34th 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

2017 Mid-Atlantic Champions

Lustre

Lustre is a lovely award winning quartet out of the Baltimore area. Lustre's musical adventures began in 2005, and what a journey it has been! Kate, Lori, Lori, and Jenny met through Harbor City Music Company Show Chorus, and have been ringing chords together ever since. They have wowed their audiences at performances and contests around the country, from shows in Maryland, DC, and Pennsylvania to international competitions in Houston and Denver. You may even have seen them singing at a Baltimore Orioles game or two! Lustre is proud to be the 2013 Sweet Adeline's International 7th Place Quartet Finalist.

2018 Mid-Atlantic Champions

Up All Night Quartet

Up All Night Quartet is based in the DC area. While barbershop is the main style of music that they sing, they enjoy singing a wide variety of songs and genres. Up All Night enjoys having fun and spending time together outside of rehearsal with good food and good wine. They have represented Sweet Adelines Heart of the Blue Ridge Region 14 at International Competition for the past three years, and have competed in the National Finals for the Harmony Sweepstakes, placing 3rd in 2018. They have been singing and competing together for just over three years, enjoying the ride!

2018 Results
1st	Up All Night Quartet
2nd	The District
3rd	Top of the Seventh
Audience Favorite	The District
Best Original Arrangement	Matt Radford of Polarity for “Despacito”

2018 Participating Groups

The District
The District was formed in Washington, D.C. in late 2012. A contemporary all-female a cappella group, The District embodies an empowered, energetic, and versatile sound through an array of pop, rock, country, and R&B covers. Characterized by complex arrangements, tight harmonies, fierce soloists, and crisp vocal percussion, The District performs throughout the DMV area at fundraisers, community and corporate events, and regional competitions. Most recently, The District performed at legendary music hall, The Birchmere, where they placed second and won "Audience Favorite" at the 2018 Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival.

Members: Nicole Gilmore, Julie Lukeman, Charnice Frazier, Michelle Gahagan, Natalie Wyman, Campbell Keyser, Dani Dredger, Jill Tetirick, Bea Becette, Melissa Canu, Laura Fender, Caroline DiStefano

HALO
HALO represents the first Barbershop quartet of African American singers to compete on the international stage of a Barbershop organization. We sing a Capella- hip hop and Barbershop. Our quartet also represents our organization HALO, Inc. working to use the Barbershop genre as a framework for our Community Music Therapy initiative using the listening and singing experience of Barbershop music to confront issues of racism in the United States with productive dialogue.

Members: Portia Pitts, Jasmine Barnes, Niambi Powell, Shana Oshiro

King's Post
King's Post - named after an architectural term - is a contemporary pop and pop-culture a cappella group with jazz and classic rock leanings. Based in Blacksburg, VA, this five person vocal band is wrangled by baritone/VP/eye-roller Jordan Truesdell (Blacksburg), and features Jennifer Nardine (Blacksburg) on soprano/VP/duck quack, Liza Roop (Blacksburg) on mezz-alto/VP/hula moves, Jesse Janowiak (Blacksburg) on high tenor/goofy voices, and Eric Brown on second tenor/baritone/puns (Christiansburg). While often overly amused by themselves, King's Post takes pride in the mix of harmony, heart, and humor they bring to the realm of a cappella.

Members: Jordan Truesdell, Eric Brown, Jennifer Nardine, Liza Roop, Jesse Janowiak

Polarity
Polarity is one of the most exciting youth groups to win a regional event in many years and are directed by previous Harmony Sweeps national finalist Matt Radford. These young voices blend into a particularly delightful mix of harmony voices and they sing arrangements with ease that would be challenging for even the very experienced singers. A true discovery they are sure to delight the audience tonight!

