A Cappella Del Sol
February 22, 2020 | 2:00 pm
Show Program
A Cappella Del Sol Contest
- Ala-KaBBaM
- The Undertones
- Southwest Vocal Alliance
- Ces’t La Vie
A Cappella Del Sol Showcase
- A Cappella Syndicate
- Awards Presentation
- Heatwave
- The Associates
- Vocalocity
- Contest Winner
- A Cappella Syndicate
Contestants
Ala-KaBBaM
Ala-KaBBaM magically began in November 2019 taking three baritones and a bass and turned it into a four part quartet. Kaleena, Brittany, Bronti, and Meredith enjoyed singing with their dogs but decided people would sound better. The name Ala-KaBBaM is special because we wanted a piece of each of us to be represented. We look forward to our debut in preparation for the Sweet Adelines International Region 21 contest this April here in Phoenix.
The Undertones
The Undertones are ASU’s first (and only) jazz a cappella group. Started by several friends in 2017, they have been performing existing and original arrangements of jazz music at ASU events and self-produced concerts. The members of The Undertones are all students at ASU with a wide variety of areas of study from mechanical and computer systems engineering to journalism and linguistics!
Southwest Vocal Alliance
The idea for Southwest Vocal Alliance was born in April 2019 at last year’s division contest for Barbershop Harmony Society’s Far Western District.
As it happens, a few Sweet Adeline’s members were there watching the contest. Between performances, we all found out singing a Capella with both men and women was extreme fun! So we decided to “do this thing.”
The group rehearsed over the summer in people’s homes, schools and wherever they could find to sing mixed harmony. Southwest Vocal Alliance officially chartered as a chapter in the Barbershop Harmony Society in September of 2019. SVA, the chorus for the Maricopa County Chapter is proud to say they’re one of the first five chartered mixed choruses in Barbershop Harmony Society’s history.
Southwest Vocal Alliance truly believes everyone needs music, joy and harmony in their lives.
Ces’t La Vie
C’est La Vie is made up of four best friends, Melanie, Caitlin, Krista and Taylor. We are a Sweet Adelines barbershop quartet that loves to sing and ring barbershop chords! In 2015 we became the Sweet Adelines Rising Star Quartet Champions. We were also fortunate to become the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Sweet Adelines, Region 21, Quartet Champions. All four of us are members of the 6 time Sweet Adelines International Champion Chorus, The Scottsdale Chorus. Above all of that, C’est La Vie LOVES to share and spread the joy of barbershop to as many young singers as we can. One of our favorite things to do is participate in Youth in Harmony festivals. We know first hand the positive effect music can have on a young person’s life!
Judges
Michael Sackett
Michael has been involved in the arts for as long as he can remember. For two years, he was a member of Brigham Young University’s Young Ambassadors, and spent one year with Vocal Point. Michael has recorded many albums as a featured soloist with Rob Gardner’s Spire Music and Tantara Records, and has his own solo album. For the past five years he has judged for the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. In 2014, Michael started INSPIRE Entertainment, a Performing Arts Academy and Preschool in Gilbert, AZ. He loves working with youth and educating them about the importance and benefits of music and the arts in their lives. He hopes that it will provide the opportunity for many people to be touched by the power of music and the performing arts, both as performers and audience members. In his spare time, Michael likes to read, travel, play soccer, and spend time with his family.
Theresa Weatherbee
Theresa Weatherbee is a Certified Performance Judge and Category Specialist with Harmony, Inc. and serves the Barbershop Harmony Society as a Performance Judge. She brings her world of theater training and stage experience into her coaching sessions, helping performers discover and develop their own stage personality while enriching their total performance experience.
Theresa’s company, Engage on Stage™, is dedicated to coaching all types of performers who want to take their already existing performance skills to new heights and learn how to achieve believability through continued education and development. Theresa has taught, guided and mentored throughout North America, Europe, Russia, and New Zealand.
Known for her “all-consuming passion” for the stage, Theresa’s specialty is inspiring performers to want to own the stage. She has had over forty years on the stage as a singer and actor, and her work has been in front of the camera as a background actor in movies and local TV productions.
Brent Graham
Brent Graham is one of the most respected arrangers and coaches in Barbershop. He has arranged over 250 songs in the style, and those arrangements have been sung by a wide variety of vocal ensembles including Gold medal quartets and choruses. He has coached men’s and women’s ensembles across North America, Sweden and Germany, and served on faculty at the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) Harmony University for 6 years.
Brent is currently an Artistic Director of the award-winning A Cappella Syndicate men’s ensemble in Phoenix, AZ and is a certified Master Director in the Sweet Adelines International (SAI) organization. He is a 4-time BHS District champion baritone singer and has served as a BHS contest judge for over 20 years.
Brent has been a member of BHS since 1978 and an Associate Member of Harmony Incorporate (HI) since 2014. He received his undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA, and later earned a JD in Law.
Contest Rules
- Contestant ensembles will have no less than 3 persons and no more than 20 persons.
- Contestant ensembles will have a maximum of 10 minutes to perform on stage during the competition.
- Scoring categories include In-Tune Singing, Vocal Production, Harmonic Variety and Complexity, Rhythmic Elements, Stage Mastery and Entertainment.
Friends of A Cappella Del Sol
Your Hosts
A Cappella Syndicate
The Syndicate is an a cappella vocal ensemble that sings a variety of fun, modern, and recognizable songs to give our audiences an entertaining and unforgettable experience.
For each of the last four years, A Cappella Syndicate has received top honors as the Arizona Champion in the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Chorus Competition.
Thanks to everyone who helped with making A Cappella Del Sol a success!
Emcee – Cary Burns
Stage Manager – Lou Gordon
Sound Engineer – AJ Lepore
Photographer – Laura Durant
Quartets – Heat Wave, The Associates and Vocalocity
The Madison Center for the Arts Staff and Crew
Vince and Leona Carfagno
A Cappella Del Sol Leadership Team – Eric Bjornsen, Brent Graham, Tim Haskins, Mike Moyer, T.W. Scott, Gary Steinkamp