2005 Participating Groups
 | | The Akafellas
The Akafellas are five guys from Olympia and Tacoma that love singing a cappella music. You may remember the name...a few in this group (Jon, Tony & Jon) sang with the original group of the same name back in the late 90's. A few of us have sang with some other groups since, but we've reformed again as The Akafellas and want to continue on with new voices and fun music. We really love coming to the Harmony Sweepstakes and getting to hear and meet other groups that love a cappella music as much as we do. Our name is not new, but our sound is. We've added vocal percussion and new voices but, as with the last group, we enjoy singing many different styles of a cappella music from doo-wop to pop, barbershop, rock, soul and yes, even country. We sing some old and some new, but overall, we just get a kick out of getting together to sing and have fun!
|
The Baudboys
Back around 1990, a couple of the founding members of the coed Microtones decided that they wanted to form a men's a cappella group at Microsoft so that they could sing the charts from their college groups. The original quartet consisted John Rae-Grant, bass and musical director, Bill Pope, baritone, Bob Gunderson, 2nd tenor, and David Olsen, 1st tenor. True to their profession, the group's chosen name, The Baudboys, referred to the method by which modem speeds were rated. The group performed only a few times in its first years of existence, doing lunch time gigs on the Microsoft campus.
As members left Microsoft over the years, they would also leave the Baudboys, prompting natural turnover in the membership. During the 1990's, the group expanded it's membership, aiming to have two full quartets within the group. Since that time, the group has remained at 7-9 members, but the expanded membership has allowed the group to sing more complex arrangements than the 4-part charts that the founders envisioned. |  | |
| | Chain Reaction
Chain Reaction: We've been around for a while in different quartets, but when this foursome came together, we knew it was the sound we'd been looking for! We've been singing together for about two years, enjoying the sound, enjoying each other's company, and most of all enjoying performing! Placing 10th, after setting our goal for top 10 in our first regional Sweet Adeline's competition, taught us to set our goals much higher and to realize that they are achievable. In April we'll be back on the Sweet Adeline's regional competition stage in Spokane looking for a medal! We're here to dispel the myth that all Sweet Adeline's are blue-haired ladies! We are all professional women with similar office positions. Mari Coffee and Bonnie Crockett both work for the State of Washington. Patty Hale manages some of the most beautiful apartment properties in the state, and Nancy Carlson keeps their family business, Carlson Electric, running like clockwork. |
 | | Groove For Thought
Infectious grooves, stunning arrangements, and electrifying solos are just some of the phrases used to describe Seattle based vocal group Groove For Thought. Since 1998, GFT has brought their unique brand of jazz and R&B infused tunes to festival, concert, school, and nightclub audiences throughout the United States and abroad.
Listen to:
Walk The Straighter Road | Listen to:
Joy To The World
Members: Jeff Horenstein, Kelly Kunz, James Niles, Randy Taylor, Kevin Kunz, Peter Jones
|
Klapa Doo Wopella
Klapa Doo Wopella is one of the world's oldest ongoing musical ensembles devoted exclusively to singing a cappella. KlapaDooWopella specializes in traditional Croatian "Klapa" singing. Klapa singers are a cappella minstrels that hang out on boat docks and street corners along the Adriatic coast of Croatia.
The passionate harmonic blend of traditional Klapa songs evokes uncaught fish, raging seas, and lost love. Despite forays into other genres, the quartet always returns to its first love, the moan of the sea that is the primal chord of the Klapa song. |  | |
 | | T Minus 5
T Minus 5 is the hottest vocal band to come out of the Rocky Mountains. They have been together for over four and half years and have traveled the country performing for Universities, Arts Councils, city events, large corporations, for both young and old audiences. Simulating all instrument sounds with just their mouths, T Minus 5 is a high-energy a cappella group with comedic timing and fun for the whole family to enjoy. They will "wow" you with their tight vocal harmonies and endless energy. T Minus 5 was the Rocky Mountain Regional Harmony Sweepstakes Champions in 2001 at Denver and their music is featured on the album showcasing the best performances at the 2001 Harmony Finals in San Rafael, California. In the spirit of Gene Roddenberry's preamble to the Star Trek television series, T Minus 5' goal is Fame-the final frontier. These are the voyages of T Minus 5. Its five-man mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations… to boldly go where no a cappella group has gone before. |
2005 Judges
 |
|
Sara Boos
Sara Boos: is in her second year as artistic director of Northwest Girlchoir in Seattle. She conducts three of the five choirs and oversees the concert and educational programming of this organization that serves 200 young women, ages 7-18. Sara has taught choral and general music at the elementary through college levels and has also directed church choirs and a women’s choir at a maximum-security prison. She holds two music education degrees--a Bachelor of Music from Michigan State University and a Masters of Music from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. For four years in Minnesota, Sara was a member of the Dale Warland Singers, one of the country’s premier a cappella choirs, and she has recently sung with Seattle Pro Musica and the St. James Cathedral Choir. |
Michael Butterworth
Michael Butterworth earned his MFA in theatre directing from the University of Montana and his PhD in theatre from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He is an alumnus of Masterworks Choral Ensemble in Olympia, staging and writing for some of their Renaissance winter concerts. His regional directing credits include Dead Man’s Cell Phone at Montana Actors' Theatre and Pinkalicious, the Musical at Millbrook Playhouse. He has directed over 30 high school and college productions and currently teaches at Liberty High School in the Issaquah School District. |
|
 |
 |
|
Bill Gibson
Bill Gibson, President of Northwest Music and Recording, has spent the last 30 years writing, recording, producing, and teaching music. As demonstrated in his new series of six books and DVDs (The Hal Leonard Recording Method) Bill has developed unique insights into the techniques and procedures that produce extremely high-quality audio. Keep an eye out for Bill's new book with Quincy Jones, titled Q on Producing Music. |
Angi Swan
Angi grew up in a musical home and started singing and playing piano at an early age. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelors in Music Education, earned her Kodaly certification at the University of St. Thomas, and completed her Masters in Music Education at Kent State University. She has taught elementary music, private piano and voice lessons, and has held organist, bell choir, adult and children’s choir director positions in various churches and community choirs. Angi is a K-5 general music teacher in the North Thurston School District, the accompanist for Masterworks Choral Ensemble, a children’s choir director for the Olympia Youth Chorus, and a worship team musician at First United Methodist Church of Olympia. |
|
 |
 |
|
Dale Syverson
Dale Syverson has been singing and performing since she was a child. Her mother brought her into barbershop as a youth and, in the ensuing four decades, Dale has become one of the most preeminent members of Sweet Adelines International. She is a Certified Expression Judge, Approved Sound Judge, Certified International Faculty Member, Master Director of the three-time International Championship Richtones Chorus, two-time International Quartet Champion, and was the 2004 recipient of the SA President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Dale devotes her life to vocal development and the perfection of ensemble a cappella singing through worldwide coaching and teaching. |
 
Complete list of 2005 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 :
 |
Victoria Montrose (Pacific Northwest)
The Pacific Northwest Regional Festival is sponsored and produced by Masterworks Choral Ensemble (MCE). Victoria is the Business Manager of MCE, as well as a board member and proud tenor. MCE is a Southwestern Washington community chorus dedicated to performance, community service, music education and leadership in the arts. Their mission is to perform sacred and secular choral, orchestral and newly commissioned works; to participate in community service activities and to provide a leadership role in developing, sponsoring and broadening the vocal arts.
PO Box 1091, Olympia, WA 98501-1090
360-491-3305 x5
masterworkschoral (at) gmail.com
|
|
|
|
