DEKE SHARON (Vocal Arrangements). Heralded as "The Father of Contemporary A Cappella," (Entertainment Weekly), Deke Sharon is responsible for the current sound of modern a cappella, having created the dense vocal-instrumental sound in college, subsequently spreading it around the world. Deke produces "The Sing-Off" worldwide (USA, Netherlands, China, South Africa) and served as arranger, on-site music director and vocal producer for Universal's Pitch Perfect & Pitch Perfect 2 starring Anna Kendrick & Rebel Wilson. Deke founded the Contemporary A Cappella Society while in college, and is responsible for many seminal a cappella programs. He is also contemporary cappella's most prolific arranger, having arranged over 2,000 songs, with many of them in print worldwide with Hal Leonard/Contemporary A Cappella Publishing. He has written 3 books "Acappella Arranging" (2012), “A Cappella” (2015) and “The Heart of Vocal Harmony” (2016). As the founder, director and arranger for the House Jacks for almost 25 years, the original "Rock Band Without Instruments," Deke shared the stage with countless music legends, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Crosby Stills and Nash, Run DMC, The Temptations, LL Cool J and the Four Tops, and performed for luminaries including President Bill Clinton. He has produced dozens of award winning a cappella albums (including Straight No Chaser, Committed, Nota, Street Corner Symphony and the Tufts Beelzebubs), created a cappella groups for Disneyland and Disneyworld, and frequently tours the world teaching students and professional singers. His voice can be heard in commercials and video games, including "Just Dance Kids 2.” He is one of only 20 honorary members of the Barbershop Harmony Society since 1938, as well as an honorary member of BYU Vocal Point, and received CASA's lifetime achievement award in 2016. You can see him on television on Lifetime’s “Pitch Slapped” (aka “Pitch Battle” in the Philippines, “A Cappella Battle” in Israel, and “Batallas A Capella” across Latin America).        

Ruth Mappes is the Coordinator of Choirs and Performing Arts Department Chair at The Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio. In addition, she also serves as the Director of Music Ministries at Southminster Presbyterian Church. She graduated from Wright State University with her bachelors in Vocal Performance and Music Education.  In addition to directing Ars Nova, she directs all the choirs at The Miami Valley School grades 4-12 and teaches music technology and history of pop music.                

Ars Nova is a fresh group from Dayton, Ohio that was created in 2015. Ars Nova is Latin for “New Art”, and as such they are the first a cappella group to emerge at The Miami Valley School, rising up with their colorful spark. They made it to the ICHSA Midwest Semifinals last March and performed at Camp A Cappella in June 2016. In addition to their performance and competition schedule, Ars Nova is also working on their debut album and music video.
 

Darnell Dibbles is the Co-Founder and Director of Carpe Sono.  He was President of his choir at Lamar Highschool, Vice President of Concert Chorale at The University of Texas in 2001, and Co-Music Director of his beloved Ransom Notes at UT in 2001. He, along with 5 other singers were a part of the first annual Houston Grand Opera Highschool voice studio, and he received a scholarship to major in vocal performance at UT wayyy back in 2000. Let’s just say he loves to sing – which is why he got the itch one late night on October 8th, 2011 and posted on Craigslist looking to start an a cappella group.

Carpe Sono is a southern COED Contemporary A Cappella group based in Austin, Texas. We sing a variety of contemporary, all vocal arrangements, that covers all genres, ranging from Top 40 pop to classic rock! Examples of artists we cover include Coldplay, Alicia Keys, U2, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and more! We are a family friendly group that started when  husband and wife, Lacey and Darnell Dibbles, decided to post on Craiglist to look for fellow singers who had a similar passion for a cappella. 5 years later, the group is still going strong and are humbled by the opportunity to be a part of Total Vocal!    

Ben is the head Choral Director at Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio. He is an avid supporter of a cappella music and recently wrote a book with Deke Sharon and Brody McDonald, called A Cappella (available at amazon.com and other resellers). He is a founding member of the A Cappella Education Association and is associated with several other a cappella organizations. He is an instructor at Camp A Cappella and a clinician for vocal groups across the country. Forte, the premier a cappella group at CHS, are the 2016 ICHSA Champions and three time national runner-up.

Forte, the premier contemporary a cappella group at Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio, is the 2016 ICHSA champion and a three-time national runner-up to the ICHSA Champion in New York City. Forte has released seven albums to date and three albums of all-original music. Their album, Uncharted Heart, was runner-up for Best Pop/Rock Album after Grammy-winning group Pentatonix. Since the start of 2015, Forte has opened for the national Sing-Off Tour; recorded a music video with Grammy-winning artist Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix; and performed with pop star Jojo on her national tour.

