30th Annual

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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.

Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

Saturday, March 8th, 2014 - 8PM

PALACE OF FINE ARTS

3301 Lyon St, San Francisco

Box Office: 415-392-4400

Hosted by 2013 Bay Area Champions

Ro Sham Bo

Ro Sham Bo has captivated Bay Area audiences with its innovative interpretations of jazz, funk and Latin tunes for over fifteen years. This award-winning sextet delivers pure fun with fresh versions of the songs you love to sing.


Add to Calendar 08-03-2014 20:00 08-03-2014 22:30 6 San Francisco Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival 30 year anniversary Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco Harmony Sweepstakes Organizer e-mail http://www.facebook.com/events/512812818794630 false DD/MM/YYYY Bookmark and Share

2014 Participating Groups

Business Casual is a five-person powerhouse performing a wide range of genres including funk, folk, pop, soul, and R&B. They came together in 2012 with more than 50 years of combined a cappella experience. Their diverse musical backgrounds each lend something unique to the group. They are fueled by a highly combustible mixture of hunger, talent, and passion for music. Business Casual brings the formal and the funk, the heart and the smart.



Members: Bakari Holmes, Danny Olefsky, Ryan Cook, Tina Query, Cassie Greene
Half Way To Midnight is a co-ed band of musical misfits who, having missed the thrill of the a cappella world and desiring an outlet to strengthen our individual instruments, serendipitously found each other in the midst of the great big beautiful Bay Area and begun gathering weekly to share and enjoy the blend of our voices together. Upon securing our 6th and final member in the summer of 2013, Halfway to Midnight started exploring song options and fine-tuning our sounds to begin performing for the public, professionally entertaining and we're beyond thrilled to be competing in this year's Sweeps! We are a diverse group ranging from a high school chemistry teacher to a software engineer, a stay-at-home-mom to a doctor of psychology. Our life stories are as varied as our voices yet we find common ground in our love of instrument-free music-making and we truly hope you like what you hear.

Members: Elana Zizmor, Jeff Faulk, Gonzalo Alonzo, Michael Barrientos, Michael Stanton, Shanna Bengtson
Hearsay is a Sweet Adeline Quartet. Forming up in the fall of 2012 these four experienced singers all hail from the SF Bay Area and have a knack for upbeat, fun music. Debi Thomas is a Law Office manager, Cheryl McCarthy is a clerk for the Alameda Superior Court, Wendy Gibson is an attorney and Alisa .... she dated a lawyer once! You'd be surprised at the sound these legal eagles can make.



Members: Debi Thomas, Cheryl McCarthy, Alisa Peters, Wendy Gibson
Loose Interpretations - Hi we're the Loose Interpretations! We are an all-female a cappella group based in San Francisco that's been performing all over the Bay Area since 2004. We mostly sing arrangements of pop covers, though our repertoire spans several decades and musical genres...from Gershwin to Annie Lennox, Simon & Garfunkel to Madonna, Stevie Wonder to The Postal Service, and even a little Bon Jovi. (Yep, Bon Jovi. May he forgive us.)



Members:
PrimeTime - The members of Prime Time met through singing with other groups. They recognized they had kindred voices, natural blend, and the same desire to sing challenging, tightly harmonized charts - and also the inclination to laugh a LOT while working hard. Their backgrounds range from vocal jazz to collegiate-style a cappella pop to barbershop, with those influences all audible simultaneously in most of their performances. A literal garage band, Prime Time rehearses in Sunnyvale, CA, and performs all over the Bay Area.

Members: Jennifer Ayre, Caia Brookes, Miya Kanzaki, Dan McQuigg, Wil Mathews, John Rae-Grant
The Riveters is one of the newest all-female vocal groups to hit the a cappella scene. Based out of Oakland, CA, The Riveters had their live debut last June at SheSings Women's A Cappella Festival and were received with acclaim. In September 2013, The Riveters were nominated for an A Cappella Community Award in the category of "Favorite Newcomer Group" and one of their singers/arrangers, Lisa Forkish, was nominated for "Favorite Arranger." In addition to receiving praise from the a cappella community, U.K. soul artist Laura Mvula shared The Riveters' cover of her song "She" and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh wow!"

