2008 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: Maisie Dolan, Harpo Jaeger, Andrew Lederman, Dylan Makowski, Rose O'Connell-Marion, Kimaya Diggs, Daniel Plimpton, Rose Whitcomb-Detmold
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Boston Accent Quartet
Boston Accent just can't seem to get enough of singing together, so they are members of Sweet Adelines International and Harmony, Incorporated - two international organizations of female barbershop singers. In November 2006, BA won the coveted gold medal at Harmony, Inc's International competition in Jacksonville Florida! In May of 2010, 2012 and 2013 they won first place in the Sweet Adelines North Atlantic Regional competition and competed internationally in Honolulu, HI. Their CD, CROWNED AND DANGEROUS, has been hailed as a "vocal symphony with an ACCENT on fun and entertainment". Members: Cheryl Brusket, Julie Jeffery, Karen Rourke, Ruth Berman
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 | | Fretless
Fretless made its debut in June of 1999 at the First Parish Unitarian Church in Bedford, MA. In 2004, we competed at the Eastern Regional Harmony Sweepstakes at Tufts University's Cohen Auditorium, winning third place. In 2005, we produced our first CD entitled "All the Things We Are".
Fretless weaves the soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass voices of five accomplished performers into a tapestry of lush harmonies and fascinating lyrics. Our repertoire includes an adventurous mix of lively pop songs, Broadway classics, demanding classical works, and off-beat selections from the great American songbook.Members: Sue Wellington, David Getty, Matt Ettore, Charlie Hodges, Vicki Righettini
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Overboard
Founded in the spring of 2006 by current director Nicholas Girard, Overboard is a male a cappella group from Boston, MA. Although Overboard's repertoire consists primarily of contemporary pop/rock songs, including covers from such artists as Rascall Flatts, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles, the group remains true to its a cappella roots and continues to perform classic selections such as "Blue Moon," "In The Still of the Night" and "Stand By Me."
First conceived as a street performance group intent on entertaining audiences around coastal New England during the summer months, Overboard has come a long way in a short time. The group's first album, Shipwrecked, was recorded in Nick's living room and was released during that first summer. Shipwrecked was distributed during frequent busking stops in Newburyport, MA; Freeport, ME and Burlington, VT, as well as around the group's hometown of Boston.Members: Ryan Sterling, Gary Gustavsen, Josh Koelker, Dave Plante, Jeff Alderson, Nick Girard, Scott Cobban, Joe Barbato
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 | | Relative Ring
Relative Ring - Hailing from four distant corners of Maine, Relative Ring is comprised of two cousins, both former chorus directors, and two sisters, all Sweet Adeline members. They are thrilled to be fulfilling a life-long dream of singing together and sharing their love of traditional barbershop music.Members: Barbara Hynes, Sherry Sprague, Wendilee Bailey, Deborah Arenberg
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Syncopation
The Boston Globe calls Syncopation "the 21st Century Manhattan Transfer or Lambert, Hendricks and Ross" and it is easy to see why. Like those legendary vocal groups, Syncopation performs jazz and pop music in four-part harmony with a style that is both timeless and up-to-the-minute. As an added treat each of the singers also plays an instrument or two like trumpet, trombone piano and percussion providing the excitement of a band much larger in size.
You may have seen Syncopation on WBZ-TV singing with the Boston Pops on their 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular (2009). The group often performs with instrumental accompaniment of piano, bass and drums, but they are equally renowned for their a cappella singing, which has earned them regional and national awards from Harmony Sweepstakes.Members: Christine Fawson, David Thorne Scott, Tsunenori “Lee” Abe, Aubrey Logan
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 | | Undertone
Undertone is a semi-professional, co-ed group based out of the Boston area. Since starting out in 2004, the seven dynamic and experienced members of Undertone have solidified their melodic arranging style, precise harmonies, and intricate vocal percussion. Their high-powered and eclectic repertoire integrates styles of pop, rock, jazz, blues, and funk. These songs include hits from the 70's through today. Learn more about Undertone at www.undertoneboston.com and keep your eye out for their new CD!Members: Rebecca Blum, Niel Francisco, Ehsan Iraniparast, Amanda Mercier, Mary Hunt, Dave Blauch, Eric Tjonahen
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2008 Judges
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Joey Blake
Joey is one of the founding and current members of Voicestra, the a cappella ensemble created by Bobby McFerrin. He was also a founding member of Sovoso the group that spun from Voicestra. Joey has recorded & produced five albums for this group,
( Precious - a European release, Bridges and Seasonings for the US, as well as Crack the Nut and Then and Now). He also holds numerous arranging credits to his name, including his work with SoVoSo. His discography includes recordings with McFerrin (Medicine Music, CircleSongs), Kenny Loggins, Dianne Reeves, to name a few.
