40th Annual

Mid-Atlantic Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, acapella singing competition, washington dc, virginia, baltimore

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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.

March 29th, 2025 - 7.30pm

THE BIRCHMERE

3701 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305

Hosted by

2024 Mid-Atlantic Champions

Capital Blend

Capital Blend formed in the spring of 2008 when several coworkers learned they shared a common interest in singing. Now, consisting of women from a wide variety of professions, Capital Blend is mostly comprised of former college a cappella performers and other musically inclined individuals. Capital Blend performs in and around the DC Metro area at venues ranging from the Washington Nationals Stadium to retirement communities and corporate events. The group's repertoire includes popular music, oldies but goodies, international hits, and original compositions.
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2025 Participating Groups

Drop The Mic
Once a ragtag collection of theatre friends, Drop The Mic has been entertaining fans since 2015, singing music from the 1940s to the 2020s. They cover musical styles from jazz to classic rock and have performed all over the DC area. This year they look forward to celebrating their 10th year of friendship and music.

Members: Stephanie Bonte-Lebair, Julie Miller, Alison Siegal, Kelly Dobkins, Eric Yeh, Rich Shegogue, Isaac Cohen, Matt Williams

Fantastic 4 Quartet
Fantastic 4 Quartet is a mixed barbershop, A Cappella quartet. Chris Susalka (lead), Dale Bird (bass), Heidi Brown (baritone), and Susan Shields Friel (tenor) have been singing together since 2018 and enjoy making music and laughing together often. Fantastic 4 has taken home awards in contests sponsored by the Barbershop Harmony Society, Harmony Incorporated, and the Mixed Barbershop Harmony Society.

Members: Chris Susalka, Dale Bird, Heidi Brown, Susan Shields Friel

Hall Pass
Hi! We're a middle school a cappella group at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School. Don't let our age or energy fool you into thinking we don't work hard! We come from a diverse background of people that are dancers, singers, actors, instrumentalist, artist, gymnast, sportist... wait... would it be sporters and not sportist if we play sports? Oh well, it actually doesn't matter: we have a Hall Pass to say it however we want. We love meeting new people, going to other venues to sing, and if you ever need a hall pass for anything, we're your tribe!

Smoke Ring
Smoke Ring is a mixed voice barbershop and contemporary a cappella quartet based in New York, NY. Since their start in January 2023, they have taken the barbershop world by storm, having won the 2024 Mid-Atlantic District championship on their first go in a historical win as the first-ever mixed voice quartet to earn the championship title! And more recently, placing 9th in the world at their debut at the Barbershop Harmony Society s International quartet contest. They re currently the highest-ranked mixed voice quartet in the world.

Members: Stephanie Taglianetti, Becca Eckes, Gabriel Spector, Alexander Ronneburg

SongRise
HerStory: SongRise was conceived on a shuttle to the DC Metro when Sarah Beller and Laura Honeywood started harmonizing to Sweet Honey in the Rock's "Ella's Song" after a Social Justice Open Mic. For a few rocky months they met in the practice rooms of American University every week with a revolving cast of special guest appearances until a core group solidified and rehearsals moved to the Apiary in Columbia Heights. From the moment SongRise was conceived, we knew it had the potential to solidify our individual and collective dreams of merging art with action, song, soul and substance, community and chorus, and many other alliterative amalgamations.

Members: Diana Liao, Ellie Pershing, Erin Lowe, Jeanne Lewis, Kamilyn Choi, Katie Blackburn, Meagan Dooley, Melissa Grober-Morrow, Morgan Khan, Nikki Nesbary, Ruby Bevan, Sarah Beller

Step4
After more than 30 years in the business, STEP4 are still performing before adoring fans and sellout crowds. STEP4 was formed in 1983 at a house party in ALEXANDRIA Va. The original members of the group are STEVN THURMAN KEVIN THURMAN ANTWAN DRAYTON REGINALD FLOOD. STEP4,s first tasted success in 1983 with the release of its first album entitled SHADYGROOVE ON THE MOVE This album produced local favorites " like LONG WAY UP & FORTUNE & SOONER OR LATER The release propelled them into the national limelight, producing several connoisseurs of falsetto based soul music of the mid 80, s Dazzling hooks and a solid false tenor propelled My Soul" STEP4 received both national and international notoriety for its tight harmony and the impeccable falsetto of lead singers,. To this day, STEP4 would not be complete without an audience singing along to "YOU REALLY NEEDED ME!! & THE WAY TOO MY HEART AND SOONER OR LATER

Over the course of their more than 30 years of performing STEP4 have shared the stage with legendary and a virtual who's who of nationally acclaimed acts.

