2022 Participating Groups
 | | FLEX PITCH
FLEX PITCH is an acapella group based out of NYC. Originally formed as a virtual acapella group during the pandemic, they have sung in numerous different styles of music including jazz, R&B, and pop. After making a run all the way to the finals of "THE 2021 ACAPELLA OPEN" presented by Varsity Vocals, FLEX PITCH is ready to take on the live stage with their high energy and creativity! Members: Will Farnham, Winston Yang, Marwan Ramen, Jenna Barbieri, Gabrielle Piacentile
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Highline Vocal Jazz
Highline is an award-winning vocal jazz quintet comprised of five friendly friends who really like singing. We were founded in December 2017 and have been creating music videos for original, tight 5-part arrangements ever since. Based in New York City, we perform and teach all over the United States. Just recently, Highline was named national champions of the 2022 Harmony Sweepstakes.
We are committed to continuing the vocal jazz tradition established by groups like The Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, The Real Group, and Take 6, as well as honoring the many influential instrumentalists that have pioneered jazz language. We believe in modernizing and reshaping the art form these musicians championed and making it fun and accessible for all audiences.
At the center of our philosophy is education of the next generation of singers through workshops and masterclasses in jazz singing and arranging. Most of all, we think singing and vocal music should be fun! We want our audiences to experience joy from our music, and we especially hope you do.Members: Mark Farnum, Emily Gaggiano, Jared Graveley, Nick Gorden, Alyssa Venora
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 | | Mezzo A Cappella
Mezzo A Cappella is a New York City–based, diverse, all-female a cappella group, who are passionate about music and performance and truly enjoy sharing that with others. In 2019, Mezzo released their first E.P. titled, "Woman Like Me" available on all streaming platforms. Members: Amanda Lim, Liz Chapman, Erin Mazuera, Reynetta Sampson, Bree Lalor, Maggy Kucera, Sophia Brooks
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Replay Vocals
Replay Vocals is a post-collegiate a cappella group that started during the pandemic in 2020. Based in New Jersey, each member of Replay Vocals brings their unique talents to create a musical sound all their own. They are excited to be performing in their first competition.Members: Julien Blanchard, Nicole Cebulko, Evan Cordero, Madelyn Curtin, Morgan Graham, Luke Wroblewski
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Your Emcee for the Evening 
Diana Preisler
Diana Preisler’s career in a cappella began as the female lead singer, and band manager of Broadway Records recording artist, Blue Jupiter. She is a featured soloists on Blue Jupiter's newest album, Twisted Broadway Vol. 1. Blue Jupiter has performed at performing arts centers, colleges, festivals, and corporate events around the world. Blue Jupiter won the Oreo “Milk’s Favorite Jingle” contest, hosted by famed American Idol Judge Randy Jackson, and has performed with iconic performers like The Roots, Livingston Taylor, and The Persuasions. Companies like: Disney, ABC Family, the Food Network, Honda, NOKIA, Nickelodeon, and Hermes have featured Blue Jupiter at their corporate events. You may have seen Blue Jupiter on Oprah, the Huff Post, headlining at theatres around the globe, cruise ships and casinos, including over 200 shows at the Sands Casino in Macau, China.
Diana’s work as an a cappella performance coach and mentor caught the attention of Lifetime TV in 2014. Soon after, Diana helped create and star in the Lifetime original a cappella series, "Pitch Slapped.” This competition docu-series featured Diana working with high school students through 10 weeks of competition. “Pitch Slapped" continues to air on Lifetime in countries across the world.
