Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival facts for kids

The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival is a yearly event where singing groups compete. These groups sing a cappella, which means they use only their voices, no instruments! The festival has seven smaller competitions across the United States. The best group from each region then goes to the big National Finals in San Rafael, California.

About the Harmony Sweepstakes

Hundreds of new singing groups from all over the country perform at the Harmony Sweepstakes. The season starts with regional competitions in seven big cities during the spring. These cities are New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Portland/Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago. The winning group from each city then goes to the exciting National Finals in San Rafael, California, usually in early May. They perform for a huge crowd of fans and special judges, hoping to become the Grand National Champion.

This festival is often called "the granddaddy of all the singing contests" for vocal harmony groups. It welcomes all kinds of a cappella music. This includes traditional styles like doo-wop, barbershop, gospel, and jazz. It also features new and exciting vocal harmony styles. The festival has helped make a cappella singing popular again. It was once seen as just a fun novelty act.

The human voice is an amazing musical instrument. The Harmony Sweepstakes celebrates its many forms. Vocal music brings many different people together. In a world with lots of technology, sharing the appreciation for vocal music is a special human connection.

Festival History

The Harmony Sweepstakes started from a weekly sing-a-long at a British pub called The Mayflower in San Rafael, California. Everyone had so much fun singing that they formed a community chorus called the Mayflower Chorus. They held regular concerts and performances.

It can be hard for a large chorus to find places to perform. So, some members also formed smaller a cappella groups. These groups started performing around the area.

In 1984, a chorus member named Lisa Collins had an idea. She wanted to start a competition for a cappella groups. This would help more people discover and enjoy vocal harmony singing. For the first few years, the show was part of a performing arts series at Dominican University. The festival quickly became a local favorite.

A few years later, a theater producer named John Neal saw a concert. He was very impressed by the singing, the show, and the idea of this new music festival. John talked to Lisa and offered to help. He wanted to grow the show and expand it to other cities, making it a national event. They became partners right away. More cities were added, and the National Finals moved to the much larger Marin Veteran's Auditorium.

Over the next few years, the concerts became very popular. Most new vocal harmony groups across the country have performed in at least one show. Later, groups from other countries also started to join. So far, two champions have been from overseas: Vocaldente from Germany and The Idea of North from Australia. The festival is now known as a top event for vocal harmony groups. It has helped many artists start their careers.

National Champions & Audience Favorites

Many groups that have won the Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions title have gone on to great success. After more than 30 years of competition, most national champions still perform in some way. For example:

• The 1999 champions, National Seven, signed with Sony Records. They have toured internationally for years, opening for Michael Buble.
• M-Pact was called the year's "Best Unsigned Artist" by Billboard Magazine.
• Hi Fidelity got a job performing often on the Carson Daly show. This was a direct result of their success in the contest.
• The 2012 champions, Six Appeal, found an agent after winning. They now have a busy touring schedule across the country.
• The Knudsen Brothers (now called SIX) are very popular in Branson, Missouri, where they perform all year.
• The 2009 champions, Maxx Factor, became Sweet Adeline's International Queens of Harmony. They, along with other champions like Groove For Thought and Northshore A Cappella, appeared on the NBC show The Sing-Off.

National Finalists: A Look at Past Competitors

Many talented groups have made it to the National Finals. Here are some of the finalists from different years:

2014 Finalists

• Catatonic (Mid-Atlantic region)
• SeaNote (Pacific Northwest)
• 3AM (Chicago region)
• Women of the World (Boston region)
• Prime Time (Bay Area region)
• #FourtyFourB (Los Angeles region)
• Quintessential Five (New York City region)

The show was hosted by the 2013 National Champions, Honey Whiskey Trio.

2011 Finalists

• Brass Farthing (Bay Area region)
• The Brotherhood Singers (Chicago region)
• Throat (Denver region)
• Da Capo (Mid-Atlantic region)
• Traces (New York City)
• The Baudboys (Pacific Northwest)

The show was hosted by the 2010 National Champions, Plumbers of Rome.

2010 Finalists

• Boyz Night Out (San Francisco)
• Plumbers of Rome (Boston)
• Home Free (Chicago)
• Confidential (Denver)
• Soundstage (Los Angeles)
• West Side Five (New York)
• bVocal (New York)

2009 Finalists

• Love Notes
• Rezonate
• 3 Men and a Melody
• Mouth Beats
• Evolution
• MAXX Factor
• Cartoon Johnny
• Road Show

2008 Finalists

• Where's Gesualdo
• Syncopation
• 5one
• Legacy
• Red No.5
• Vocaldente
• The Baudboys
• Sound Stage

2007 Finalists

• Men in Black (Boston)
• V-Chords (Pacific Northwest)
• Moira Smiley & VOCO (Los Angeles) - They won 1st Place and Best Original Song.
• Face (Denver) - They won 2nd Place, Audience Favorite, and Best Original Arrangement.
• The Fault Line (New York City)
• Solstice (Bay Area) - They won 3rd Place.
• DoubleShot! (Mid-Atlantic)
• Nightwatch (Chicago)

The show was hosted by the 2006 National Champions, Hi-Fidelity.

2006 Finalists

• Clockwork (Bay Area) - They won 3rd Place and Best Original Arrangement.
• Curious Gage (Denver)
• ElmoTHUMM (Chicago)
• Hi-Fidelity (Los Angeles) - They won 1st Place and Audience Favorite.
• Regency (Mid-Atlantic) - They won 2nd Place.
• 'Round Midnight (New York)
• Tongue Tied A Cappella (Pacific Northwest)
• Traces (Boston) - They won Best Original Song.

The show was hosted by Groove for Thought, the 2005 National Champions.