2002 New York Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival

18th 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

Vox Bop

Vox Bop is a mixed a cappella quartet with ultra-smooth voices reminiscent of The Manhattan Transfer and a wry baby-boomer sensibility. Founded in 1995 by David Deschamps, who also does the arranging, Vox Bop was interviewed and featured in a 12-minute piece on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" on Christmas Eve 1999. They can be currently heard in a national Amazon.com TV ad and were featured as the house band on NBC-TV "The Ainsley Harriott Show." Vox Bop's first CD, THE VOX BOP CHRISTMAS VARIETY HOUR, has been much acclaimed: it was nominated for a 1998 CARA award, with one of the cuts ("Mission of The Three Kings") winning Best Arrangement at the 1999 NYC Harmony Sweepstakes. In the summer of 2000 Vox Bop performed at The Alandia Jazz festival in Finland and has also made a name for itself performing for a variety of clients throughout the Northeast, including Bloomberg Financial, Bloomingdales, Borders Books, The Brooklyn Museum, Filene, The New Press, Starbucks, and many others. The group finished in the top five at the NYC regionals of the 1998 and 1999 Harmony Sweepstakes and is currently at work on their new CD, "Affluenza."

2002 New York Champions

2x2

The vocal ensemble Sixation first formed in Tbilisi ,Georgia in 1996. At first their program contained only jazz standards but later included folk and contemporary jazz. In 1997 the ensemble won the nomination "Best Vocal Group of the Year" on the Hit-Parade of National Radio in Georgia. In 1999 Sixation became the prize winner of the International Festival in Tampere, Finland and got invitations to Vienna, Moscow, Kaunas and Kiev. The same year the group won the grant of George Soros Foundation in the nomination "Modern Opinion of Folklore". In 2000, Chevron Corporation became the sponsor of the group and the first demo album was released. The same year Sixation was invited to Holland to collaborate with the famous artist Andre Rieu in recording his new album. In 2001 the group participated the Boston Regional Harmony Sweepstakes. The same year the sextet was reorganized into quartet and took the name "2+2".

2002 Results
1st	2x2
2nd	Key of She
3rd	Moondance
Audience Favorites	Duwende
Audience Favorites	Key of She

2002 Participating Groups

2x2
The vocal ensemble Sixation first formed in Tbilisi ,Georgia in 1996. At first their program contained only jazz standards but later included folk and contemporary jazz. In 1997 the ensemble won the nomination "Best Vocal Group of the Year" on the Hit-Parade of National Radio in Georgia. In 1999 Sixation became the prize winner of the International Festival in Tampere, Finland and got invitations to Vienna, Moscow, Kaunas and Kiev. The same year the group won the grant of George Soros Foundation in the nomination "Modern Opinion of Folklore". In 2000, Chevron Corporation became the sponsor of the group and the first demo album was released. The same year Sixation was invited to Holland to collaborate with the famous artist Andre Rieu in recording his new album. In 2001 the group participated the Boston Regional Harmony Sweepstakes. The same year the sextet was reorganized into quartet and took the name "2+2".

Listen to: Krimanchuli | Listen to: Tale Of War

Members: Nana Korakhashvili, David Kiknadze, Tamta Urushadze, Buka Kartozia, Tamta Urushadze

Duwende
Founded in 1998, the Duwende (doo-WEN-day) performs all-vocal funk/rock originals and covers in New York City clubs as well as universities, music showcases, festivals and charity events along the East Coast. The six-member, co-ed band was voted Audience Favorite at the 2001 Boston Harmony Sweeps.

Members: Edward Chung, Abbey Janes, Dexter Jones, Jason Baluyut, Morgan Phillips, Ari Picker, Jason Baluyut

Exboyfriends
Formed in 1993, the seven-member vocal band started their humble journey in small NYC music clubs and worked their way up to win the Audience Favorite Award at the 2000 Harmony Sweepstakes national finals in San Francisco. Along the way, they appeared on VH1, Nickelodeon, TNN, NBC's Today Show as well as several appearances on The Howard Stern Show. They performed regularly at NYC rock club Mercury Lounge and their classic rock roots even earned them opening act slots with the likes of The Marshall Tucker Band and The Edgar Winter Group.

Their debut CD, A Cappella's Dead (1999) was called the "classic rock album a cappella has been waiting for" (Recorded A Cappella Review Board). The album features inventive covers of Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Yes, and Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". Their follow-up CD Karaoke Bar Brawl (2002) gained even more praise. Produced by Rockapella vocal percussionist Jeff Thacher, the album was nominated for two Contemporary A Cappella Recording Association (CARA) awards: Best Album and Best Cover Song ("25 or 6 to 4") and was one of RARB's "Picks of 2003" for favorite albums of the year. Karaoke Bar Brawl (named after a true event involving several band members) features loud & raw covers of The Who, Alice In Chains, Queen as well as two original songs.

