20th Annual

The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, the premier American showcase for vocal harmony music, celebrates its 16th year in 2000. 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.

2004 New York Champions

Vox Bop

Vox Bop is a mixed a cappella quartet that performs a wide variety of musical styles, from the lyrical beauty of the Renaissance to the lush harmonies of the Jazz Era to eclectic arrangements of pop classics. Vox Bop won the best award for Best Original Song at the 2001 National Harmony Sweepstakes after winning many awards at the New York City Regionals in 2001. The group was interviewed and featured in a 12-minute piece on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" in December 1999. They also appeared as the house band on a Christmas taping of NBC-TV's "The Ainsley Harriott Show" and in a national television ad for Amazon.com. During the summer of 2000, Vox Bop was a featured performer at the Alandia Jazz Festival in Finland.
Members: David Deschamps, Peter Fisher, Maura May, and Melissa Munn.

2004 Results

1st
Vox Bop
2nd
High Five
3rd
Duende
Audience Favorite
Sons Of Pitches
Best Arrangement
"Star And Stripes" - Israel

2004 Participating Groups:

CrossRoads, the a cappella sensation from Hershey Park in Hershey, PA has been wowing crowds for the past 3 years. This young energetic group performs songs from artists like the Beach Boys and the Beatles to Huey Lewis and the Dave Matthews Band as well as other contemporary artists. Every CrossRoads show is surrounded with a mix of crowd interaction, infectious energy, humor, and of course 4 strong voices the make wonderful music with every chord.

Members: Brandon Brooks, Brian Schreiner, Jeremiah Brooks, and Chad Tully.

Duwende (Doo-WEN-day) is six voices with nothing between them and the audience but a bank of monitors and some wireless microphones. They wail, they scream, they sweat. They dispose of the fluff, stripping rock music down to its most essential elements and building it back up again, using nothing but lung power and soul. The result is thrilling, booty-shaking, refreshingly honest funk/pop unlike anything that's been seen or heard in quite some time. Since 1998 Duwende has been playing clubs, colleges and events up and down the East Coast, building a loyal following along the way. Their music has received critical acclaim in print publications and
online, including The Boston Globe, garageband.com, and Billboard Magazine.

Members: Jason Baluyut, Geoff Barnes, Edward Chung, Abbey Janes, Morgan Phillips, and Ari Picker.

High Five is an award winning, mixed voice, 5-part, a cappella jazz quintet from the Baltimore-Washington area creating music and fun wherever music lovers can be found. With more than a century of combined musical experience, the full-chord sound definitely shows off their 'Barbershop' style background. This, combined with an undisputable jazz influence & champion arranger, makes an ensemble that is unmistakably, High Five!

Members: Janet Montrie, Christy Brannock, Lori Dreyer, Joe Mannherz, and Mike Kelly.

Israel is an acappella ensemble taken from the larger Mass Choir of the Church of God & Saints of Christ. Influenced by the likes of recording artists such as Take 6, Israel promises to refine a cappella music.

Members: Rev. Jesse Hendricks, Erikka Hendricks, April Grant, Crystal Grant, James Grant, Delilah Marshall, and Robert Grant.

Seul (pronounce "Soul") is a vocal group of five women with the love of a cappella jazz, pop and R&B music. Based in New York City and heavily influenced by Jazz and Christian music, they are sure to give a wide range of vocals with beautiful textures.

Members: Ronnie Rochester, Keesha Gumbs, Kimberly Robinson, Beverly Anne Burton, and Tamika Gumbs.

The Sirens are an all-female a cappella sextet based in NYC. Six fabulous, talented women, they have been singing together since the Fall of 2000 and have built a diverse and fun repertoire based on music they enjoy and their audience loves. Their musical style is broad and ranges from classics like "Moon River" to modern hits by Lenny Kravitz, Sarah McLachlan, Radiohead, and Lauryn Hill.

Members: Marnie Black, Joanna Lovell, Yeraz Markarian, Tari Suprapto, Rachel Wallins, and Wendy White.

Sons of Pitches is new to the professional music world although they span four years as college favorites. Their spectacular harmonies coupled with striking arrangements and originals have earned them dozens of sold out shows in theatres across upstate NY including Ithaca's 1650 seat State Theatre. They have shared the bill with The Four Tops and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists, The Temptations. Their third CD earned them accolades for their versatility and style matched with sales totaling 20,000 to date. These five talented guys are also master showmen whose music, charisma and humor leave audiences hungering for more. This is the first competition for Sons of Pitches and they are excited to perform in Harmony Sweepstakes.

Members: Ryan James Ainsworth, Ross Mizrahi, Thomas Morris, Eric Toyama, and James Wheal.

Vox Bop is a mixed a cappella quartet that performs a wide variety of musical styles, from the lyrical beauty of the Renaissance to the lush harmonies of the Jazz Era to eclectic arrangements of pop classics. Vox Bop won the best award for Best Original Song at the 2001 National Harmony Sweepstakes after winning many awards at the New York City Regionals in 2001. The group was interviewed and featured in a 12-minute piece on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" in December 1999. They also appeared as the house band on a Christmas taping of NBC-TV's "The Ainsley Harriott Show" and in a national television ad for Amazon.com. During the summer of 2000, Vox Bop was a featured performer at the Alandia Jazz Festival in Finland.

Member: David Deschamps, Peter Fisher, Maura May, and Melissa Munn.

Six women, culturally and musically dynamic, create a unique convergence of voices and creative expression that is Voxy. Since its beginnings in 1999, Voxy a cappella has aspired to bring a new perspective and approach to contemporary melodies, performing in different languages (as almost all of the ladies are bi-lingual) and applying creative musical styles to popular songs. Described as having a lush and global flavor, Voxy reaches its audience through culture, sound, and visual expression.

Members: Aley Kent, Alie Shaper, Angel D'Antonio, Indu Raghuraman, Margaret, Laszczak, Margaret McKegney, and Maria-Stella Fountoulakis.

Yasna Voices (yasna means "clear" in Bulgarian) is Brooklyn's only Bulgarian women's choir, founded in late 2002. This all-female vocal group, led by singer and musician Vlada Tomova, specializes in Bulgarian Folk music and other international vocal traditions and techniques. Yasna's mission is to introduce audiences to this rich vocal tradition. Yasna Voices has recently been awarded a Community grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council to present a program of "women's work woven through song".

Members: Vlada Tomova,Kristin Epseland, Corinna Snyder, Rachel Freeman, Sarah Small, Erin Stratford, and Sue Dennis.

Complete list of 2004 national participants

Boston - Chicago - Denver - Los Angeles - New York - Pacific North West - San Francisco - Washington DC

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