Members: Steven Thurman, Kebin Thurman, Antwan Drayton, Reginald Flood

Surprisingly Competent
We're a barbershop quartet consisting of four incredibly average guys who met through a series of completely unremarkable circumstances. Two of us sing with Frederick, two with D.C., and somehow, despite our best efforts, we ended up forming a quartet.

We sing barbershop music. We show up to rehearsals. We wear matching outfits when necessary. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about what we do, but we do it. And we do it adequately.

If you enjoy well-tuned chords, perfectly acceptable performances, and absolutely no unnecessary flair, then you might just enjoy Surprisingly Competent. Or not. Either way, we'll keep singing.

Members: Jim Lake, John David Maybury, Craig Ruth, Rick Ulrey

With Special Guests

Exciting new mixed quartet.

The Agency

The Agency is a new mixed barbershop quartet in the DC Area featuring members of Bella Nova Chorus, Snowday, and Euphonism. They feature both a two time harmony queen and a trained opera singer who is completely new to barbershop.



2025 Judges

Kris Adams   

Kris Adams got her Music education degree from Indiana State University but started her A capella musical adventures LONG before that. After her parents married at a barbershop singing convention, Kris’s life was destined to be filled with right harmony and an amazing extended singing family! She has two international barbershop gold medals with Harmony Queens Hot Topic, 2003 and Epic 2012 along with various other area and international awards. She is now competing at the international level with her Harmony, Inc. quartet, Angel's Envy, and her MBHA quartet, The Agency. Kris also sings bass with the top ranking barbershop chorus Bella Nova out of Ashburn Virginia. Kris is currently the music director at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Sterling. She spends the rest of her time teaching music privately, performing around the country and caring for her two beautiful children. She is happily married and living in Leesburg, VA with her amazing husband Rob

Bill Colosimo   

Bill Colosimo is a passionate and experienced vocal music performer, educator, coach, clinician, and choral director with over 50 years of active professional engagement in the vocal arts. Trained at Cranbrook (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) and Brandeis University in vocal music and choral direction, Bill has produced, performed in, or directed over 350 vocal music programs and workshops all over the East Coast, particularly in the Washington, DC area.

Having achieved regional and international recognition as an award-winning quartet and chorus singer in the Barbershop Harmony Society, Bill most recently sang baritone in Serendipity, the Mid-Atlantic District’s 2017 MBHA Mixed Quartet Champion. He is currently Music Director of the exciting 80-voice mixed-gender pops chorus, The Alexandria Singers. From 1991 to 2017, he was Music Director of the award-winning Barbershop Harmony Society’s Singing Capital Chorus. He is founder and Artistic Director of the Choral Foundation of Northern Virginia, dedicated to providing vocal music educational and performance opportunities to young people.

Reggie Moore   

Reggie Moore, member of a cappella legends The Persuasions, is a native Washingtonian who began his long singing career in the DC area. Moore has performed at every cultural institution in our Nation's Capitol, including The White House, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The Library of Congress, The Shakespeare Theatre and The Corcoran Gallery of Art Music Series. He has also been a featured performer at The National Folklife Festival of American Music, on Black Entertainment Television (BET) and has traveled internationally with several music ensembles. Charged with holding the musical torch of The Persuasions, Moore continues the a cappella/eclectic tradition that has made the group one of the most beloved in the industry.

Scott Disney   

Scott is third generation barbershop singer, who actually started singing in the hobby way back at age of 8. He has won the MAD quartet contest a record 5 times, as well as won multiple chorus medals for such groups as The Alexandria Harmonizers, and Parkside Harmony. Scott is also a coach for multiple male and female groups in the DMV area. He resides in Glen Burnie, MD.


Complete list of 2025 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 :

Amanda Cornaglia (Mid-Atlantic) Amanda Cornaglia is the manager for Acaville Radio, a 24/7 streaming service for a cappella music. Amanda is also co-owner of Clear Harmonies, a full service studio and management company for a cappella groups. She got her start in contemporary a cappella with Special K, an all-female ensemble at Hamilton College. She has since performed and directed groups around the globe. She is business director and primary arranger of the multiple CARA nominated group Euphonism. She also founded Snowday, a professional quintet that incorporates contemporary vocal music into education, visiting close to 100 schools each year. She has served in various capacities at the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) & turned the Contemporary A Cappella League into its own non-profit organization. Amanda has been a CARA nominator and judge since 2010.



amanda (at) clearharmonies.com


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The Birchmere

Many careers have been launched from this internationally recognized music hall. On any given night, a star may be born. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dave Matthews, Vince Gill, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and k.d. Lang are just a few of the artists counted as good friends of the Birchmere. The Birchmere is committed to the presentation of the highest quality music in a comfortable and intimate atmosphere. Directions -Yelp reviews -Photos


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