Katherine Girvin, a native of San Diego, attended the University of Missouri, Columbia where she received a Bachelor of Arts and Science (2004), a Bachelor of Science in Middle School Education (2005), and a Masters in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction (2006).  Katherine has been a choral educator for 8 years and has been directing Chamber Bravura since its creation six years ago.  Katherine is also an Adjunct Professor at San Diego Christian College, where she teaches current teachers receiving their Masters, Education Majors, and supervises college students in their student teaching assignments in both San Diego and Orange Counties.  Katherine has been named Choral Educaor of the Year by CMEA Southern Border Division (2012) and the same year received the Mackenzie-Haney Award, an Outstanding Choral Educator Award voted on by her colleagues throughout all of San Diego Unified School District.  

Chamber Bravura is an extra-curricular (a cappella only) vocal performance organization comprised of 30 vocalists from various middle and high schools in San Diego County.  These students practice and perform rigorous choral music despite only meeting once a week for two short hours.  Chamber Bravura is an internationlly traveling a cappella group with performances in Italy (including a Mass performance in St. Peter's Basilica) in 2013, performances in Austria and Prague in 2014, performances in Ireland, England, and Wales in 2015 and will be competing internationally in the Sydney Opera House in July, 2017.  This will be Chamber Bravura's fifth performance in Carnegie Hall, the second with Deke Sharon and Total Vocal.  Locally Chamber Bravura has performed in many charity events and parades throughout San Diego and performs annually for Disney's Community Arts Showcase and Candlelight Processional.  They even have their own county-wide holiday as a thank you for their works in the community.  This organization is comprised of exceptional kids, many who balance sports and rigorous studies on top of their committments to Chamber Bravura and prove that you really can do it all!  Chamber Bravura is so honored to be working with Deke Sharon again and extends a huge thank you to DCINY for annually producing this amazing event.                

As a choir leader Martin "Monty" Winter is seeking to let his singers find their talents and individual strenghts. He empowers people to stress their borders and learn to develop their talents in a safe environment of a strong community-group. He studied medicine and is a dermatologist in Ulm, Germany - leading choirs is his passion since 1999. As a co-founder of choriosity he dedicated himself develop contemporary a cappella music in germany - always on the outlook of new methods and the "spark" for music in every singer.

“Choriosity” is an a cappella pop choir from Ulm, Germany. We are more than 120 amateur singers aged 18 to 30 convinced that having fun and learning to sing at a high level are intimately connected, so everybody is welcome to join the choir! Their repertoire consists of modern rock/pop-arrangements inspired by Pentatonix, Perpetuum Jazzile and Vocal line. Martin "Monty" Winter leads the choir and together with its members creates a mixture of recent pop and rock songs of such artists as David Guetta, Adele, Daft punk and many more. “Choriosity” wants to share an unforgettable choir experience: within just three years they developed from a small group of 20 people to the biggest a cappella choir of the region, and now are looking forward to taking part in the “Total Vocal” project!

Jacob Ritter is currently in his second year of teaching at Columbus High School and has been teaching music for over ten.  He has a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Central Missouri and his undergraduate degree from Doane University in Crete, NE.  Jacob also performs in various vocal ensembles and is the director of the Fremont Pathfinder Chorus in Fremont, NE.    

The Columbus High School Concert Choir is CHS's premiere large vocal ensemble and has a long-standing tradition of great choral singing.  The group has been featured at numerous choir festivals and collegiate honor choirs throughout the state of Nebraska and is annually represented at the Nebraska All-State choir by many of its members.  The group has toured most recently in Branson, MO and St. Louis MO.  

Denali Wentz has been playing violin and viola for sixteen years, and began singing four years ago. He has been involved in a variety of music groups throughout his life, and first began performing a cappella at the University of Alaska Southeast. Last year, Denali had the opportunity to travel to NYC with the Alaskapellicans and perform in Total Vocal II. He is excited to return to Carnegie Hall, and is looking forward to another incredible experience working with Deke Sharon. Denali resides in Juneau, Alaska, where he has spent the last three years teaching string instruments to elementary schoolers.

Fjordte is a small a cappella group based in Juneau, Alaska and born out of an unforgettable experience at Total Vocal II in 2016. Afer having the amazing opportunity to work with Deke Sharon and perform onstage at Carnegie Hall last year, our four members came together in hopes to return to New York in 2017 and once again work with the father of contemporary a cappella. We are so grateful to be involved in this incredible event!

