22nd Annual

The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, 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.

Tickets are $18.00 - General admission. $14 for students, seniors & groups of 15 or more. Available from TicketWeb.

Presented by the Colorado Vocal Jazz Society

Hosted by

2005 Rocky Mountain Champions

face

face is an all-vocal rock band that prides itself in bringing a new edge and attitude to one of the purest forms of musical production. These six guys from Boulder provide raw entertainment from original arrangements of pop, rock, jazz, and classical fusion. Recently dubbed a "6-voice bomb blast," face. appeared at the past two Rocky Mountain Harmony Sweeps, winning Audience Favorite both years, and Runner-Up in 2003.

Members: Cody Qualls, Mark Megibow, Ben Lunstad, Forest Kelly, Jayson Throckmorton, Stephen Ross

2005 Results
1st	face
2nd	Ignition
Audience Favorite	face
CVJS Best Stage Performance	Ignition
Jerry Lawson Best Soloist	Cody Qualls (face) "Harder to Breathe"
Jeffery Harris Best Original Song	"Times Like These" (No Better Cause) Nate Kellison
Deke Sharon Best Original Arrangement	"Harder to Breathe" (face) Ryan Driver

2005 Partcipating groups:

 

Curious Gage: Still new to the contemporary vocal scene, ‘Curious Gage’ from northern Colorado brings its unique blend of talents to the stage. Their entertaining mix of original and familiar songs is surpassed only by the intensity and energy of their performance. The band’s deeply complex harmonies combine with the best vocal percussion in Northern Colorado. Competing in 2004, Curious Gage won Best Arrangement award.

Members: Ryan Smykil, Nic Widhalm, Justin Curtis Adams, Tom Miles.

THE EARL FAMILY SINGERS began their musical story singing hyms and Christmas carols at nursing homes. They added Barbershop to their repertoire, auditioned at Silver Dollar City in Branson and have done more than 50 shows there since. They sang the U.S. and Canadian National Anthems at Kansas City Royals games and have appeared on television in Missouri. Last summer they competed in the semi-finals of the Gospel Music Association.

Members: Joshua Earl, Josiah Earl, Jessica Earl, Judah Earl

Face: Boulder's six-man vocal band, 'Face', boasts Audience Favorite and Runner-Up awards from the 2003 Rocky Mountain Sweeps. These talented singers provide raw entertainment from original arrangements of pop, rock, jazz, gospel and classical selections. The group also competed in 2004, winning the Audience Favorite award.

Members: Cody Qualls, Mark Megibow, Ben Lunstad, Forest Kelly, Jayson Throckmorton, Stephen Ross

HARMONIX was established in the fall of 2004. The group formed as a result of the need to have a mixed a cappella presence in the northern Metro area. The group performs a musical genre consisting of Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Blues and Classical with five vocal parts and vocal percussion.

Members: Vicki Squires, Heidi Bryant, Scott Dunn, Tyra Dixon, Rick Landrum, Arthur Ortega

IGNITION “Launched” in March of 2004, Ignition! First competed as the Rocky Mountain District’s International Prelinary Competition in April, taking second place after only a few weeks in existence. Ignition’s goal is not simply to entertain, but to ignite audiences with a show that will leave them completely blown away. Their show is a stellar mix of styles and songs over which audiences of all ages will go “ballistic.”

Members: Roger Olson, Curtis Terry, James Taylor, Dennis Malone

THE NORTHERN COLORADO VOICES: The vocal jazz heritage instilled in a consistently excellent educational experience in Greeley is broadly recognized across the country. Northern Colorado Voices is the premier vocal jazz ensemble at the University of Northern Colorado. This sextet, comprised of six singers, 3 women and 3 men, performs a wide variety of repertoire, from mainstream jazz to contemporary arrangements of pop songs.

Members: Emily Thompson, Kim Dawson, Kelsi Shiba, Wilson Skomal, Pierre Houssney, Paul Pavlik

NO BETTER CAUSE: The infectious and exciting one-of-a-kind style of No Better Cause adds an intriguing a cappella sound to their repertoire of pop, rock, R&B and standard tunes. The six-man group from Lincoln, Nebraska, Rocky Mountain Runner-Up in 2004, has a distinctive talent and a bent for true originality. Competed in 2004; won Runner-Up award.

Members: Nate Kellison, Luke Kellison, Zack Bjornsen, Ryan Chappelle, Michael Evans

THE PLUMBERS OF ROME: Taking a much-needed break from battling the sewage concerns of antiquity, The Plumbers of Rome bring to you the wisdom of the ages, the truths of the Universe, and the savory profundity of Sizzlin' Socrates' Ramen Noodles (tm). The Plumbers are sponsored by Floetius, third cousin of Bacchus and god of singing plumbers.

Members: Chris Bogert, Tim Y Jones, Dan Testa

JUDGES: TBA

Complete list of 2005 national participants

Previous complete results - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998

Prizes

Winner represents Denver in the Harmony Sweepstakes National A Cappella Festival

A set of Shure SM 58 microphones

A selection of compact discs from the Primarily A Cappella catalog

Free cassette tape duplication by Discmakers

Interested in Competing?

We are always seeking groups who would like to compete in our events.

Groups of any style are welcome, but you must have between 3 and 7 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 tapes and photos to the regional director :

Rol Sharrette has been helping with the Denver Sweeps operation as state CASA Ambassador for the past five years. He's produced everything from stage musicals to concerts to vocal competitions, and he's been doing it for too long to admit. From starting a vocal group career on radio (when that was possible) that took him to New York network TV shows, to ten years of "studio singing" (yes, jingles) to producing first out-of-New York productions of "Music Man" and "Sound of Music" along with a dozen others in the '60s, and a stint as college special events and programs director, then to the political scene as Michigan's Deputy State Arts Council Director in the heat of '70s growth, and finally TV and interactive media producer for the J.Walter Thompson Agency. He's recently been producing a cappella and vocal jazz events for the Colorado Vocal Jazz Society, and has many national affiliations including fellow of the Recording Academy (Grammies). Two years ago Rol produced and directed the world premiere of a jazz theater show called "Suite William" at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He reports, "great anticipation in my first chance to put together the great Rocky Mountain Sweeps!"
888-949-2857 rjsharette@cvjs.org

The Harmony Sweepstakes National A Cappella Festiva
PO Box D
San Anselmo, CA 94979
(415) 455-8602
harmony@singers.com