2006 Participating Groups
 | | 5-Alone
The idea of 5-Alone was conceived in the fall of 1999. I approached four students about starting a jazz a cappella quintet with myself as the fifth member. Encouraged by the succss of our first performance, we continued singing throughout the spring and debuted officially as 5-Alone at the Iron Horse in June, 2000.
Now 5-Alone is an accredited performing arts class at PVPA. We've come a long way from the days of rehearsing at lunch and after school. 5-Alone has gained a considerable amount of attention in a very short time. Awards and honors have been piling up from DownBeat Magazine, C.A.S.A., A-Capella.com, The National Harmony Sweepstakes, R.A.R.B., Primarily A Cappella, Berklee College of Music, and the I.A.J.E. 5-Alone has performed all over the world, including New York, California, and The Netherlands, and has turned the world of high school a cappella upside down.
Members: Jorge Jones, Alecia Chakour, Emily Kaufman, Tony Lechner, O.J. Martori
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Harmonious Soul
Harmonious Soul has a solid reputation of high caliber performances. Dedicated to peace and equality, this group boasts an incredible record, having entertained at many popular state events and venues in Connecticut. With an eclectic array of covers from traditional a cappella to country, jazz, and rock and roll, this group's music is as thought provoking as their sonority is deep. While drawing audiences with their blended sound and extensive range, this ensemble continues to perform throughout the New England area, singing from a self-invigorating and socially conscious repertoire.Members: Amy Bonneau, Andrea Barnes, Beth D'Amato, Erika Herz, Nicole Kuca, Tobi Krutt, Amity Wahl
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 | | In The Moment
In The Moment is a group of seven women, dedicated to their passion for a cappella, amidst the complications of life with 7 husbands, 14 children, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a variety of careers! Since 1999, they have been devoting their vocal talent and contagious sense of fun to entertaining audiences at concert halls, festivals, fundraisers, and private parties. From pop to jazz, doo-wop to hip hop, they do it all, and take pride in their versatility. Refusing to be "desperate housewives," they consistently challenge themselves to take musical risks, while remaining true to a quality sound that is uniquely their own.
Members: Debby Foner, Ruthanne Larsen Brown, Anne Kalis, Debbie Cohen Skelton, Rachel Reynolds, Betsy Morris Rosen, Amber Tol
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Invisible Men
Invisible Men (IM) is a vocal band based in Manhattan, dedicated to performing tasty and propulsive arrangements of the choicest pop, rock and R-'n-B morsels.Coming out of the underground contemporary a-cappella scene, IM uses its voices-- including vocal percussion, well-amplified bass and the occasional audio effect-- to create performances as exciting and energetic as an instrumental combo. While most pop groups in the college a-cap scene (in which the IM guys honed their chops) are large and have the luxury of being able to literally recreate popular recordings using complex arrangements, IM and small bands like it are looking to create the excitement of popular music with efficient but powerful arrangements, so that while you know you're listening to voices, the sound is so full and convincing that you simply don't care. Invisible Men played its very first show on Feb. 26, 2005 at the New York Harmony Sweepstakes at Symphony Space, and took the metro vocal harmony scene by storm that night, winning Audience Favorite honors.
Members: Warren Bloom, Justin Blanding, Oliver Libby, Tyler Pennock, Angelo Rufino
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 | | Traces
With their expansive vocal range, vocal dynamics, tight harmonies, "female bass" and hard hitting percussion, this NY based group offers a variety of musical styles and continually push the envelope of female vocals. Their wide range of musical influences-Gospel, Contemporar, Christian, Pop, R&B, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Spirituals, Caribbean and African, just to name a few-has lead them to create a unique style all their own. Over the years, the group has had some amazing experiences including singing churches, colleges, prisons and festivals
Listen to:
As | Listen to:
Wonderful World II
Members: Keesha Gumbs, Kimberly Robinson, Bianka Kotee, Tia Fields, Tameeka Gumbs
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Undertone
Undertone is a dynamic addition to Boston's semi-pro a cappella scene, with its assortment of alumni from different college groups in the area. As they broke into the real world, they realized that careers such as information technology and investment banking didn't offer them opportunities to fulfill their rock star fantasies. Hence the birth of Undertone in 2004. Their repertoire consists of songs that pop up into Niel and Eric's heads, which usually include current and old school Pop, Rock, and R&B. Undertone's fresh sound has been permeating the region from street corners, to area middle schools and colleges, to the bars of Cambridge.
