2024 Participating Groups
 | | Acanonymous
Straight outta Concord! Acanonymous was recently re-formed by Concord High School choir students seeking to expand their musical horizons. Many of our members began performing in middle school and have since covered a variety of vocal styles including barbershop and swing. We look forward to sharing our lively and funk-forward set with you!Members: Saoirse Feiler, Caitlyn Hoshida, Amelia Erlick, Holly Hopkins, Elise Esterlin, Jumaiya Tabayoyong, Jacob Randazzo, Anthony West, Aldo Cervantes, Gabe Gonzalez Romero
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Beyond Zebra
Beyond Zebra is a newly formed a cappella group who enjoys expressing unique, intricate arrangements with heartfelt emotion. Like the Dr. Seuss book On Beyond Zebra about an alphabet beyond Z, the music of Beyond Zebra takes audiences beyond what they might know and expect. When you go Beyond Zebra, who knows what wonderful things you might hear?Members: Fiona McCrae, Zareen Levien, Miya Kanzaki, Davy Lu, Jon Pilat, John Rae-Grant
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 | | Find A Capella
We are a group of vocal singers, music lovers, and young professionals based in the Bay Area. We held our first concert on Oct 15, 2022, a few days past our first anniversary. We hosted 200 people and sang 14 songs throughout the concert. We found in music not only friendship, excitement, emotional support, but also most importantly, each other. We work on pop songs and musicals, and we also love jazz, folk, and church songs. We hope to deliver our good vibes to our audience and the community. We are 'Find A Cappella'.Members: Charlotte Fu, Qingsen Wang, Jiawei Huang, Shuyuan Nie, Caiwei He, Di Zha, Zikai Cai
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Halfway to Midnight
Halfway to Midnight is a co-ed band of musical misfits who, having missed the thrill of the a cappella world and desiring an outlet to strengthen our individual instruments, serendipitously found each other in the midst of the great big beautiful Bay Area and begun gathering weekly to share in the blend of our voices together. Our life stories are as varied as our voices yet we find common ground in our love of instrument-free music-making and we truly hope you like what you hear. Members: Scott Adler, Michael Barrientos, Vivek Saraswat, Gonzalo Alonso, Elana Zizmor, LeAnn Duong, Jamie Mercado
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 | | Impulse A Cappella
Impulse A Cappella was founded in 2022 with the intention of offering spectacular a cappella & acoustic options for your entertainment needs. Composed of experienced musicians, Impulse aims to astound audiences with incredible a cappella renditions of your favorite songs, past and present. Whether it's a work event, celebration, or showcase, let Impulse help make your next event one to remember!Members: Rachel Riley, Sam McCarthy, Andrew Smyth, Jen Zink, Matt Juandy
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Side Note
Side Note is a fun, funky, exuberant group of friends who jam together every week to sing pop, funk, disco, soul, R&B, jazz, and more. Though their diverse careers (writers, teachers, architects, engineers, dancers, nurses, entrepreneurs) make a cappella a "side note" in their lives, they work hard on their musical craft and are delighted to share it with you - let the good times roll!
Members: Ellen Le, Judy Furth, Priya Vijaykumar, Juan Carlos Martinez, Roi Matalon, Ben Cachapero, Hahns Shin, Richman Neumann
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 | | The pH Scale
Coming from Pleasant Hill, The pH Scale is Diablo Valley College s premier a Cappella group! They may be a group of 14, but BASIC is the last thing they are. Whether they are showing their dance moved or belting ballads, The pH Scale is ready to bring their all!Members: Dennis Dunn, Casey Calderon, Ben Valdez, Rachel Lloyd, Mia Collins, Jessica Tran, Juliette Cochran, Bella Hernandez
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Vocal Music Workshop
Vocal Music workshop has gone through many changes over the years. Originally a show choir (with full band and choreography), Vocal is at present a 12-member a cappella sensation, exploring the music of all genres and time periods. Year-round they are called upon to entertain and inspire the community, performing at sports events and private special events. Over the years Vocal has been fortunate to share the stage with amazing performers such as Bobby McFerrin, Dick Van Dyke, The House Jacks, The EDLOS, OC Times, Straight No Chaser, Rockapella, The Exchange, VoicePlay, The Philharmonic and SixAppeal.
Members: Matthew Corrigan, Luke Simon, Seth Daniel, Everett Butler, Kean Perez, Olivia Bui, Carly Pennycook, Mia Hernandez, Julia Bui, Isabella Christman, Olivia Hall, Maya Prouty
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Your Emcee for the Evening 
Cassie Greene Chamoun
Cassie Greene Chamoun is a San Francisco Bay Area-based singer, arranger, and all-around aca-person. She is a founding member and co-director of 2018 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions, Business Casual. Business Casual's other accolades include: National Champions - VoiceJam (2019); National Finalists - Varsity Vocals' AcaOpen (2019 and prior); winners of multiple Contemporary A Cappella Recording (CARA), A Cappella Video (AVA), and RARB (Recorded A Cappella Review Board) awards (2021 and prior).
She and her husband Jacob met in their college a cappella group at Cornell University, The Class Notes - yes, they are an aca-couple! Outside of the music world, she is an R&D scientist in the biotech industry. |
2024 Judges
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Paula West
Paula West is an American jazz and cabaret singer known for her rich, powerful contralto voice and for her highly nuanced interpretations of an extraordinarily eclectic selection of songs that range from the Great American songbook to reinterpretations of songs by artists such as Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed and Johnny Cash.