Carrie Owens is in her 18th year of teaching and her sixth year at Germantown High School. Mrs. Owens received her Bachelor of Music Education and Church Music (1999), and Master of Music in conducting (2003) from Mississippi College. In 2002 Mrs. Owens received the MMEA Outstanding Young Music Educator Award. In 2010 Mrs. Owens was selected as Mississippi College's Young Alumnus of the Year in Music and Teacher of the Year at her school. Mrs. Owens became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2007. Mrs. Owens is married to Steve Owens and their children are Alexandra and Luke.

Maverick Singers—made up of 9th-12th grade students from Germantown High School in Madison Mississippi—made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2014. Since their inaugural year in 2011, Maverick Singers has consistently received Superiors at festivals in Mississippi, received multiple Sweepstakes Awards at State Choral Festival and received their first “Best in Class” in 2015. Maverick Singers performs for local venues and their Acappella ensemble, Legacy has participated in the National A Cappella Convention, in Memphis TN for two years. Maverick Singers hope to continue creating and spreading their powerful magic for decades to come.

Betsy Bergeron is the Choral Director at Greens Farms Academy in CT. She has been teaching music for 35 years and is the founder of the Greens Farms Harbor Blues - GFA's all female a cappella group. She got her bachelor's degree from Duke University and her master's from Manhattanville College. She is also the co-founder and music director emeritus for Off-Beat Players, a theatre company for young people with and without disabilities. Betsy has performed at Carnegie Hall and at the White House as a member of the Connecticut Master Chorale and is so excited to be able to share this amazing experience with her students.

The Greens Farms Academy Concert Choir was established by Betsy Bergeron in 1988. It is one of four high school singing ensembles at GFA. All students are welcomed into this choir, regardless of ability level or experience. The fifty four voice mixed ensemble has received several awards over the years from various music festivals for outstanding and excellent performances. This marks their first performance ever in New York City, hopefully not the last. They are honored to be included in the concert and they hope you enjoy the performance!

The Millburn Singers are a group of residents from Millburn, NJ. United by a common love for cappella, they are all members of their high school's a cappella group, Soulfege. As part of Soulfege, the group has performed at events ranging from local performances to across the North East. This summer the group had the privilege to perform at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. This past October, the group opened for Vocalosity at Bucks County Playhouse. The group has competed in the ICHSA for three years and won the honor of "Outstanding Arrangement" in 2015.    

Matthew Hanson is in his 5th year of teaching choral music at Northwood High School in Pittsboro, NC. A 2012 graduate of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he received both his Bachelor of Music Performance and Bachelor of Music Education degrees. Hanson is active member of the National Association for Music Education as well as the American Choral Director's Association. He serves has faculty advisor for the Tri-M Music Honor's Society and directs and arranges for Northwood's contemporary a cappella group, "Pitch Please" which was founded in the Fall of 2012. Hanson resides just outside Asheboro, NC with his wife, Rebekah, 4-year old daughter, Annabelle, and dog, Ellie.

Pitch Please is Northwood High School’s award-winning contemporary a cappella group. These 18 auditioned singers rehearse twice a week under the direction of
NHS Choral Director, Matthew Hanson. After winning 1st place in the MIX 101.5 Christmas Choir Competition in 2014, they returned to take 2nd place in 2015. Last February, they competed in the Semi-Finals of the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) against 9 other groups from Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and  South Carolina. They took the runner-up spot, placing 2nd in their very first year in the competition. In May they traveled to Concord for the North Carolina Association of Scholastic Activities (NCASA) High School A Cappella competition. The group took 1st place and received special awards for "Best Male Soloist," "Best Female Soloist," and "Best Choreography."

Sabrina Campelo from Millstone Township New Jersey is currently a Junior at Elon University pursuing degrees in Physics, Applied Mathematics, and a minor in Biology. She is the President of Shirley Tempos, and has been a part of the group since her freshman year. She has had the privilege of watching this group grow tremendously from its first ever concert to making it onto the Carnegie Hall Stage. In addition to a cappella, Sabrina holds a job with ELITE (emerging leaders in technology at Elon), and is also the Vice President of the Society of Physics Students.  Sabrina hopes to pursue a career in Medical Physics while still having time to continue her passion for music on the side.

