Month: April 2019

New Tunesday – April 30, 2019

The school year is winding down, the summer festival season is heating up and we’re hitting a great crossroads of new music.

Insomnia

This mashup of “Brighter Day” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” done by ten singers out of Latvia GROOVES.

Pentatonix

Ariana Grande has had quite the journey so far. Who better to capture it with a cappella?

BYU Noteworthy

If there is something we’ve come to expect from BYU a cappella music videos, it is stunning scenery only outdone by stunning voices.

Jared Halley

The Columbus-based one man show took on Imagine Dragons this week.

Vintage Mix

Everyone’s favorite quadruplet quartet does this justice.

Scott & Ryceejo

The latest Disney Crossover brings together Hercules and Anastasia.

Vocalocity

Eurovision is the biggest European music competition and Vocalocity pays tribute to all of the Israeli competitors.

The Beatroots

Taking advantage of a trip to Paris in the best way possible, The Beatroots used the City of Lights as a backdrop for their latest video.

Beatsync

This Toronto-based group decided to challenge themselves by recording and filming this during their recent retreat weekend.

Gestalt

As a group that prides themselves on being avant-garde, their latest video sure has caused quite a stir.

Six Appeal Returns to Russia to Defend Their Title

When the Moscow Spring A Cappella Festival was first announced, it almost seemed too good to be true. The chance to perform in Russia? A huge prize? Dozen of incredible groups?

Turns out it IS the real deal and it’s now grown to over 190 groups.

In the Spring of 2018, Minnesota-based Six Appeal earned the most votes and ended up champions, bringing home a substantial cash prize. The win didn’t come without preparation and effort. For over a decade, Six Appeal has been putting in the work – long drives, tour fatigue, constant re-evaluation and improvement, and the never stop reaching for what they want while keeping their sense of humor. The work has paid off.

Learn a little more about this amazing group as they are on their way back to Russia to defend their title:

 

One Minute With: Matt Sallee

From Pitch Slapped to The House Jacks to Pentatonix, Matt Sallee has established himself as one of the best basses in a cappella. He also may have one of the best laughs! We caught up with him about his collegiate experience, living his dream, and his advice for young artists looking to follow in his footsteps.

Here’s one minute with Matt Sallee:

New Varsity Vocals Champions Named

The stages of Town Hall and the PlayStation Theater brought a cappella to Broadway this weekend for the 2019 ICHSA and ICCA Finals.

After two evenings of performances that marked the culmination of a year of hard work from all of the finalists, two new groups joined the legacy of Varsity Vocals champions – InToneNation and the N’Harmonics.

Here are the full results:

ICHSA Finals
InToneNation ICHSA 2019

OVERALL STANDINGS
1st Place: InToneNation (New Manchester High School) – 441 Points
2nd Place: Skyline Blues (Skyline High School) – 338 Points
3rd Place: The Thursdays (Chelmsford High School) – 331 Points

SPECIAL AWARDS
Outstanding Soloist: Tyler Lewis (InToneNation) for “Dancing On My Own”
Outstanding Vocal Percussion: Chris Ekpiken (Skyline Blues) for the entire set
Outstanding Arrangement: InToneNation for the entire set & Griffin Prillwitz (Free to Breathe) for “Sweet Dreams”
Outstanding Choreography: Evolve for the entire set

ICCA Finals
N'Harmonics ICCA 2019
OVERALL STANDINGS

1st Place: N’Harmonics (New York University) – 444 Points
2nd Place: BisCaydence (University of Miami) – 358 Points
3rd Place: ScatterTones (UCLA) – 352 Points

SPECIAL AWARDS
Outstanding Soloist: Tyler Lewis (HardChord DynaMix) for “Trainwreck”
Outstanding Vocal Percussion: Lora Riehl (Pitch, Please) for the entire set
Outstanding Arrangement: Brett Castro (N’Harmonics) for the entire set
Outstanding Choreography: Brett Castro and Devon McDowell (N’Harmonics) for the entire set