2003 Los Angeles Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

19th 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.

Hosted by

The Perfect Gentlemen

The Perfect Gentlemen provide the perfect blend of harmony and humor harkening back to the days of Vaudeville. Preserving America's great vocal sounds from a time when music was music, The Perfect Gentlemen recreate the close harmonies of such legendary groups as The Ink Spots and the Pied Pipers, while including the era's great comic songs made famous by the likes of Louis Jordan and The Hoosier Hotshots.

A typical performance by The Perfect Gentlemen includes marvelous melodious music mingled with masterful mirth, mischief, and merry-making. The group's versatility allows for effortless shifts between vocal styles with an air of ease, whether singing a cappella or accompanied by guitar or ukulele. Their signature piece, Salute to the 20th Century, is a humorous take on the de-evolution of music over the last century, illustrated by singing the same song in the style of Barbershop, Dixieland, Blues, Big Band, Doo-Wop, Bluegrass, Disco, Techno Punk, and Rap, complete with visuals that delights audiences of all ages time and time again.

2003 Los Angeles Champions

Undivided Musical Group

With ten years of musical career, four albums, a Latin Grammy nomination, six CARA nominations and two awards this year 2010 for best religious album and best song of religion, among other numerous awards, combined with thousands of records sold worldwide, the charismatic and cheerful style Undivided continues to conquer hearts in the U.S. and Latin America.

Undivided is a vocal group made up of six young people who play music a cappella style. Breaking the language barrier, playing their songs in Spanish, English and Portuguese. The group enjoys a variety of musical influences such as gospel, R & B, Jazz, Pop, Reggae, Rock, Salsa, Merengue and other Latin fusions are achieved by the skill and facility to play music with their voices.

These young people are not satisfied with what they have achieved, but are always looking for innovative and different ways to reinvent his style within the genre a cappella, a feature that allowed you to excel as one of the best vocal groups in the world. These young people have a musical talent that not only captures the ear with modern harmonies and musical arrangements, but they combine their voices with the visual aspect to provide a show without boundaries.

2003 Results
1st	Undivided Musical Group
2nd	Funk Divas
3rd	Social Experiment
Best Original Song	Good Souls

2003 Participating Groups

Funk Divas
The Funk Divas are an a cappella force to be reckoned with. Hailing from all over the world, (Sweden, Chile, Russia, New Caledonia, and the United States) these five women are blending their voices as one with a fresh, contemporary sound. Each a dynamic soloist in her own right, these five artists represent the best vocal talent that Musicianis Institute has to offer. With custom tailored arrangements by Douglas Wood (formerly of the award-winning Chicago Voice Exchange) the Funk Divas will rock the house with soul, passion & air-tight harmonies.

Members: Sonia Baicheva, Maiya Sykes, Natacha Volk, Mini Neufeld, Shawna Basick, Mini Neufeld

Grace
Grace is a Los Angeles based a cappella group of four women who are not actually named Grace - although their “Grace nicknames” have evolved over time. Lisa (alias “Baby Grace”) is the youngest and newest member of the group, and serves as their chief financial officer. Jeanette (alias “Crazy Grace”), groomed in Germany, provides on-going psychiatric evaluations (for free) as need arises. Paula (alias “Angst Grace”) serves as spiritual advisor and dutifully informs the group when the glass is twice as large as it needs to be. Marta (alias “Sassy Grace”) is their resident expert on feng-shui - despite the fact that, although close, they do not live together. Grace delivers tight harmonies, vibrant energy and an imaginatively reinvented mix of music from the 1920’s to the present. This group of seasoned performers shares a unique brand of blending that demonstrates the voice as an instrument like no other.

Members: Jeanette Meyer, Paula McMath, Marta Weiskopf, Lisa Linehan, Lisa Linehan

Liquid Hotplates
The Liquid Hotplates are in their third year of existence. Comprised of current and former students from the University of California at Davis, their repertoire extends throughout the pop music universe, including songs originally performed by Faith Hill, Metallica, Cake, Cher, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Brian Seltzer Orchestra and others, and they have recently begun to venture into performing group members’s original compositions. Their performance venues have included the 2002 California State Fair, shows in Berkeley, Sacramento, and Napa, and several prominent events in Davis. The Liquid Hotplates proudly recorded their first CD last spring, entitled “Told It Equals Hip”

Members: Anna Brink, Sabrina Fong, Chris Nucho, Steve Geller, Keith Rode, Jeremy Borum, Katy Williams, Steve Geller

Reverse Osmosis
Reverse Osmosis, in only its third year of existence, has quickly become the hottest co-ed a cappella group at the University of Southern California. The group normally features sixteen of the top singers at USC and tonight will perform with less than half of their normal personnel. Following their appearance at last year’s International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, RO hurried into the recording studio to lay down tracks for what would become their premiere album, “Aural Pleasure”.

