Judges

Amy Bob Engelhardt is the sole female member of Grammy-nominated vocal band without instruments, The Bobs. Since joining the eccentric, genre-busting quartet in 1998, she has won numerous ASCAP songwriting awards. Her writing, arrangements and vocals are featured on The Bobs' CDs Coaster (2000), The Best of The Bobs (2003), Rhapsody In Bob (2005), Get Your Monkey Off My Dog (2007), concert DVDs LIVE AT THE 20th CENTURY (1998), THE BOBS SING! (2001) and Coldfoot Films' recent documentary about The Bobs, SIGN MY SNARLING MOVIE (2007). Amy's brainchild, "Rhapsody In Bob" (Gershwin's concerto arranged for piano - and The Bobs as a vocal orchestra), premiered at Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts in Spring 2005. Amy's solo CD, Not Gonna Be Pretty was released in March 2008. Additional vocal credits include Jim Henson's Animal Jam (Discovery Kids/The Learning Channel), Barbra Streisand's Timeless concerts, Harry Shearer and Judith Owen's Holiday Show at Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA), NPR programs West Coast Live, Mountain Stage, and E-Town, special material for Minnesota Public Radio with The Bobs (and countless FM-radio morning zoos), The Doctor Demento Show, Hooked on Phonics and interactive educational website Smarterville. Amy's album credits include Neil Young's Living With War, Bob Malone's Born Too Late, Carla Ulbrich's Sick Humor, and The Tony Jones Vocal Project, Julia Sweeneyís Letting Go of God (produced by Don Was) and in the documentary, CSNY: DÈjA Vu.

Craig Knudsen - For the past 16 years Craig Knudsen has been a performer / composer / arranger with the EDLOS (the 1989 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions). In 2001 Craig expanded his horizons to include representation of other performing artists and opened his own talent agency, Knudsen Productions. He is currently the exclusive North American Artist Representative for the multi grammy award winning a cappella sensation, the Swingle Singers; the Grammy nominated early music vocal ensemble, Stile Antico; as well as Voces8; and, yes, The EDLOS. For the past 11 years Craig has also served as the music director for the Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Project. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, 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 has been the tenor soloist in numerous oratorios, performing with the Santa Clara Chorale, the U.C. Symphony, the Mendocino Music Festival, The Bronx Arts Ensemble, the Prometheus Symphony, the Valley Chorale Society and the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra. He also toured to the East Coast as a tenor soloist with George Coates Performance Works, performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.. Craig originally came to the SF Bay Area in 1982 to join the San Francisco Mime Troupe as a saxophone player/actor/music director, and he toured extensively with the Troupe in the U.S. and Canada and, before that, he was the sax player with the Marcia Ball Band out of Austin, TX. Just to make sure he is always busy, Craig continues to teach private voice lessons out of his studio in Berkeley, CA.

Michele Weir is one of the leading figures in vocal jazz education today. She has earned international recognition through a diverse set of talents as  arranger, teacher, singer and pianist. With dozens of published vocal arrangements to her credit (Hal Leonard, Shawnee Press, Alfred Publishing and others,) plus works for big band and orchestra, Michele is a prolific arranger. In 2004, she also launched her own online publishing company, "MichMusic."  Professional ensembles performing her work include Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, M-Pact, Beachfront Property, Chanticleer, Voice Trek, the Boston Pops,  and the Buffalo, Cincinnati and Pacific Symphonies. Michele's music has been featured on the Shari Lewis TV show, Disney's "101 Dalmations"  Sing-along CD, and the Holland America Cruise line.

A former member of the Grammy-nominated vocal group "The PM Singers," Michele frequently performs as featured guest vocalist at various jazz festivals.  As a pianist, she has toured extensively with a variety of artists, including singer Bobby Vinton. In her role as Music Supervisor for the DreamWorks film, "Prince of Egypt," she journeyed through Europe and Asia overseeing music production for the film's foreign language dubs. Her solo CD with jazz guitarist Bruce Forman is titled, "The Sound of Music." Currently serving on the faculty of UCLA, Michele has previously taught USC, CSU Long Beach, and the Phil Mattson School.  Highly respected as a teacher and clinician, her work has taken her to more than 20 countries around the globe. Recent notable  presentations include the World Choral Symposium, the IAJE Conference, and the ACDA National Conference. Michele's educational book/CD sets, "Vocal Improvisation" and "Jazz Singer's Handbook"are available worldwide. Her new book/CD Set, "Jazz Piano Handbook"(Alfred Pubs.) was released in January, 2008.

Robin Cohn is a veteran music industry professional and president of City Hall Records. City Hall began in Robin's San Francisco garage in 1973, expanding steadily to become a leading national 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, King's Singers, Dale Warland Singers, the Bobs and SoVoSo - City Hall has built its success and reputation through supporting independent music.

The David Lichtman Award for Best Original Arrangement

Accommodation and venue info for out of town attendees

Previous Years Results:- 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001- 2000 - 1999 - 1998

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

Our Hall Of Fame - The Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions

Watch the Champs on our YouTube channel

2009 Schedule:

National Finals - Saturday May 16, 2009

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 8 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

National Finals 2007

O Fortuna - Face Bring Me Little Water, Silvie - Moira Smiley & VOCO Steal My Kisses - DoubleShot Rock Around The Clock - The Fault Line Sugarcane Jubilee - Men in Black Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing - V-Chords Wade in the Water - Solstice Szerelem - Moira Smiley & VOCO Home - Face Some Kind of Wonderful - The Fault Line Run Around - Men in Black Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident) - V-Chords Defying Gravity Paul Wolf Nightwatch Stand in that River - Moira Smiley & VOCO The Lion Sleeps Tonight - DoubleShot Enterprise / Sulu Medley - Hi-Fidelity Kappee - Solstice Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Nightwatch

Click Here for Past Recordings of the National Finals

2009 Schedule | Recordings | Previous winners | Rules | How to enter | Press Materials | Venue & Visitor Information