Author: Amanda Cornaglia

A Cappella Showcase Takes Gold

After one of the most ambitious chorus contests in 60 years of  Harmony, Incorporated, A Cappella Showcase, representing Area 5, won gold with a score of 1507 – 83.7% (1507), just 2 points shy of the highest score of all time, earned by Village Vocal Chords in 2005.

The group started their set with the iconic song from Les Misérables, “On My Own,” so moving you could hear a pin drop in the packed auditorium. The mood changed to boisterous as they started “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes,” complete with choreography that brought on an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. As is customary for the winning chorus, director Jordan Travis was given the Skidge Heath Memorial Award.

Silver medalists, Northern Blend also exceed all other previous chorus scores earning 1500 points – an 83.3%, making this the first chorus contest to see two choruses exceed 83%. The Blenders put up two widely loved songs, “Pure Imagination” and “I Got Rhythm,” performed with an elevated level of zest that we’ve come to expect from this top-level ensemble. The audience even got to see a couple of cartwheels, which only visually emphasized the energy we got from their performance.

The remaining medalists also put forth the gold standard.with a 78.5% from Sounds of the Seacoast, a 78.4% by the Village Vocal Chords, and first time medalists, Atlanta Harmony Celebration! earning a 76.1%. Atlanta Harmony Celebration! also took home the Montreal City Voices Tait Trophy for Chorus Improvement Score by Ranking. The group moved from 11th place in 2018 to 5th in 2019. The record setting scores continued on down the line, with numerous choruses hitting their best scores ever.

Additional awards included the LABBS Trophy: Non-Medalist Highest Performance Score which went to 7th place chorus, Bella Nova, and the G. Ruth Geils Memorial Award: Highest Scoring Chorus with the Least Number of Appearances on the Contest Stage for 6th place finisher Lake Ridge Legacy Chorus. Bluegrass Harmony was recognized with two awards –  the MacIntosh Award for Highest Ranking Non-Medalist Small Chorus (25 or less) and the Jerry Dunlop Memorial Award given to Kris Wheaton, the Novice Director Highest Score in Chorus Contest.

 

Exciting HI Quartet Semifinals in Ohio

Each year, Harmony, Incorporated kicks off the International Contests with the quartet semifinals, making for a exciting start to a long weekend of excellent singing.

With powerful ballads, charming uptunes, and even a handful of well-done parody pieces, 31 quartets put their best on the stage, likely setting themselves up for possible record-breaking scores.

The top ten features multiple Harmony Queens, longtime barbershoppers, a large number of cross-registered Sweet Adelines quartets, and a handful of quartets brand new to Harmony, Incorporated. These groups will compete in finals on Saturday afternoon in Sandusky. Which quartet will be the new Harmony Queens?

In order of appearance:

Mic Testers – Generations
1. Something Good
2. Fierce
3. Take 4
4. Swing Theory
5. New Q
6. Resolution
7. Vivace
8. Hot Pursuit
9. Lip Service
10. Balancing Act

Check out the full semifinal results HERE. Scores for the ton ten quartets will be announced after finals.

New Tunesday – November 5, 2019

Ah….we’ve hit that week of the year where Halloween smashes into Christmas. We promise to keep it *mostly* non-holiday around her until it’s actually the holidays, but forgive us if we sneak in a good one every now and then!

VoicePlay

What better way to celebrate the holiday mashup week of the year, than with a tune from The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Backtrack

Anytime of year is a good time for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but Halloween was a great time for Backtrack to drop this new video. Especially when paired with the announcement of their Holiday album available now on Spotify.

A Cappella Academy

What better way to announce auditions for A Cappella Academy 2020 but with the release of videos from 2019? Check out the first three releases from last summer’s campers. Yeah, don’t worry – we want to quit a cappella, too.

The first, from the Academy Choir directed by Rob Dietz:

Evergreen by YEBBA performed by Vivace, directed by James Rose and Marisa Esposito:

Mueva Los Huesos by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band performed by Cloud 9, directed by Amanda Taylor and Sean Patrick Riley

VOXID

Acaville had the pleasure of debuting this song with an interview with Daniel Barke, but just in case you missed it. More YEBBA, more awesome a cappella.

Austonettes

Adding a Halloween-feel to this iconic Britney tune, this Texas-based group adds some neon for that extra glow. Live in Austin, TX? They are also auditioning.

All-Night Yahtzee

Winner of “Outstanding Aesthetic” at NACC 2019, All-Night Yahtzee gave us this treat of their entire competition set from 2019.

Ginger and Tonic

This quartet out of Australia certainly wins best use of the “wind machine” with their George Michael cover.

Vocal HERspective Episode 18 – Amanda Purdue

College isn’t too early to start making an impact. Amanda Purdue is the music director of the ACAbellas at Central Connecticut State University. She’s also been a part of the leadership team of the school’s a cappella society for the last few years. Under her guidance, the a cappella community at CCSU has grown significantly stronger, with more involvement, more outreach, and more impact on the community at large. Listen in to hear her advice on what it takes make it happen on your campus.

Tune in at 6:30 pm PST (9:30 pm EST) tonight to hear the debut broadcast or hear the rebroadcasts at 10:30 am & pm PST on Sunday. The episode will be available for download at vocalherspective.org or your favorite podcast network on Monday. Want to get there faster? Click on “Podcasts” up in the menu bar!)