1998 Boston Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

14th 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.

1998 Boston Champions

Ball In The House

Following in the path of classic harmony groups like Boyz II Men, The Temptations, and Take 6, with a mix of the classic and the contemporary, the five-member vocal band Ball in the House brilliantly blends a wide range of influences, from classic R&B to pop, hip-hop & gospel. With their extensive tour schedule (averaging 250 dates a year), Ball in the House reaches millions and is arguably one of the hardest working, most successful indie bands today. They have performed with such artists as The Beach Boys, Gladys Knight, The Jonas Brothers, Jessica Simpson, Fantasia, Blondie, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, KC & The Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, and numerous others. All a cappella, but a sound that will astound and amaze you. 5 Guys, 5 Voices, THAT'S IT... A review from the Boston Globe put it very succinctly - "Ball in the House has everything you would expect to find in a successful pop/rock band....the one thing it doesn't have is instruments."

1998 Results
1st	Ball In The House
2nd	SoRare
3rd (tie)	Corner Pocket
3rd (tie)	Serious Fun

1998 Participating Groups

Ball In The House
Following in the path of classic harmony groups like Boyz II Men, The Temptations, and Take 6, with a mix of the classic and the contemporary, the five-member vocal band Ball in the House brilliantly blends a wide range of influences, from classic R&B to pop, hip-hop & gospel. With their extensive tour schedule (averaging 250 dates a year), Ball in the House reaches millions and is arguably one of the hardest working, most successful indie bands today. They have performed with such artists as The Beach Boys, Gladys Knight, The Jonas Brothers, Jessica Simpson, Fantasia, Blondie, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, KC & The Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, and numerous others. All a cappella, but a sound that will astound and amaze you. 5 Guys, 5 Voices, THAT'S IT... A review from the Boston Globe put it very succinctly - "Ball in the House has everything you would expect to find in a successful pop/rock band....the one thing it doesn't have is instruments."
Listen to: Get It On | Listen to: Crawlin

Corner Pocket

Serious Fun

Similar Jones
Similar Jones is a vocal band with a combined sound that's bigger than their 7 voices. With a heavy focus on blues and rock, the vocal band uses a powerful rhythm section to get things pumping and tight, and bright background vocals to build the foundation for a wide variety of songs, including favorite covers and their own original tunes. SJ has been gigging around Boston for ... holy crap has it really been 15 years? ... at venues large and small. The current lineup features an opera singer, an astrophysicist, and one original member. Can you guess who they are?

SoRare
Members: Arlene Isaac, Donna Manoogian, Karen Christofi, Jannis Moylan

Soundstage 7
Soundstage 7 is the scroobiest band in Boston! We¹ve been rehearsing, performing, and chowing on sushi together since the spring of 1997, and we perform whatever music takes our fancy, as long as it¹s fun, crazy, energetic, hip, or just plain groovy, baby! We dig Œ80s and Œ90s pop tunes (you know you do too, admit it), but our repertoire also includes neo-swing, soul, and funk, among other styles. We¹re psyched to be back in the Boston Regional Harmony Sweepstakes, and we¹d like to thank the Beelzebubs Foundation for sponsoring this great show year after year! Go Boston a cappella!Members: Greg Bowne, Mike Daly, Andrea Heyda, Hyoun Park, Liz Ruark, Maddie Welch

The Steiners

Talk to the Hand
Talk To The Hand is a women's a cappella quartet, rocking out in venues in and around Boston. These foxy ladies use no instruments, except their four voices. Listen to some clips, and marvel that such a full, luscious sound can emanate from these four wee lasses. Hang on to your hat, as you experience Talk To The Hand covers of a mind-boggling variety of pop, rock, and country artists - all rendered with the magical touch of The Hand. Can you handle The Hand?Members: Emily Iarocci, Laura Larson, Sarah Littlefield, Liz Whitelam

Taproot

1998 Judges TBA

Complete list of 1998 participants

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 :

Dan Campagna (Boston) has been a part of the a cappella community for over 10 years and is the co-founder and business manager of the Boston-based group, Fermata Town. Behind his leadership, Fermata Town has released two award-winning albums, performed at international festivals and appeared on network TV. In 2013, Fermata Town captured the Boston Harmony Sweepstakes championship before placing third overall at Nationals where they took home "Best Original Song" honors. He is a founding board member of the Contemporary A Cappella League and voluteer program manager for the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA). An active member in the Boston a cappella community, Dan enjoys attending local shows and volunteering for Varsity Vocals during ICCA season.

Prior to Fermata Town, Dan sang collegiate a cappella at Emmanuel College in Encore!, the college’s first-ever coed group which later changed its name to In Good Company.

Outside of a cappella, Dan works fulltime at Emmanuel College as the Director of Athletic Communications. Dan is also an Assistant Coach to the University of Massachusetts Boston Women’s Soccer Team and an adjunct professor at Lasell College where he teaches a sports journalism course.

860-874-5191
FermataTown@gmail.com