Shirley Tempos is one of Elon University's all female a cappella groups, founded in 2013. The Tempos are made up of 17 young women with a wide variety of majors and interests. Performing regularly both on campus and around the community, the group seeks to share their love of music with audiences while also growing as a group and individual performers. They released their first ever single Hide and Seek last March, and recently released their first ever EP earlier this year. They host an annual benefit concert called Acapocalypse in October benefitting the Ronald McDonald House of Duke Hospital.    

A jack-of-all-trades in the Toronto music and theatre scene, Scott Pietrangelo is renowned for his positivity, enthusiastic leadership, critical ear and zest for all things musical. He is currently co-Music Director for the Eastminster United Church choir, and is the founder and Artistic Director of SoundCrowd, Toronto's first large-scale a cappella ensemble.

As a Musical Director in theatre, Scott has MD'd regional productions across Canada.  He has appeared as a performer in the Canadian premiere of The Hobbit, and was most recently seen as Jamie in two separate productions of The Last Five Years (Broadway World Award nominee). He had the honour of being a featured soloist in The World Beloved at Carnegie Hall with DCINY in 2013, returned to Carnegie in 2015 to perform in the first Total Vocal concert, and is thrilled to be back for another dose of a cappella awesomeness.

Scott Pietrangelo officially launched SoundCrowd in April of 2016 having had the experience of working with Deke Sharon in the inaugural Total Vocal concert with DCINY.  Since starting rehearsals in September, SoundCrowd has already performed with former Barenaked Ladies lead singer Steven Page, alongside singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, and enjoyed their first solo sold-out concert.  A force to be reckoned with in the Toronto music scene, they will close out their inaugural year in May with a concert affiliated with SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival.  Be sure to follow SoundCrowd on Facebook, Twitter @SoundCrowd and YouTube to watch for #SoundCrowdSaturdays, surprise pop-up performances all around Toronto.

In the fifth grade, in an attempt to get out of performing at a piano recital, Emily Shinkle had her neighbor break her wrist. It was painful; she had to wear a cast for six weeks. This fiery intensity eventually grew into her love for music, fueling the passion that she has when she comes into her classroom each day to work with her singers. In her eleventh year at The Athenian School, it is in her work with The hOWLers that she sees the same passion and excitement for music in the eyes of her students. She is so proud that none of  them have tried to break any bones (yet) to avoid performing.

hOWLers are characterized by their proclivity for making musical noise with their mouths. They can be found humming, whistling, beatboxing, and singing at almost any given moment and particularly when they are together in their natural habitat; freestyle rap and mellow acoustic guitar-vocalist duos are frequent. When they're not making noise, the hOWLers are often observed eating in creative ways, doodling on manila folders, and writing acrostics.
h- haggardly high schoolers
O- Ornate octaves
W- Whimsical wild wanderers
L- Lethargic lyric lovers
e- eccentric edelweiss enthusiasts
r- rippin ragged reggae rap rhymes
s- splendiferous subharmonic-singing students            
                

Holly Grefe  is in her 18th year as Director of Choirs at Lafayette High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Studio Art from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where she studied conducting with Dr. Kenneth Jennings.   She received her Master’s Degree in Vocal Music Education, emphasis in Choral Conducting, from Florida State University where she studied with Dr. Judy Bowers, Dr. Kevin Fenton, and Dr. André Thomas.  She serves as a guest director, clinician, and adjudicator for many events throughout the southern region.  Holly Grefe  is in her 18th year as Director of Choirs at Lafayette High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Studio Art from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where she studied conducting with Dr. Kenneth Jennings.   She received her Master’s Degree in Vocal Music Education, emphasis in Choral Conducting, from Florida State University where she studied with Dr. Judy Bowers, Dr. Kevin Fenton, and Dr. André Thomas.  She serves as a guest director, clinician, and adjudicator for many events throughout the southern region.  Holly Grefe  is in her 18th year as Director of Choirs at Lafayette High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Studio Art from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where she studied conducting with Dr. Kenneth Jennings.   She received her Master’s Degree in Vocal Music Education, emphasis in Choral Conducting, from Florida State University where she studied with Dr. Judy Bowers, Dr. Kevin Fenton, and Dr. André Thomas.  She serves as a guest director, clinician, and adjudicator for many events throughout the southern region.  

