd
CONNECT
Audience Favorite
 The Sound Exchange
Best Original Arrangement
 “Water’ arr. Giselle Ziegler
Best Original Song
 “Stay With You” - Jacob Chamoun - Business Casual

2017 Participating Groups

TBA

Your Emcee for the Evening

Craig Knudsen

Craig is best known in the a cappella world for his 18 years of touring as a Singer / Composer / Arranger with the EDLOS a cappella quartet (the 1989 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions). A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (vocal performance), Craig's performance credits span a wide variety of musical styles and performance mediums. As an opera and classical singer, he has performed leading roles with Pocket Opera, Mendocino Music Festival Opera, West Bay Opera, Berkeley Opera, Las Vegas Opera, Pacific Repertory Opera and the Austin Opera in Austin, TX, and, in addition, Craig has performed as a member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus and also Musica Sacra, the resident chorus at Lincoln Center in NYC. Craig originally came to the SF Bay Area in 1982 to join the San Francisco Mime Troupe as a sax player/music director/composer/actor, and toured extensively with the Troupe in the U.S. and Canada. Before joining the Mime Troupe, Craig was the sax player with the R&B Hall of Fame artist, the Marcia Ball Band (Austin, TX).

In 1999, Craig Knudsen founded the talent agency, Knudsen Productions, LLC. With a focus on exceptional vocal talent, Craig quickly established Knudsen Productions as one of the most highly regarded US agencies representing vocal ensembles (both national and international). His agency’s current representation of vocal ensembles features two recent Harmony Sweeps National Champions: Women of the World (2014) and Six Appeal (2012). Additional past and current representation includes the legendary BOBS! (Grammy nominated); the multi Grammy Award winning British a cappella legends, the Swingle Singers; the multi Grammy nominated British early music vocal ensemble, Stile Antico; the SF Bay Area’s beloved women’s vocal ensemble, KITKA; and Decca recording artist, VOCES8. For 11 years Craig also served as the music director of the Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Project. In 2014, Craig was the recipient of the Arts Northwest “Coyote Award”, an award recognizing his “outstanding service to Arts Northwest and the western performing arts field”.

2017 Judges

Maxine Jones   

Maxine Jones is an American singer–songwriter, and actress. Jones is best known as a founding member of the R&B/Pop vocal group En Vogue, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. The R&B quartet redefined the girl group for the '90's. Their first CD, "Born to Sing", featured three number one R&B hits. The follow up, "Funky Divas", contained the hugely popular and still memorable "My Lovin' (Never Gonna Get It)", selling three million copies

Throughout a career spanning 25 years, Jones has sold over 20 million records with En Vogue. Jones has recorded four albums with En Vogue. Her work has earned her several awards and nominations, including 5 Grammy nominations, two American Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, and four Soul Train Music Awards.
Scott Mathews   

Music Producer, Composer, Arranger, Song Doctor, Multi–instrumentalist & Tiki God. PRODUCED, RECORDED and/or PERFORMED WITH:- The Beach Boys * The Blind Boys of Alabama * David Bowie * Zac Brown * Jimmy Buffett * Johnny Cash * Rosanne Cash * Glen Campbell * Eric Clapton * Elvis Costello * Ry Cooder * Robert Cray * Dick Dale * Dave Edmunds * Roky Erickson * Jefferson Starship * Jerry Garcia * Billy Gibbons * Sammy Hagar * Herbie Hancock * John Hiatt * John Lee Hooker * Etta James * Mick Jagger * Booker T. Jones * Patti Labelle * Huey Lewis * Nick Lowe * Taj Mahal * The Mamas & Papas * Steve Miller * Eddie Money * Van Morrison * Aaron Neville * Roy Orbison * Van Dyke Parks * Steve Perry * The Pointer Sisters * Bonnie Raitt * Joey Ramone * Keith Richards * Todd Rundgren * Carlos Santana * Joe Satriani * Boz Scaggs * Ringo Starr * Barbra Streisand * Allen Toussaint * Trip Shakespeare (Semisonic) * The Tubes * Joe Walsh * Robin Williams * Carl Wilson * Brian Wilson * Bobby Womack * Stevie Ray Vaughn * Dwight Yoakam * Neil Young....
Raz Kennedy   

In the realms of vocal performance and singing instruction, Raz Kennedy has created a legacy for over 40 years that rivals the music industry’s finest. Acknowledged as “the premiere vocal coach in the Bay Area” by Narada Michael Walden (multi-platinum Grammy and Emmy winning producer and musician)his eclectic performance credits include serving as a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra and performing as a background vocalist on recordings for many legendary artists, including Whitney Houston and Al Jarreau, as well as on stage for Sting, Rebeca Mauleon, and Mickey Hart.

His depth of knowledge and expertise has positioned Raz to instruct a diverse roster of musical luminaries, from members of Metallica, to Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, Hilary Duff, Davey Havok of AFI, members of Los Tigres Del Norte, Tiffany Austin, the late Clarence Clemons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and many more.
Tina Harrington   

Tina Harrington, a second-generation Oakland native, is deeply involved in the Bay Area music community. She obtained her BA in music from UC Berkeley. She is Artistic Director of the Distaff Singers, Assistant Director and member of the San Francisco Choral Artists, and has conducted the Berkeley Section Club, the Oakland Youth Chorus Alumni Singers, and the Berkeley Broadway Singers. As Choral Director at College Preparatory School in Oakland, Tina directs and arranges for multiple A Cappella groups and choruses, and provides vocal direction for the musicals. But it doesn’t stop there! Tina is a soloist and section leader at Piedmont Community Church, and is a sought-after event performer and vocal coach, and has been fortunate to perform with the disparate likes of Wendell Brooks, Cheryl Keller, and Pete Seeger.

Tina began her involvement with choral music and A Cappella as a teenaged member of the Oakland Youth Chorus. In 1990, she returned to OYC as assistant to Elizabeth Seja Min working exclusively with Vocal Motion, and went on to become assistant conductor to Trente Morant. Her choral students included Goapele, LaToya London, Valerie Troutt, and Solas Lalgee, who all have gone on to successful musical careers. She has collaborated with the likes of Jacqui Hairston, Melanie DeMore, Linda Tillery, Bryan Dyer, and Victoria Theodore.

Join us after the show for drinks and food (and likely more singing)

Complete list of 2017 participants






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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

Regional Champions: Boston | Chicago | Denver | Los Angeles | Mid-Atlantic | New York | Pacific NW | SF Bay Area

The Harmony Sweepstakes National Audience Favorites

Regional Audience Favorites: Boston | Chicago | Denver | Los Angeles | Mid-Atlantic | New York | Pacific NW | SF Bay Area

Best Original Arrangement Winners | National Winners | San Francisco | New York | Boston | Chicago | Los Angeles | Pacific North West | Mid-Atlantic

Other Year's Results - 2024 - 2022 - 2020 - 2019 - 2018 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009
2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998 - 1997 - 1996 - 1995 - 1994 - 1993 - 1992
1991 - 1990

Marin Center

The Frank Lloyd Wright designed Marin County Civic Center is a national-and state-designated historic landmark. Wright's 770th commission, the Civic Center is the last and one of the most important works by this internationally acclaimed architect who has been described as "one of the most creative architectural geniuses of all time" and "the most original architect the United States has ever produced." The Marin Center is an outstanding venue for entertainment, meetings, and special events. The 55-acre campus includes a park and a 14-acre lagoon.Yelp reviews -Photos

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2017 NATIONAL FINALS

Saturday, May 19th, 2017 - 8pm

MARIN CENTER

Box Office: 415-473-6800

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