Blast from the Past Festival, Featuring The Real Grou

The Real Group Academy has found amazing ways of keeping connected during the pandemic. Together with John Knutson & Matt Falker, members of The Real Group alumni gathered for an event called “Blast from the Past” where they took folks on a retrospective journey through TRGs video archive. Rachael sits down with Anders Edenroth, Stephanie Lam, John, and Matt to talk about the event and what’s coming up for everyone.

Check out The Real Group at https://therealgroup.se.

Learn more about The Real Group Academy at https://www.therealgroupacademy.com.

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A Cappella Harmony Virtual Youth Festival

Rachael sits down with Andi Giles of California, who took it upon herself to create A Cappella Harmony, a virtual youth festival that is taking place February 20 & 27th from 4-7pm PST and is for treble singers ages 25 & under. This new-to-the-scene festival is a 2 weekend workshop series and virtual choir experience, and features LoveNotes, Kim Newcomb, Deke Sharon. Learn more about the work that went into setting up this festival, the impetus for creating it, and much more!

Hear special guests LoveNotes Quartet: https://youtu.be/mXPx8JXQhoM

Hear from Hot Pursuit, two of whom will be leading vocal warm ups on February 20th: https://youtu.be/z_1zv72OhBg

Listen to Kim Newcomb in her quartet The Ladies: https://youtu.be/Xr2JWu6YzZ4 or her quartet Half and Half: https://youtu.be/DXws8YD8Asg

And what festival would be complete without Deke Sharon? Listen to him chat about Pitch Perfect: https://youtu.be/rXZlV3lCeWQ

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VERSA

Professional UK-based a cappella group, VERSA, was founded in January 2019 by award-winning arranger Sara Leanne. The group is formed of six experienced singers displaying a variety of timbres and vocal skills, yet continually praised for their ability to perfectly fuse together to form a rich, slick and professional sound. Rachael speaks to the group about The Pretender, their collaboration with fellow post collegiate UK group, VICE, and about the group’s singing Valentines!

Buy a personalized singing Valentine here: https://www.versaacappella.com/product-page/personalised-singing-valentine

Listen to The Pretender here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j04FYZ7d69w

Learn more about VERSA here: https://www.versaacappella.com

Learn more about VICE here: https://viceacappella.wixsite.com/vice

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Simons Sirens Release Brookline Ave

The Sirens, a women’s centered a cappella group from Simmons University in Boston, MA, has released a new EP titled “Brookline Ave”! They sit down with Rachael to talk about the process of recording this EP and feature 3 of its songs: High Hopes, Unbreakable Smile, and American Boy.

Listen to the EP at: https://open.spotify.com/album/1HmdZbXtGUZBCUos8GYr6F

Learn more about the group at: https://www.facebook.com/simmonssirens.

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The Pennchants

The Pennchants are the University of Pennsylvania’s ass-kicking, name-taking and award-winning all-male a cappella group, and College Ambassadors for MEMBERS ONLY apparel. In partnership with Philabundance, the largest hunger-relief organization in the Delaware Valley, The Pennchants have created an Online Concert-Series, Bedroom Bops. Rachael sat down with the group’s executive board to talk about this unique collaboration and to listen to some tunes.

Check out Bedroom Bops on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzXEFpy05QNUcwYfmBdz1RssZ6PT8ZcoC.

Learn more about Philabundance at https://www.philabundance.org.

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Semi-Toned

Semi-Toned was formed in 2010 as a five-man barbershop harmony group at a university which doesn’t teach academic music. Today, the group is at the forefront of a cappella in the United Kingdom. The guys released an EP in December called Infrared and sit down with Rachael to discuss it, in addition to talking about where the group is heading in the upcoming months and the ambitious goal they created for themselves last term to create new music weekly!

Check Infrared on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4mu7wY8SKnu3jBbYsKUxex

Purchase Infrared on iTunes: iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/infrared-ep/1539866259

Watch the videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLJdDUcQJbS-nXJFNngNiv7qUSaApTcs&fbclid=IwAR1K9JOr3YJj5o9lZLnLr71S_HWXQlOiWuNw7TrrVObTm-2LeLd1nOGXfa0

Learn more about Semi-Toned at: https://www.facebook.com/semitoned.

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