Our winners have some postive things to say about their Sweeps experience
Naturally 7 - 1999 National Champions
"Every artist needs a platform to springboard into what becomes a fruitful and long career......
The 1999 Harmony Sweepstakes a cappella competition was certainly ours. Participating and winning gave us the belief system that we truly had something special to offer the world. " - Roger Thomas |
Six Appeal - 2012 National Champions
“Competing in the Harmony Sweepstakes helped us to grow not only as a group, but also in the a cappella community at large, opening doors for new and bigger opportunities! Meeting groups from across the country created long-lasting relationships amongst our family-in-harmony, while we strove to be a better performing and singing ensemble. Competing and winning the Sweeps was definitely a milestone in our group's history which we can never forget!“ - Andrew Berkowitz |
Sound Exchange - 2017 National Champions
“I have personally been involved with the Sweepstakes at some level or other with 4 different groups over the last 3 decades, 90's, 00's and 10's. The Harmony Sweepstakes represents one of the finest networking opportunities in the world of a cappella, and I have met and had the pleasure of sharing the stage with performers that I never would have crossed paths with otherwise. In fact, my very first full-time touring job in a cappella came as a direct result of attending the '98 Harmony Sweepstakes Nationals. For that matter, I even met my first part-time group at the '97 Nationals! For The Sound Exchange, the competition has already opened doors to new markets and opportunities that we look forward to taking full advantage of!” - Paul Donnelly |
Women of the World - 2014 National Champions
“The Harmony Sweepstakes gave us the chance to compete and get to know some of the finest nationals and international a cappella groups. By winning the competition a plethora of new possibilities opened up! Touring extensively United States, headlining festivals all around the world and spread our mission to people of all ages!“ - Giorgia Renosto |
Hi-Fidelity - 2006 National Champions
“After winning the National Harmony Sweepstakes, Hi-Fidelity was literally put on the map! Within a week of winning the championship, we were contacted by NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly who had heard we had won the Sweeps. This lead to a recurring bit on the show as the 'Last Call Barbershop Monologue Joke Explainers!’ That was a blast! And, from there, it lead to several other TV late night bits including Lopez Tonight (George Lopez TBS), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC). Hi-Fidelity had enjoyed quite a bit of success in the Barbershop world prior to the Harmony Sweepstakes, but winning that championship truly put us on the radar in the A Cappella world. Another thrill we had that came out of winning Harmony Sweepstakes, was being invited to an amazing a cappella showcase that featured us and a little known group called Rockapella. Talk about a thrill for us! Being able to hang out with them, and sing with them the night before the show was truly a blast, and something we will never forget - Thank you John Neal and the Harmony Sweepstakes for everything you have done for us, and for the entire a cappella world!" - Gregg Bernhard |
Honey Whiskey Trio - 2013 National Champions
“The Los Angeles Regional Harmony Sweepstakes experience was unforgettable. There was an electricity in the air, all for a cappella music! We were blown away by the support, love, and camaraderie shown by fellow competing groups, judges, and the audience. The National Harmony Sweepstakes was no exception. We are so honored and humbled to represent Los Angeles, women, and the power of the human voice as Harmony Sweepstakes Champions.“ - Courtney, Ann Louise & Christina |
M-Pact - 1996 National Champions
"Winning the Harmony Sweepstakes was the the first step in making m-pact a group that would be known among those who follow group harmony singing and was undoubtedly a key to giving us the confidence to continue making the group a long-term experiment that continues to this day!" - Trist Curless (now of Manhattan Transfer) |
MAXX Factor - 2009 National Champions (and 2011 Queens of Harmony)
“Competing in the Harmony Sweeps gave us the opportunity to gain exposure to a whole new audience in the a-cappella community, which directly contributed to an invitation to audition for The Sing Off. The quality of the groups competing in the Sweeps are always talented and super entertaining. We highly recommend going to watch, or even better...competing! Thank you Harmony Sweeps!” - MAXX Factor |
Stiletta - 2016 National Champions