Members: Niel Francisco, Dave Blauch, Mary Hunt, Ehsan Iraniparast, Ellen Langhans, Amanda Mercier, Eric Tjonahen
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 | | The VariAsians
The VariAsians are Boston's premiere Asian American a cappella group. Their music is best described as a fusion of traditional Asian folk songs with modern pop and R&B. The VariAsians have performed at numerous venues in Boston, including the Boston Celtics FleetCenter, 2004 Democratic National Convention, 2004 Boston Folk Festival, Borders Bookstore, Ritz Carlton, Urban Nutcracker, NAAAP, Forest Hills Cemetery Lantern Festival, and various community events and fundraisers.Members: Diep Nguyen, Thuy Tran, Robin Lang, Huy Hoang, Cleoanne Estrera, Jonathan Liu
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Vote For Pedro
They're training to be cagefighters, but if that doesn't work out maybe the a cappella thing will! Vote For Pedro is a Boston-based group made up of three great-looking guys and one sexy, blonde mama. (Ok, ok. Taunia wrote this.) VFP likes to mix it up with jazz-influenced originals and standards, and they like to bring on the funny. They're just finishing up their debut CD of (mostly) originals and are excited about showcasing a few of the new tunes. VFP wishes all of the groups the best of luck! For more information about Vote For Pedro, visit the website at www.pedroband.com.
Members: Dan Lennon, Ben Jackson, Shah Salmi, Taunia Soderquist
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2006 Judges
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Jamshed Bharucha
As Provost and Senior Vice President of Tufts, Jamshed Bharucha is the Chief Academic Officer of the university, overseeing the seven schools, Tisch College, and cross-school programs. The provost is responsible for driving institutional and budgetary priorities, and for academic planning. Dr. Bharucha also holds faculty appointments in the departments of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Music. His own research has focused on the cognitive and neural basis of the perception of music, using perceptual experiments, neural net modeling, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). |
Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly is choral director at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. He is a graduate of Bucknell University (where he was once a Bison Chip - their all-male vocal group), Berklee College of Music, and NEC. He has been immersed in musical performance by singing, teaching, and performing jazz in the Boston area for the last 20 years. He loves a cappella Boys 2 Men, Take 6, and regularly plays jazz piano at Ryles and Johnny D’s.
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Laura C. Noel
Master Sergeant Laura C. Noel a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the United States Air Force in September 1989 as an Aerospace Control and Warning Systems Operator. After two world tours as a vocalist with the Air Force entertainment group Tops In Blue, she cross-trained into the Air Force band career field. Sergeant Noel has served tours of duty in Florida and Georgia, and overseas in Belgium, Japan, and Korea. In January of 2003, she received her current assignment with the Band of Liberty. Sergeant Noel is attending Boston University, where she is pursuing a Master's Degree in Arts Administration. |
Ellen Schreiber
Ellen Schreiber is the Executive Director of the Walk for Music, a collaborative fundraising event on April 30, 2006 that will raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for grass roots arts organizations, with the goal of keeping music alive and funded in Boston's neighborhoods and surrounding communities. Previously, Ms. Schreiber was the co-founder of the Boston Children's Chorus, a multi-racial, multi-cultural arts organization that brings together children from urban and suburban neighborhoods to discover the power of singing and to serve as ambassadors for their city. Ms. Schreiber is also a soprano, whose volunteer service includes roles on the boards of the Greater Boston Choral Consortium, Back Bay Chorale, PALS Children's Chorus, Nashoba Valley Chorale, on the steering committee for the National Arts Marketing Project, and as the producer of many plays and concerts. |
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Michael Turner
Michael Turner is the Chair of the Performing Arts Department at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, where he has been Choral Director since 1988. Among his other ensembles he is director and arranger for the girls' a cappella group Greensleeves. Past a cappella experience includes direction and arranging for the Simmons College Notables and the Dedham-based Second Wind. He is currently Artistic Director of the Neponset Choral Society in Foxboro. Mr. Turner is a graduate of the Boston University School of Music and holds a Master of Music in Conducting and Composition from the Longy School of Music. In 1992 he was awarded a fellowship at Northwestern University. He has studied conducting with Jeffrey Rink, Thomas Dunn and Robert Harris, and served as assistant to Lorna Cooke deVaron. Mr. Turner is an active member of the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Association and designed the database and web site used by the Southeast District and Massachusetts All-State for audition registration and adjudication. He lives in Dedham, with his wife Stacey and their children, Wilson, Mackenzie and Bailey. |
 
Complete list of 2006 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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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
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