2016 National Finals Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

32nd 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.

2016 National Finals 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!

2016 Results
1st	Stiletta
2nd	Double Date
3rd	Ms Cellaneous
Audience Favorite	Stiletta
Best Original Arrangement	“Royals” - Judy Minkoff - Stiletta
Best Original Song	“Get Pumped” - Stiletta

2016 Participating Groups

TBA

2016 Judges

Robin Cohn

President of City Hall Records. City Hall began in Robin's San Francisco garage in 1973, expanding steadily to become the leading national independent wholesale distributor of hundreds of specialty labels, both domestic and international. From blues, jazz, urban, nostalgia, world, and yes, a cappella - including artists such as the Swingle Singers, the Bobs and SoVoSo - City Hall has built its success and reputation through supporting independent music.

Claytoven Richardson

Claytoven has worked on hundreds of projects throughout his 30-year career. Constantly in demand as one of the top session vocalists, his voice can be found on albums featuring GRAMMY winning artists such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Kenny G, Mariah Carey, as well as, on popular video games like Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore (Versions 1 & 2). His work on the number 1 song for Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" (also the title track for the Titanic soundtrack) won him Grammy recognition in 1999. As a songwriter, Claytoven has also written for and produced artists such as Patti Austin, Young Jeezy, Al Jarreau, Lisa Fischer, Charlie Wilson, and many others.

But as busy as he is, Claytoven always makes time for educating others. “I feel it is my responsibility to pass on my knowledge to young musicians just as it was passed on to me.” And with that as his mission, Claytoven has stepped into the role of author by taking his years of experience and sharing them in a book entitled, “The Professional Studio Vocalist”. Currently, Claytoven also teaches this subject and other professional music courses at San Francisco State University, in their Music Recording Industry Department. He also teaches and is the Program Director for an incredible new facility-program, The Digital Arts and Culinary Academy (DACA) in Oakland, California.

Kitty Margolis

Critically recognized as one of today’s most creative and charismatic jazz singers, Margolis is also a songwriter, arranger, producer and co-owner of the indie label, Mad-Kat Records, founded in 1988. Since her debut at the Monterey Jazz Festival she has recorded and headlined with numerous jazz luminaries (Lionel Hampton, Joe Henderson, Roy Hargrove, Charles Brown, Elvin Jones, Pee Wee Ellis) at top venues on four continents. Dubbed “a jazz legend” by the New York Daily News and frequent Downbeat Poll winner. Her diverse artistic associations span from members of the Grateful Dead to The Coup to The Boston Pops.

An inspiring educator, she teaches master-classes wherever she tours and mentors youth developing recording careers of their own. Currently on the board of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs ’08-’17) Margolis chaired the International Association of Jazz Education (I.A.J.E.) Jazz Vocal Resource Team from ’01 –‘08, has been a V.J. for BET on Jazz, an adjudicator for the N.E.A. “Jazz Masters” awards and is an active fundraiser for a variety of causes. Currently in pre-production for her next CD, Margolis’ award-winning recordings have consistently earned her heavy rotation on the nation’s jazz radio charts and a global fan-base.

Bill Hare

Bill Hare has been a full-time recording engineer/producer for 35 years, and is recognized as a pioneer in bringing pop/rock production techniques to recorded contemporary a cappella.

Over the decades, Bill has recorded and/or mixed acclaimed albums for some of the best-known Contemporary A Cappella groups around the globe - from The Swingle Singers to The King’s Singers in the UK, Basix to Vocal Line in Denmark, Italy's Cluster, The Ghost Files, Alti & Bassi and Maybe6ix, German supergroups Wise Guys, Amarcord and Maybebop to name just a few, as well as artists from dozens of other countries from Australia to Zimbabwe.

Of course, at the same time he also covered the USA from his home base in California, working with top American acts including The House Jacks, m-pact, Pentatonix, Peter Hollens, Street Corner Symphony, NoTa, Duwende, The Backbeats, Brian Wilson/The Beach Boys as well as working on the hit NBC Television show The Sing- Off.

Bill’s story was also told in the original book version of Pitch Perfect, from which the popular movies were adapted. Bill is the world’s most awarded individual Contemporary A Cappella producer, including more than 70 appearances on BOCA, over 100 CARA nominations, nearly 40 albums in the RARB "Picks of the Year" lists, and 11 "DeeBee" awards since 1987 in the Vocal Jazz category from Downbeat Magazine. Numerous appearances at the top of Billboard, iTunes, and other major charts. Multiple Gold and Platinum record certifications, as well as multiple Grammy Awards and nominations.

Ellen Robinson

Ellen has been teaching singing and directing vocal groups for over 30 years and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. A gifted educator who teaches at the Jazzschool in Berkeley and Community Music Center in San Francisco, she also directs several vocal programs and ensembles, including a musical theater workshop at Stagebridge, and the Anything Goes Chorus, a community chorus that gives public performances and free concerts at retirement homes, homeless shelters, prisons, and halfway houses since the early 1980s. Her tireless efforts as an educator were recognized in 2011 with a prestigious Jefferson Award. As a vocal coach, she works with semi professional and intermediate jazz & pop vocalists. Ellen has been a Vocal Instructor for adults at U.C. Berkeley Extension, a Choral Director for teenagers in the Oakland Youth Chorus, and a Music Instructor for children at Walden Center School in Berkeley and Beacon School in Oakland.

Complete list of 2016 participants

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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 :

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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.Directions -Yelp reviews -Photos

2016 NATIONAL FINALS

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32nd Annual

2016 Results

Interested in Performing?

Marin Center

MARIN CENTER

10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94901

Hear about Local A Cappella Events and Auditions

Find a Harmony Sweepstakes Group

Find a Harmony Sweepstakes Singer

Primarily A Cappella - Your Source For Vocal Harmony Music

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32nd Annual

2016 Results

Interested in Performing?

Marin Center

MARIN CENTER

10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94901

Hear about Local A Cappella Events and Auditions

Find a Harmony Sweepstakes Group

Find a Harmony Sweepstakes Singer

Primarily A Cappella - Your Source For Vocal Harmony Music

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Thanks to our Sponsor