“The Harmony Sweepstakes was an incredible experience for Stiletta. We bonded so much as a team during our preparation for the competition and our travel across the country, and we have been consistently inspired by the caliber of talent of the groups that are drawn to compete at both the regional and national levels. The Harmony Sweepstakes is an influential and time-honored competition that has helped shape the history of a cappella, and we look very much forward to seeing its evolution as a cappella continues to push the boundaries of the human voice.” - Judy Minkoff |
Toxic Audio - 2000 National Champions
“Winning the Harmony Sweeps opened the door for us to move to the next level of our acappella careers. It was a total game changer! We gained the confidence, connections and audience to work on and produce our Off-Broadway show, to have a full time show at the Luxor in Las Vegas, to travel the globe working on cruise ships and being guest artists at acappella festivals in Barcelona, Singapore and Japan. It was a wonderful and important part of our careers.“ - Michele Mailhot |
17th Avenue All-Stars - 1993 National Champions
“We were surprised and a bit humbled to win the National Harmony Sweepstakes amid such great competition. Winning opened up some great opportunities for representation and travel to different parts of the country to do our show. We also made some great career long friends from our business.” - Norm Silver |
Edlos - 1989 National Champions
“The Harmony Sweepstakes was invaluable to the EDLOS, setting us on a path and giving us the network that helped us have a career of over two decades. The inspiration from seeing other groups pushing the edge is amazing, every time I've had the honor of judging, the talent and new techniques blow my mind. I cannot recommend the Sweeps any higher, it is fun, it is challenging, and you will learn wondrous things. Sing, now!“ - Eric Morris |
Groove For Thought - 2005 National Champions
“Being privileged to stand as National Harmony Sweepstakes Champions was an unforgettable experience. From this, Groove For thought was able to headline National Jazz Conferences, tour the United States and Europe, compete on the Sing-Off and share our music with countless people. None of us get into music to just win awards, we do it because we love it, but the satisfaction that came from winning Harmony Sweepstakes will be life long!” - Kelly Kunz |
Love Notes - 2014 Sweet Adelines Queens of Harmony
“Competing in Harmony Sweepstakes was an experience we will never forget. Not only did we get the opportunity to sing alongside incredibly talented groups from all over the country, but we also got to perform for an audience that is enthralled by a cappella singing--the best audience for which you could ever sing! We loved getting to know other singers who share our love for a cappella and competing in a friendly, yet high-level, competition.“ |
Perfect Gentlemen - 2002 National Champions
"Long before vocal competition shows were on television, there was Harmony Sweepstakes.
For over 20 years, "the sweeps" has brought together the very best in a cappella music.
Face it....Harmony Sweepstakes reigns supreme." - Dan Jordan - International Barbershop Quartet Champion. Multiple Gold & Platinum Recording Award Winner and Singing voice of Homer Simpson in The BeSharps aka Homer's Barbershop Quartet |
Sixth Wave - 2001 National Champions
“Singing in the regional and national Harmony Sweepstakes was a great experience for Sixth Wave on many levels. Performing at the regionals helped increase our local Southern California audience. We released our first album just a couple of months after we won the Nationals, and so had much better name recognition and more robust sales because of our appearance there. The audience at Nationals was also the largest audience we had sung for at that time, so it was an excellent learning experience. And, of course, getting to sing and socialize with all the other groups was an incredible experience. I would recommend participating in the Sweeps to any group looking to expand their horizons in these ways!“ - Amy Fogerson |
Straighter Road - 2015 National Champions
“Although most certainly a competition, the atmosphere and support at the Northwest Regional and National Harmony Sweepstakes by the other competitors felt more like a brother and sisterhood of singers. The vocal talent and diversity of styles at these events is inspiring to say the least. The Harmony Sweepstakes Competition lead by John Neal for over 30 years is a testimony of consistency and passion for acapella and has paved the way for other events to follow such as the Sing-Off.” - Kevin Kunz |
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 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.
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