Harmony Sweepstakes - March 10, 2012

On March 10 at the Washington Center, the finest a cappella talent of the Northwest will square off and deliver a wonderfully entertaining evening of tight harmonies and sparkling arrangements, as Masterworks Choral Ensemble hosts the Pacific Northwest Regional Finals of Harmony Sweepstakes. The eight groups are guaranteed to be at their best, because the concert is a competition that will determine which ensemble will move on to the National Harmony Sweepstakes finals. All concert-goers will have the opportunity to cast their personal votes to help the winner of the Audience Favorite award.

You can count on a rousing musical showdown March 10, as eight different vocal groups square off. The Harmony Sweepstakes competitions highlight the immense interest today in a cappella and vocal music as evidenced by such television shows like Sing Off, X-Factor, The Voice and American Idol. Recent recordings of a cappella music number in the thousands, and a cappella has a big following not just in North America but as far away as Australia and Japan too.

A cappella, or music without instrumental sound, actually got its start in the early churches where some interpreters of the Bible eschewed the use of musical instruments in church. “A cappella” translates as “in the manner of the chapel.” Just think of a solemn Gregorian chant to envision an early example of a cappella. Jewish and Muslim faiths also have highly developed traditions of song without instruments.

A cappella choirs began to emerge from the context of the church by the early 20th century, and a cappella popular music took such forms as barbershop and doo-wop. Small group a cappella music has surged in the last half century, as exemplified by such diverse performers as The King’s Singers, The Manhattan Transfer, The Nylons, Backstreet Boys, and Boyz II Men. There is no stopping it now! And the Northwest has produced some brilliant a cappella groups.

The March concert is coming up very quickly, so now would be a good time to get your hands on some tickets for this very popular annual event. Returning as musical hosts and special guest artists are the 2011 Northwest 1st place champions, The Baudboys. Disc Jockey Smilin' Jay of Olympia’s KGY AM/FM radio returns as the event’s beguiling emcee! This year’s contestants include 5bit, Bodacious Ladyhood, Rezonate, Six Appeal, Strangers in Harmony, The Uptown 4, and Wild Rose Chorale. Visit our Harmony Sweepstakes page for more exciting details.

~ Read past issues of Viva Voce here ~