Before Diana began her career as an a cappella singer, she graced the theatrical stage on multiple national Broadway tours such as “Fiddler on the Roof” and “A Christams Carol.” Regional roles across the US include Eva Peron in "Evita", Ado Annie in "Oklahoma", Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”, Linda in “Blood Brothers” and Shelley in "Bat Boy, The Musical.” As a Nationally televised voice-over artist, you’ve heard Diana as the voice of MTV, Nickelodeon, Behr Paint, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Herbal Essences, Priceline, Planter’s (with Robert Downy Jr), Fisher Price, HGTV, VH1, or Bank of America (to name just a few.) |
2022 Judges
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Jonathan Minkoff
Jonathan Minkoff is the Founder and Executive Producer for the Public Charity, SingStrong (SingStrong.org) and its International A cappella Festivals in NY, DC and Chicago. He performs world-wide and on TV with the award-winning a cappella quartet, Blue Jupiter. Minkoff holds a Bachelors in Music Ed. from Northwestern U., a certificate in voice study from the Boston U. Tanglewood Institute, and a JD from Boston U. School of Law. Minkoff won the Chicago Harmony Sweepstakes 1st place and audience favorite and the Chicago & National Sweeps' "Best Original Composition" and "Best Arrangement Awards", shared a "WAMMY" nomination for "Best Album", a CARA nomination for "Best Jazz Album" and a WAMMY win for "Best A cappella Album". Most recently, Minkoff coached Stiletta, the current National Harmony Sweeps champions, and the only group to ever win every possible award at nationals. He has over 300 published a cappella reviews at RARB.org and his articles at ACAPPELLA101.com have thousands of views monthly. After teaching, performing, emceeing and judging at over 40 a cappella festivals worldwide, Minkoff now coaches, composes, records and produces for various a cappella groups in his New York City recording studio. |
Mark Paul
Mark Paul is an accomplished a cappella performer, music director, vocal coach, and lifelong musician. A 45-year member of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), he's currently the bass of the a cappella barbershop group The Square Route, specializing in digging out old, forgotten barbershop songs and re-introducing those harmonies to both young and old alike. The Square Route holds a quartet championship in the BHS US & Canada Northeastern District. Formerly the bass singer of a top-20 international-level a cappella barbershop quartet, Reveille; they regularly entertained audiences across the United States and internationally. Reveille holds a quartet championship in the BHS six-state Mid- Atlantic District. Mark served for seventeen years in top musical leadership positions for gold and silver medal internationally competitive BHS choruses, and was the front-line musical director of a BHS District level chorus. He performed in a cool a cappella documentary film about barbershop singing and is on two music albums. An a cappella vocal coach for 39 years, Mark works with individuals and groups of all sizes and has served as faculty on several exciting a cappella music education programs, both domestically and abroad. Whatever level the individual/group is at, he elevates them, instilling higher levels of awareness, alignment, confidence, commitment and fun. Mark is an Executive Leadership Development Coach and a Reiki Master. Mark's favorite downtime activities are surffishing, photography and camping. |
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Julie Seda
Julie Seda was the inaugural recipient of “Best Solo Award” at the NY Harmony Sweeps in 2009, in addition to her 3rd place group win. Her award-winning 50s Doo Wop group, Classic Sounds, was also inducted into the East Coast Music Hall of Fame in 2019. She and her group are the only two-time winners of the “Richard Nader Acappella Competition” at the Izod Center. They’re also the only artists to win the SingStrong ACA Idol competition in both DC and Chicago, including earning the Audience Favorite Award at both festivals. Julie has emceed the Aarhus Vocal Music Festival (AAVF), and was the original bass member of Stiletta, who went on to be the 2016 National Harmony Sweeps champions. Julie has shared the stage with Jay Siegel’s Tokens, Kenny Vance and the Planotones, The Duprees, and countless other 50s legends. She has also headlined performances across the country, including Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, and Hard Rock Atlantic City. She now serves on the Board of Directors for SingStrong, a public charity dedicated to a cappella music and the arts, that has helped donate over $100,000 to fund Alzheimer’s research since 2009. Julie has started several a cappella groups at multiple high schools in the Bronx, NY, and has coached numerous high school and college groups.
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Complete list of 2022 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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Colette Thompson (New York)
Colette Thompson has directed or performed in over eleven vocal ensembles, with her group, Stay Tuned, placing 3rd in the 1998 New York Regional of the Harmony Sweepstakes; Colette has performed/recorded with Lukas Foss, Leonard Bernstein, Jesse Norman, Peter, Paul & Mary, and James Levine A billboard-ranked singer/songwriter, she has also managed several events, including, Christmas at NYU, Complex at the Duplex, and An Evening with The Real Group at NYC's Symphony Space. With performances televised via major news programs including Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, and NY1, she is a promoter, producer, adjudicator and an ambassador of vocal music worldwide.
128 Fort Greene Place, Suite 1B, Brooklyn, NY 11217
917-442-2011
colette.thompson (at) mac.com
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