Joey is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music in Boston, as an Associate Professor in the Voice Department. He continues to tour with, Sung Deep, Back To The Band and Bobby McFerrin, while pursuing his solo work and teaching career. |
John Clark
John Clark attended Tufts University where he sang with and directed the Tufts Amalgamates. After graduation, he formed the semi-pro group 7Seconds who won the 1997 Boston Regional Harmony Sweepstakes. John is known mainly for his work in recording various collegiate, as well as semi-professional and professional a cappella groups. He is the producer and recording engineer for The Hyannis Sound, Brandeis VoiceMale, The BU Dear Abbeys, The Bostonians of Boston College, The Suffolk Ramifications, The Dartmouth Aires (paired with Ed Boyer), Invisible Men, Firedrill!, Naturally7, and many others. |
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Amy Malkoff
Involved in a cappella since college (Kenyon College), Amy Malkoff was a founding member and bandleader of the award-winning groups All About Buford and Deadline Poet, and she has appeared on stage and in the studio with such luminaries as Wayne Brady, Jonatha Brooke, The Persuasions, Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, GrooveLily, Patty Griffin, and Dar Williams. She has a degree in music from Kenyon College, with music studies at Youngstown State University and masters-level coursework at the New England Conservatory of Music. She is currently Media Director for the Women's A Cappella Association, as well as being on the board, and the Marketing Director for the A Cappella Education Association (presenting the first National A Cappella Convention in Memphis next week!). Amy served on the board and was the Web Content Director for CASA (Contemporary A Cappella Society) and is a longtime judge for the International Championships of Collegiate and High School A Cappella. She is a writer, designer and runner of social media campaigns (www.amymalkoff.com), as well as a singer/songwriter. Amy's music has appeared on both the Rounder Records and Hear Music/Starbucks labels. @amalkoff |
Carol Mastrodomenico
Carol Mastrodomenico maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with numerous choruses, orchestras and other ensembles and excels in the interpretation of great oratorios. Ms. Mastrodomenico is frequently heard with Boston Vocal Artists, performing the operatic roles of Rita in Donizetti’s Rita and Gasperina in Haydn’s La Canterina. Her versatility has also been highlighted in BVA recitals where she has performed the works of Purcell, Schubert, Debussy, Bizet and Poulenc. She enjoys singing opera and has performed the roles of Adele, Pamina, Lucy (The Telephone), Clorinda, and Kate Pinkerton. She received her Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at New England Conservatory of Music. Ms. Mastrodomenico is the voice curriculum teacher during the summer at the Heifetz International Music Festival in New Hampshire. She is presently on the voice faculty of Tufts University where she is also the Opera Ensemble Director. She maintains an active private studio in Woburn and is one of the returning guest faculty at the Longy School of Music. |
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Brian O’Connell
At UMass/Lowell Brian directs the Chamber Singers, University Choir, and teaches Voice and Conducting. Brian teaches Secondary Choral Methods in the graduate program at The Boston Conservatory and for 12 years has been the director of the Sarteano Chamber Choral Conducting Workshop in Tuscany. He has been on the faculties of Berklee College, Tufts University, Boston University, New England Conservatory and Northeastern. In 2005 he was the first recipient of the Massachusetts ADCA Award for Choral Excellence.
Brian is an accomplished contemporary a cappella singer, having performed for many years with the Boston based professional group No Strings Attached. He also currently adjudicates both collegiate and professional a cappella competitions throughout New England. In 2010, Brian joined the panel of judges for choral performance, voice & conducting for the national competition, The American Prize. |
 
Complete list of 2008 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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