Vermont A Cappella Summit to be held February 23 at Middlebury College

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. ? On Saturday, February 23, Middlebury College will host the Vermont A Cappella Summit, a day-long series of workshops and a concert by internationally renowned a cappella performers The House Jacks, The Hyannis Sound and Philip Hamilton. The workshops will take place during the day at the Kevin P. Mahaney Center for the Arts, located on South Main Street (Route 30), from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The two ensembles and Hamilton will perform at 8 p.m. that evening at Mead Chapel, located on Hepburn Road off College Street (Route 125). All events are open to the public.

Tickets for the all-day workshop series are $10. Tickets for the evening concert are $3 for Middlebury College students; $4 for Middlebury College faculty, staff and emeriti, senior citizens and children; and $5 for general admission.

Registration for the day-long series of workshops will take place at 9:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Mahaney Center for the Arts, and ticket holders may attend any or all of the workshops. A cappella groups and individual vocal performers are encouraged to participate. Beginning at 10 a.m., the morning workshops will include “The Business Side,” “Rehearsal Techniques” and “Vocal Improvisation.”  There will be a one-hour break between morning and afternoon sessions.

The afternoon events begin at 1 p.m. with a master class for groups seeking professional and peer feedback for their songs. Pre-registration for the master class is required and can be done by contacting event organizer Joe Antonioli at 802-443-3062, or email jantonio@middlebury.edu. Continuing at 3 p.m., the afternoon workshops will include “Solo Delivery,” “Contemporary Arranging,” “Songwriting” and “Vocal Percussion.”

The doors will open at 7:30 p.m. for the evening performance by The House Jacks, The Hyannis Sound and Philip Hamilton.  The San Francisco-based House Jacks describe themselves as “the original rock band without instruments.” Using nothing more than their five voices and mouths, they deliver everything from blistering funk to screaming rock to heart-melting ballads. They have performed more than 1,000 shows and have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in music, having performed for live crowds of more than 100,000.

Philip Hamilton is a contemporary vocalist on the international jazz and world music stages, and a 1982 Middlebury College graduate. Hamilton has been a part of many pioneering projects and groups, and was a founding member of the highly successful fusion band Full Circle.

Founded in 1994, The Hyannis Sound is a group of 10 young men drawn from around the country who gather on Cape Cod, Mass. each summer to perform multiple weekly concerts throughout the summer season. Their repertoire features popular music spanning the past century, including traditional a cappella, blues and rock.

The Vermont A Cappella Summit is sponsored by the office of the Dean of the College, the Music Department, and Library and Information Services. For tickets, contact the Middlebury College Box Office online at: http://www.middlebury.edu/arts/tickets/ or call 802-443-6433. A detailed schedule of the workshops is online at: http://www.vermontvocals.org/vacs2008.

For more information or to register for the 1 p.m. master class, contact event organizer Joe Antonioli at (802) 443-3062, or email jantonio@middlebury.edu.