She has had recurring engagements at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Mezzrow in New York as well as SF Jazz, Feinstein’s at The Nikko, and Yoshi’s in San Francisco. Her nights at the Algonquin Hotel’s famed Oak Room earned her three straight New York Magazine Nightlife Awards as “Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist.” The New York Times has been particularly vocal in their praise for Ms. West, singling out her “thickly textured voice [that] has ripened into a driving expressive force” and an “ever-deepening feel for the blues.” She has also performed at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, The White House, and Maison de la Musique in Paris as well as at numerous jazz festivals, including: the Monterey Jazz Festival, Spoleto Festival, Rochester Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Fest, Big Sur Jazz Festival, Los Gatos Jazz On The Plazz, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and the Fillmore Street Jazz Festival. |
Kory Reid
Kory Reid is a professional singer, conductor, clinician, and ensemble coach based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Reid sang countertenor for 12 years with the Grammy award-winning ensemble, CHANTICLEER, and also held posts of Assistant Music Director and Education Manager during his tenure. He studied Music Education at Pepperdine University and completed a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern California. Kory is also a sought-after classical soloist who has sung for Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale, Los Robles Master Chorale, Catgut Trio, USC Chamber Singers, and for various church music programs around the country. In addition to his affinity for sacred Renaissance music, he is avid barbershop enthusiast. He won the International Chorus Champion contest singing with the Westminster Chorus, and just recently won the 2024 Far Western District NW Division Quartet Championship. Kory is currently the Music Director for the Fog City Singers, a 40-voice tenor/bass ensemble based in San Francisco that sings a wide variety of a cappella vocal music, with thick roots in the barbershop genre. Mr. Reid stays active as a music educator, clinician, and vocal coach for all types of vocal ensembles around the country. |
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Andrew Brown
Andrew Brown, a leading Kodály-based choral and instrumental conductor, thrives on the challenges of building musical artistry with young musicians. He has returned to Pacific Boychoir Academy where he is in his second season as the Principal Conductor and Music Director of the choir school, having previously conducted Cantori and Trouveres. Additionally, he is Concert Choir Conductor of Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir. He previously served as Artistic Director of Vallejo Choral Society and Contra Costa Children’s Chorus. An active and intriguing career has seen Brown on the podium in a range of roles with orchestras, choirs, schools and church music programs. He has appeared as a clinician and presenter for American Choral Directors Association and Organization of American Kodály Educators, and many other regional and local music organizations. |
Daria
DARIA is a vocalist, recording artist and educator. She blends Jazz with Pop, Latin and Brazilian rhythms. An innovative singer with a beautiful, soulful voice and wide range, she has 3 critically acclaimed CDs. Her most recent, “Strawberry Fields Forever, Songs by the Beatles” was released on award-winning Origin Records. “Daria’s phrasing, gives a new perspective to the lyrics. When she purrs, “You can knit a sweater by the fireside,” it sounds like a sensual delight.” - Downbeat - ”She sings with unself-conscious abandon, extraordinary range, fearlessly reinventing tunes and melodies." – Paul Liberatore, Marin IJ
Daria has toured internationally, including Japan and Montreux. She has shared the stage and recorded with Bob Dorough, Ricki Lee Jones, Diana Krall, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Tuck and Patti, Dave Grisman,
Maria Muldaur, Joe Sample, Harold Jones, Christian McBride, Abe Laboriel, Jose Neto, Lewis Nash, Marcos Silva, and Alex Acuna, among others. She’s a member of the a cappella trio, Dangerous Divas and conducts the Marin Harmony A Cappella Chorus. Daria toured with the legendary Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks/ for 10 years. The Hot Licks currently perform, carrying the torch for Dan’s music. |
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Walter Zelnick
Vice-President of the legendary City Hall Records -- one of the last truly independent music distributors in the nation and distributor of the Primarily A Cappella imprint-- has been a pillar of the Bay Area music scene for the last thirty five years. During his tenure, Mr. Zelnick has overseen the distribution of a wide variety of talent across the musical spectrum, from Bay Area Rap legends, Too Short, MC Hammer and the late Mac Dre to such artists as Paula West, The Two Live Crew, NWA, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Salt-N-Pepa, Lavay Smith, Charo, Doris Day, The Jingle Cats and many more. He has witnessed the evolution of the music delivery system from LP to cassette to CD to digital to LP. One of his proudest achievements is his unsought credit as a background vocalist on the 1995 recording, "Christmas Unleashed" by the Jingle Dogs (actual dogs). |
 
Complete list of 2024 participants
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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John Neal (Bay Area)
Beginning as a local event the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, under Neal’s guidance, has grown to become the most significant live showcase for a cappella music in the nation and attracts hundreds of groups and thousands of audience members every year. The Harmony Sweepstakes was the original inspiration for the NBC prime time series The Sing-Off and Neal was hired as a consultant to the series. Neal is president of Primarily A Cappella - (www.singers.com) which is the nation’s leading vendor of a cappella music including recordings, arrangements, DVDs, songbooks and instructional material for singers. Neal writes the informative blog at www.acappellanews.com which has a large and loyal readership.
PO Box D, San Anselmo, CA 94979
415-455-8602
festival (at) harmony-sweepstakes.com
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