Coming from various high school, collegiate and pro groups including 'Til Dawn, Vocal Rush Divisi, Noteworthy, Ro Sham Bo and The Backbeats, this fierce fivesome is armed and ready to bring their fresh, soulful sound into the world. Collectively, members of The Riveters have won a CARA Award for "Best Soloist," lead groups to win the ICCA/ICHSA Finals, competed on The Sing-Off, recorded vocals for Karaoke Revolution and Guitar Hero, and co-founded the Women's A Cappella Association.

Members: Lisa Forkish, Moorea Dickason, Courtney Wofford-Jensen, Sarah Vela, Stevie Greenwell
38th Ave. - Rockin hard since 2013, 38Ave. consists of post collegiate a cappella friends. Though the group has just formed, each individual has been singing for many years. Covering a wide variety of music, 38Ave. is excited and ready to perform!

Members: Devon Magana, Danny Cavero, Adam Fixler, Jefferson Lam, Amanda Ross
Smorgaschord draws its name from ancient runic inscriptions of abundant food and music, the combination of which may lead to harmonic indigestion. We entertain at events around the Peninsula, including summer festivals, coffee shops, rehab centers, and occasionally, the checkout line of supermarkets. We could be right behind you in line. Look for the shoppers with a wide variety of musical styles and poorly-balanced nutritional choices. Hey, where did you find that bacon-flavored chocolate? Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and get your shopping cart harmonized.

Members: SBill Anderson, Larry Hamel, Valerie Rose, Patti Schank, Mia Whitfield, Harold Zable
T Sisters are an authentic family band based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Rachel, Chloe and Erika Tietjen are all songwriters and switch off on lead vocals. While their voices blend seamlessly, each has a distinct singing and writing style. The combination results in an eclectic repertoire unified by a landscape of close harmonies. The group’s subtle throwback aesthetic calls to mind classic trios past, from the Andrews Sisters and 1960s girl-groups to the sirens from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Anchored by influences spanning folk, country, gospel, klezmer and early-90’s R&B, each sister brings a unique vocal and lyrical style to a sound that is at once modern and timeless. Though the T Sisters sing and perform often with instruments, they are known to silence a crowd with their soulful and enchanting a cappella numbers.

Members: Erika Tietjen, Rachel Tietjen, Chloe Tietjen

Your Emcee for the Evening

Ken Malucelli

Ken Malucelli, ASCAP-affiliated, award-winning composer, established A Cappella Central (div. of Prince/SF Prodns.) in 1995, to help coordinate bookings for many of the international artists on that roster: Take 6; Nylons; Basix; Rajaton; Swingle Singers; Persuasions; Rockapella, etc., plus many of its fine national artists. He has been manager and/or exclusive agent for the EDLOS, House Jacks, m-pact, Talk of da Town, Mighty Prince Singers, and in 1977 founded The Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers, the world’s largest costumed caroling org. (tmocc.com). His works have been commissioned, performed and/or recorded by Grammy®-winning groups San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Chanticleer, San Francisco Boys and Girls Choruses, Ragazzi Boys Chorus, and Grammy®-nominated Pacific Mozart Ensemble. Other works have been premiered/performed/recorded by San Francisco Opera Chorus, Redwood Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale, Australian Boys Choir, Sanford Dole Ensemble, San Francisco Choral Artists, and other groups, nationally and internationally. In addition, he has executive produced CD’s for Kai, m-pact, House Jacks, Gospel Girls, Mighty Prince Singers and MOCC. “Oh Mr. Sousa!”, his original musical bio on “The March King,” tours the national fine arts market.

2014 Judges (TBA)

Complete list of 2013 national participants




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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 8 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

The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival
PO Box D
San Anselmo, CA 94979
(415) 455-8602
festival (at) harmony-sweepstakes.com

Complete List of Bay Area Champions

Previous Year's Results - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998 - 1997

The Palace of Fine Arts

The Palace of Fine Arts was built as part of The Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915, an event dedicated to progress, the celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal, and the rebirth of San Francisco following the disastrous 1906 earthquake. The only remaining building from the Exposition the Palace slowly crumbled from the ravages of the weather and ill-use. Finally, after World War 2, the structure had to be fenced off as it was a public hazard. Then, in the late 1950's, a group of dedicated citizens, led by philanthropist Walter S. Johnson, initiated a drive to rescue the Palace from planned demolition and restored it to its former glory.

The Palace of Fine Arts Theater is located at 3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco and is next to the Exploratorium. There is plenty of free parking. Yahoo map - Google map - Yelp reviews - Trip Advisor - Photos

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