Members: Grace Brown, Mattie Elliott, Fabiola Corwin, Kayleah Shiland, Alex Teeters, Jacob Smathers, Jonathon Sattler, Noah Clifton, Matt Radford

Top of the Seventh
Top of the Seventh is a Washington DC-based vocal group that specializes in tight harmonies and takes on styles that range from jazz to spiritual, from barbershop to rock and pop, in pursuit of fun and musical nirvana!

Members: Marty Brennan, Clay Kaufman, Dave Welter, Simon Kantor, Bert Ifill, Dylan Kaufman

Up All Night Quartet
Up All Night Quartet is based in the DC area. While barbershop is the main style of music that they sing, they enjoy singing a wide variety of songs and genres. Up All Night enjoys having fun and spending time together outside of rehearsal with good food and good wine. They have represented Sweet Adelines Heart of the Blue Ridge Region 14 at International Competition for the past three years, and have competed in the National Finals for the Harmony Sweepstakes, placing 3rd in 2018. They have been singing and competing together for just over three years, enjoying the ride!

Members: Sara Duffy, Allison Lynskey, Kristen Lebryk, Heidi Wilson

2018 Judges

Judy Minkoff

Judy Minkoff is the founder and director of the NYC-based all-female a cappella group, Stiletta, which won the 2016 National Harmony Sweepstakes and is the only group in history to win in every single award category. Judy is a two-time recipient of “Best Arrangement” at the Sweeps, and her original song, “Christmas Valentine”, shared a WAMMY Award for "Best A cappella Album". She has over 20 years’ experience directing and arranging for a cappella groups, including the SingStrong “Single Singers”, DC's "Kismet", Atlanta's "Octave" and William & Mary's "The Accidentals". Judy is a native of Rockville, MD and holds a PhD in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis from Emory University.

Dileep Srihari

Dileep Srihari is the founder and music director of The Capital Hearings, a Washington DC vocal ensemble that performs music from different genres including classical, jazz, and pop. He also performs regularly with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and has appeared as a tenor soloist at the Kennedy Center and other venues. When not singing or directing, Dileep is a lawyer specializing in telecommunications policy issues.

Amanda Cornaglia

Amanda Cornaglia is the manager for Acaville Radio, a 24/7 streaming service for a cappella music. Amanda is also co-owner of Clear Harmonies, a full service studio and management company for a cappella groups. She got her start in contemporary a cappella with Special K, an all-female ensemble at Hamilton College. She has since performed and directed groups around the globe. She is business director and primary arranger of the multiple CARA nominated group Euphonism.

She also founded Snowday, a professional quintet that incorporates contemporary vocal music into education, visiting close to 100 schools each year. She has served in various capacities at the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) & turned the Contemporary A Cappella League into its own non-profit organization. Amanda has been a CARA nominator and judge since 2010.

Complete list of 2018 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 :

Amanda Cornaglia (Mid-Atlantic) Amanda Cornaglia is the manager for Acaville Radio, a 24/7 streaming service for a cappella music. Amanda is also co-owner of Clear Harmonies, a full service studio and management company for a cappella groups. She got her start in contemporary a cappella with Special K, an all-female ensemble at Hamilton College. She has since performed and directed groups around the globe. She is business director and primary arranger of the multiple CARA nominated group Euphonism. She also founded Snowday, a professional quintet that incorporates contemporary vocal music into education, visiting close to 100 schools each year. She has served in various capacities at the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) & turned the Contemporary A Cappella League into its own non-profit organization. Amanda has been a CARA nominator and judge since 2010.

amanda (at) clearharmonies.com

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The Birchmere

Many careers have been launched from this internationally recognized music hall. On any given night, a star may be born. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dave Matthews, Vince Gill, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and k.d. Lang are just a few of the artists counted as good friends of the Birchmere. The Birchmere is committed to the presentation of the highest quality music in a comfortable and intimate atmosphere. Yelp reviews -Photos

Saturday March 30th, 2018 - 7.30pm

THE BIRCHMERE

Box Office: 703-549-7500

Primarily A Cappella - Your Source For Vocal Harmony Music

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