2005 Los Angeles Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

21st 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

Alpha

Back in the early 90s, Alpha brought imagination, determination, and integrity to their artistry when the model for groups of their kind was a safe commercial blend. Their superiority in every aspect of vocal arranging and performing began to get them known in Puerto Rico and Latin America. Their performances in major sporting events, as background vocalist with award winning vocalist and bands, and several appearances on entertainment TV programs has earned them their place as one of the most enduring and best-loved vocal groups in Puerto Rico. Truly inspired by groups like Boyzz to Men, Glad, and Take 6, Alpha fashioned their own a cappella style: „a Latin Jazz Gospel vocal band where ALL the instruments are sung instead of played¾. Get ready to have the most fun you can legally have while listening a cappella. Que sabor!

2005 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.

2005 Results
1st	Undivided Musical Group
2nd	Moosebutter
3rd	Vybration
Best Original Arrangement	"Down for the Count" Arr. Colleen Keene

2005 Participating Groups

Crescendo
Crescendo proves that the United States is a land of opportunity for people from all around the globe. Composed of five members from very different ethnic backgrounds, this ensemble introduces a new twist to the genre (which they refer to as "popjazz") by incorporating the polish and discipline of classical music, the accessibility of pop, and the improvisations of jazz into a cool, lush, and sophisticated sound that has earned them numerous honors, including the championship prize in the Crystal Palace Casino International Talent Search Contest (1999), the Virgo Award for Best Musical Group (2000), and the Celebrity Chronicle's Best Musical Artist Award (2001).

Members: Grace Lieman, Amanda Martindale, Michael Konik, Charmaine Clamor, Bobbie Garcia, Charmaine Clamor

Down 4 The Count
Down 4 The Count began in 2003, when six CSU Northridge students in the University's vocal jazz ensemble found they shared a common interest: wanting to sing ensemble vocal jazz without those pesky instrumentalists: in other words, A Cappella! Since that time, Down 4 The Count has won multiple awards (including three song-arrangement awards and 1st place at the 2009 San Diego A Cappella Competition) and they have performed at venues all over the greater Los Angeles and San Diego area, including the Jazz Bakery, The Coach House, The Coffee Gallery Backstage, San Diego IndieFest, and many more.

Members: Francesca Delfin, Genevieve Artadi, Lisa Dunn, Colleen Keene, James Adams, Matt Reynolds, Colleen Keene

Moosebutter
Moosebutter is a four-man comedy a cappella group. They have won awards from the Contemporary A Cappella Society(Best Comedy Song, 2004), The Harmony Sweepstakes (2003 International Finals runners-up), had their music included on compilation albums (Doctor Demento Basement Tapes 2005, Sing II 2005) and played live shows in front of audiences around the United States. Their tight harmony and eclectic humor have charmed audiences through two albums and countless live performances.

To handle all the performance requests they receive, moosebutter has several casts of performers. They perform with three, four, or five singers, depending on the show, and have done just about every kind of show you can imagine (Punk rock show? Check. National television? Check. Wedding reception? Check.).

Members: Glen Sawyer, Weston Wride, Chris Harris, Tim Y. Jones, Tim Y. Jones

OnCue
A division of the Youth Singers of Calgary, is one of Canada’s premier a cappella ensembles, and was launched in 1996. Youth Singers is a 500-member choral organization that offers a comprehensive training program for young people in choral singing, dance, and drama. OnCue is a flagship for the Youth Singers program, incorporating harmony and showmanship in each dynamic performance.

Members: Lisa Ryan, Caroline Delaney, Beth McLean Wiest, Jennifer Andersen, Krista Strome, Oliver Ho, Chris Thompson, John Edmonds, Jennifer Andersen

Pacific Swingline
The sophistication of swing, the energy of jazz, the warmth of the human voice...this is Pacific Swingline - five voices with extensive backgrounds in the recording studios and on the stages of Southern California. Voices that can be heard on the soundtracks of films and television shows. Five voices singing unaccompanied, immersing the finest musical literature of the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's in intricate vocal arrangements that bring the soul of the music to the surface.

Members: Kim Switzer, Marta Weiskopf, Perry Schjolin, Cindy O'Connor, Jim Raycroft, Cindy O'Connor

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: Solomon Katz, Fletcher Sheridan, Lisa Dunn, Richard Gilinsky, Colleen Keene, Richard Gilinsky

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: What’s Goin’ On | Listen to: Amazing Grace

Members: Ruben Aponte, Gregory Gordon, David Cortes, Jose Rodriguez, Richard Aponte, Melvinsky Ramirez, Aldino Parchment, Miramar, Gregory Gordon

Vybration
Vybration was formed in 2001 to perform at Disney's California Adventure under the name "Groove 66". The band quickly became the park's most popular atmosphere group. Its members are some of the most powerful, versatile, and in demand vocalists in all of Southern California with resume credits spanning from broadway, television, and film, to orignial rock bands, and pioneering modern music projects. Vybration is unlike many acapella sextets out there, covering a variety of music that includes traditional jazz tunes like Blue Skies and Fly Me to the Moon, rock n roll songs like Lenny Kravitz's Fly Away, pop hits such as Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin Something and many many more. All that have witnessed the magic in music that Vybration creates can tell you that, "Vybration is a force to be reckoned with!"

Members: Laura Dickinson, Tomasina Abate, Terron Brooks, Heather McMasters, Michael Washington, Bryan Chadima, Heather McMasters

2005 Judges TBA

Complete list of 2005 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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