The Lafayette High School Choir program consists of 240 students comprising six choral ensembles. Present in this select ensemble are members of La Voix du Lion and La Belle Voix, two premier auditioned ensembles at Lafayette High School. Comprised of sophomores through seniors, these members demonstrate superior vocal skills, as well as the highest caliber of personal excellence. The choirs have performed at the 2011 & 2015 LA ACDA State Vocal Conference, as well as the 2016 ACDA Southern Division Conference in Chattanooga, TN.   Additionally, they have been a featured choir Mississippi State University Choral Colloquium from 2012-16. 

The Trinity College Quirks are the youngest all-female a cappella group from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 2004 as part of a tutorial project, they have rapidly grown into a well-respected and dynamic group known for their trademark energy and excitement. With a repertoire featuring a wide range of musical genres, the Quirks have garnered a diverse fan base both on campus and around New England. Appearances include the 2012 Silver Chord Bowl, Infinity Music Hall, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Annual Hartford Business Journal's Women in Business Awards, Fenway Park, and the White House.    

Jim Boardwine is a songwriter, director, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, editor, playwright, and actor. He is in his 21st year teaching & directing at his alma mater, Streetsboro High School, where he also heads Thrive's ""minor league"" program, Streetsboro Theatre. Boardwine co-wrote, recorded two albums, and toured regionally with the rock group, Know Peace from 1999-2004. In 2005-2006, he made his directorial debut with the theatrical production, Remembering' Stuff. The following year, he designed and implemented unique songwriting, theater, and production classes at the school. Thrive is a community and professional extension of that work. Recently, with his son and artistic partner (Brett), Boardwine co-wrote Gifts, a winter holiday musical. The play premiered at Akron Civic Theatre on Dec. 19th, 2015. Not long after (Feb. 2016), the comedic sketch, Testicles, penned by Boardwine, was premiered at The Funny Stop Comedy Club. Boardwine obtained his bachelor's degree from Kent State University, master's degree from Ursuline College, and additional graduate credentials from Ashland University. 
 A few fun-facts about Thrive's Artistic Director: (1) Boardwine was named Streetsboro, Ohio's 2014 ""Citizen of the Year."" (2) In 2009, Boardwine, his brother (Joe) and children (Desiree and Brett) appeared multiple times on CBS's national broadcast, The Early Show, and were named by the network giant, one of the Top 6 ""family bands"" in the country. (3) Boardwine is the only Streetsboro graduate to be inducted into the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame twice: as a student-athlete for being a 3x state place winner and Ohio State Wrestling Champion, and as a coach of the 1997 SHS Ohio State Wrestling Championship team. (4) Boardwine has been nominated multiple times, and won Streetsboro City Schools' District Teacher of the Year award in 2006-2007.

THRIVE  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports individuals' performing arts passions and strengthens communities by creating and producing excellent live and recorded entertainment that fosters partnerships and provides educational opportunities.​                
                

Originally from South Windsor, CT, Kate Burns has been a member of the Performing Arts faculty at The Archer School for Girls since 2014. She teaches vocal music and leads four choirs at Archer, including the school's elite a cappella group the Unaccompanied Minors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Wagner College and a Master of Music in Music Education from Boston University. A sought-after musical director and arranger of theater, show choir, and a cappella music, her works have been performed at international competitions and national conventions. Kate currently sings with Vox Femina in Los Angeles.

The Unaccompanied Minors is the elite a cappella group at The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles, CA, comprised of 15 girls in grades 10-12. Members of the group are leaders on the athletic field, Artemis Merit Scholars, YoungArts winners in Songwriting and Musical Theater, volunteers dedicated to their communities, members of the National Children's Chorus, burgeoning filmmakers, active singer-songwriters performing across the West Coast, authors, and worldwide advocates for education. The group is featured on the Best of High School A Cappella 2016 album and a semifinalist in the International Competition of High School A Cappella in 2016.

Shemesh Quartet is a vocal quartet of acapella music, formed by students of the National Conservatory of Mexico. With their unique interpretation of different styles they have recieved great reviews from distinguished choral conductors from all around the world. One of the most important missions of the group is to share with those who do not have access to choral acapella music. Shemesh Quartet started in the streets to raise funds in order to go to a choral contest in Lisbon, Portugal, with the Ensamble Vocal Cantera. After that, the quartet was founded with the purpose of sharing mexican music to all the world. Ritta R. Rosales Anaya, Susana Ceniceros Becerra, Bruno Cisneros Fernández, and Ittai G. Mazor Ariza are the founders and conductors of "Shemesh Quartet" and students of the singing career at the Nacional Conservatory of Mexico. Individually they have taken conducting courses and they have incursed in compotition and arrangements of acapella music.