Members: Ryan Chun, Sue Connors, Hillary Fraser-Thompson, Jon Byron, Brendan Jennings, Kathryn McGowan, Jason Monma, Jon Byron

Social Experiment
Probing the no-man's land between conventional hard rock and contemporary a cappella, Social Experiment rips through a wide range of rock music -- from classics like Van Halen and Pat Benatar to alternative and modern styles like Linkin Park and Ben Folds Five. Their contagious intensity combines with a playful, tongue-in-cheek style to make for a compelling stage show.

Members: Patty Lund, Paul Vigil, Joe Cook, Jill Burke, Scott Van Essen, Evan Dorn, Jill Burke

Swing Shift
Swing Shift is a vocal jazz mixed ensemble. The group's signature sound is heard in their rich harmonic treatment of pop, jazz, and Broadway standards. Over the years the group has drawn on local resources like the SMC Vocal Jazz Ensemble from which five of Swing Shift's present roster are current or past members. We are proud that many of Swing Shift's alumni have gone on to advance their careers in prestigious ensembles like the LA Master Chorale and LA Choral Lab. If you love lush sounds, complex harmonies, and creamy-smooth blend, you'll love hearing this group.

Members: Arlene Evans, Macain Treat, Courtney Lemmon, Lisa Clark, Richard Gilinsky, Lisa Clark

Triage
The Garage Trio. Can a computing journal editor, a physics journal publisher, and a Unix systems administrator harmonize without re-creating the Big Bang? Bring duct tape & plastic sheeting just in case.

Members: Sheila Coyazo, Stacey Morse, Daryl Lubinsky, Daryl Lubinsky

Undivided Musical Group
With ten years of musical career, four albums, a Latin Grammy nomination, six CARA nominations and two awards this year 2010 for best religious album and best song of religion, among other numerous awards, combined with thousands of records sold worldwide, the charismatic and cheerful style Undivided continues to conquer hearts in the U.S. and Latin America.

Undivided is a vocal group made up of six young people who play music a cappella style. Breaking the language barrier, playing their songs in Spanish, English and Portuguese. The group enjoys a variety of musical influences such as gospel, R & B, Jazz, Pop, Reggae, Rock, Salsa, Merengue and other Latin fusions are achieved by the skill and facility to play music with their voices.

These young people are not satisfied with what they have achieved, but are always looking for innovative and different ways to reinvent his style within the genre a cappella, a feature that allowed you to excel as one of the best vocal groups in the world. These young people have a musical talent that not only captures the ear with modern harmonies and musical arrangements, but they combine their voices with the visual aspect to provide a show without boundaries.

Listen to: Amarte Mas | Listen to: Mission Impossible Theme

Members: Ruben Aponte, David Cortes, Hector Sanchez, Greg Gordon, Richard Aponte, Mel Ramirez, Greg Gordon

2003 Judges TBA

Complete list of 2003 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 :

Shawn Nielson (Los Angeles) Shawn is a lighting designer by trade, but a logistical mind in his off time. He serves as the VP of Operations for our sponsor, the Westminster Chorus, where he is a part of the tenor section. The Westminster Chorus was founded in 2002 and quickly climbed the ranks of the Barbershop Harmony Society; they became international champions in 2007, 2010, 2015, 2019, and 2024. In 2009 they were crowned Choir of the World at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. The Westminster Chorus holds a mission to preserve and advance the Barbershop art form, while providing and encouraging an inclusive community in Southern California and around the world to engage in lifelong singing, music, and artistic expression."

operations at westminsterchorus.org

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Hermosa Beach Theater

The Hermosa Beach Playhouse is a division of the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities. Created for the greater South Bay area to expand the availability of programming by providing a more intimate setting. This beautifully appointed 474-seat venue enables us to present a new catalog of production of straight plays as well as musicals. Performances are presented at The Hermosa Beach Playhouse located on the southwest corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach. There is plenty of free parking.Directions -

HERMOSA BEACH THEATER

710 Pier Ave (At Pacific Coast Highway), Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

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