At 7:20am each school day morning, you will find these early birds on the risers at Beverly High School ready to rehearse. This talented ensemble takes its work seriously and so, out of the 350 students involved in the Beverly High School music program, only 50 students make the cut for this particular group. This vocal ensemble enjoys a good challenge, often singing songs that have a high rating on the musical grade scale. This way, they can become more dedicated to certain pieces of music, spending a lot of time with those songs throughout the year. Beverly has always been a big supporter of the arts, so it comes as no surprise that the Beverly High School Vocal Ensemble is highly valued in the community. The group gives their beautiful gift of music back to the community at annual tree lightings and mayor inaugurations, as well as in nursing homes throughout the year.
From Hollis, New Hampshire, the Hollis Brookline Honors Choir is a musical group that aspiringly exhibits ambition in all they do. An audition-only honor ensemble led by the young and eccentric musical director, Matthew Barbosa, this group performs music from all over the world, including Argentina, Bosnia, Japan, England, Australia, and more. Members of the choir have competed in a plethora of festivals and musical competitions, including the NH All-State and Jazz All-State Festivals, the New England Choral Festival, and the Tri-Town Music Festival. Last year, one of the members was even on The Voice. In addition to performing concerts in schools and the local community, students in this honors choir are called to pursue excellence as musicians, artists, and above all, as human beings in every aspect of their lives, a truly inspiring feat.
You may recognize these bright and colorful singers (in a literal and figurative way) from Season 1 of Sing That Thing. Now, the group is back and ready for another shot at becoming the Sing That Thing champion! Recognized nationally for their excellence, these high schoolers not only sing everything from pop to Debussy, but also arrange and choreograph their own music. This dynamic group consists of not only singers, but also athletes and artists, as well as science and math majors. This versatile group of singers chooses eclectic music for their musical selections, allowing them to produce a sound that’s beautifully unique to the ear.
From Mansfield, Massachusetts, this group values the importance of choral education. Students from the select choir all have at least a year of choral education before joining the group. This co-ed singing group loves to sing classical music, as well as musical theatre and pop tunes. If you see one of their concerts, you may just catch this group moving and grooving along to their a cappella tunes, or maybe you’ll experience this group singing in a different language. Every year, these talented singers turn their group into a show choir when they put on a cabaret show for the school, showcasing Broadway hits and popular movie, as well as television songs. These showstoppers have gotten to where they are based off of hard work. They rehearse everyday and give back to the community.
Primarily a show choir, Music Unlimited is known to compete with a variety of popular show tunes in their dazzling, sparkling costumes. Ambitious and fearless, their director, Alyssa Navarro tries to expose the show choir to all types and styles of choral music. This is seen through the group’s unique set lists, including mixtures of spirituals, gospel, classical, and multi-cultural music. With guys and gals of grades 9-12 coming from a variety of experiences, households, races, and religions, Music Unlimited truly represents, as well as celebrates the diversity of Waltham High School. Not only is this ensemble made up of singers, but in true High School Musical style, this group is also made up of athletes.
Formed ten years ago by an ambitious group of students with a passion for a cappella singing, the ShenaniGanns performs both in and out of the greater Boston Jewish community. Impressively, this dynamic group has received national recognition for their live, as well as recorded work. Their extensive repertoire includes classic Jewish liturgical songs, modern Israeli music, and contemporary songs. An important part of the music for these singers is the message of a piece of music they’re singing, with many members connecting to Judaism through music. This musical high school group has recently been recognized for their astonishing talent. One of their tracks was selected for both the Best of Jewish A Cappella (BOJAC) and Best of High School A Cappella (BOHSA) compilation albums.
From Bristol, Connecticut, this award-winning high school a cappella group encompasses a diverse set of individuals that come from an array of different socioeconomic and musical backgrounds. Getting in this group is no easy feat! Only 15 students make up Strawberry Fields. You have to be fierce (to coin Tyra Banks). This group enjoys performing pop and contemporary tunes arranged by their talented musical director, Michael Codderre. Strawberry Fields, whose name is thought to have originated during a time when the group was forming and the Beatles were around, has found great pride and comfort from their creation of beautiful, high quality music.
With over 75 members in the full show choir ensemble, Vibe is currently ranked the #1 show choir in New England. This group of talented singers and dancers from Daniel Hand High in Madison, Connecticut is an audition-only group that meets every day after school to rehearse. This hard working bunch continues to ask for even more rehearsals, claiming that competitions push them harder to do better. Since 2000, director Ron Soja has grown the choir from a small choral group in jeans and black shirts to the dedicated, committed, and flashy group it is today. With help from parents, school, administrators, set designers, choreographers, and students, Vibe continues to grow and achieve success. This group truly has the stars as their limit!