Members: David Curry, David Kern, Ari Pickart, Brian Reichelt, Jeremy Lipkin, Jeff Leibert, Xerxes Eclipse, Brian Reichelt

The Fonic
The Fonic is a five-man vocal band based in New York City. Founded in 1999 and recently described as "a rock band who left their guitars in the van," The Fonic has appeared at area clubs including Triad, The Elbow Room and The Bitter End. On the road, The Fonic has performed at The East Coast A Cappella Summit in Boston, MA and The Arlington A Cappella Festival in Arlington, VA.

Members: Bryan Johnson, Damon Maida, Orlando Powers, Aaron Belinfanti, Jeff Smithson, Aaron Belinfanti

Key of She
Key Of She started in 2001 and a year later won the coveted "Audience Favorite" title and runner-up at the 11th Annual New York Harmony Sweepstakes. Since then, they've been on quite a ride. In May 2002, they opened for Ray Charles at the 1400-seat Union County Arts Center in Rahway, NJ. In December 2004, they appeared on the nationally-syndicated Jane Pauley Show. In between, Key of She has performed at Philadelphia's Annual Paradigm Award Luncheon, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania's Women's Initiative, Philadelphia's Heart Ball Patrons Party, Phoenixville PA's A Cappella Jam, New Hope, PA's Bastille Day Celebration, Philadelphia's Annual Women of Distinction Awards Dinner, Montgomery Township's Cultural Arts Center. and annual fundraisers for Princeton Friends School and The Princeton Girlchoir. On New Year's Eves 2002, 2003 and 2004, Key of She took center stage at Newtown, PA's annual First Night.

Moondance
Moondance is a barbershop quartet that has been singing together for a little over a year. Although classified as "barbershop," they sing many different styles of music. We love to sing songs we grew up with and therefore have a varied performance package ranging from Desperado by the Eagles to Queens' Bohemian Rhapsody.

Members: Carol Bill, Karen Mullen, Harriette Walters, Sylvia Posso, Sylvia Posso

Mystery Date
Award-winning a cappella sensation Mystery Date sings to entertain and inspire. This gay male a cappella group has roots as diverse as rock and roll, classical music, musical theater, soul, and collegiate a cappella. They delight audiences with their jazzy sound and sweet, sassy ( and sometimes irreverent) stage presence. Their repertoire defies categorization, ranging from Spike Jones and Gershwin classics to the B52s and contemporary songwriters like Alanis Morrisette and Desiree. They have performed nationwide sharing stages with a cappella legends “The Bobs”, Sweet Honey and the Rock’s Y’saye Barnwell, Lea DeLaria, The Persuasions, Kate Clinton, and Naturally Seven, among others. From New York cabarets and concert halls to theaters and arenas across the country, their performances are fueled with uncompromising musicianship, explosive energy and offbeat humor.

Members: Bob Stern, Joshua Koffman, John Whitley, Ken Browne, Ken Browne

NexTime
NexTime is a mixed quartet comprised of two female Sweet Adeline members and two male SPEBSQSA members. NexTime has had the pleasure of singing at several Minor League Baseball Stadiums around the country. They are also very popular on Valentine 's Day with their Singing Telegrams. They are proud of their newest trophy for the Funniest Quartet at the Bolton Landing Barbershop Celebration; as well as taking 6th place overall out of 60 mixed quartets!

Members: Gary Wilson, Marsha Baron, Bette Silver, Tom Brucia, Tom Brucia

2002 Judges TBA

Complete list of 2002 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 :

Colette Thompson (New York) Colette Thompson has directed or performed in over eleven vocal ensembles, with her group, Stay Tuned, placing 3rd in the 1998 New York Regional of the Harmony Sweepstakes; Colette has performed/recorded with Lukas Foss, Leonard Bernstein, Jesse Norman, Peter, Paul & Mary, and James Levine A billboard-ranked singer/songwriter, she has also managed several events, including, Christmas at NYU, Complex at the Duplex, and An Evening with The Real Group at NYC's Symphony Space. With performances televised via major news programs including Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, and NY1, she is a promoter, producer, adjudicator and an ambassador of vocal music worldwide.

128 Fort Greene Place, Suite 1B, Brooklyn, NY 11217
917-442-2011
colette.thompson (at) mac.com

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