Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on
The Sounds of Aloha's A Cappella Academy for young singers had a lot of "firsts" in 2019!
- First Academy for young women as well as young men!
- First collaborative effort with our sister choruses, Honolulu Blend and Na Leo Lani!
- First Academy featuring not one, but two superstar guest quartets -- one male, one female!
- First culminating Academy concert at the historic Hawaii Theatre!
The high-school aged singers took part in a day-and-a-half crash course in a cappella craft, working with musical leaders from our Hawaii barbershop choruses and with world-renowned quartets -- and spectacular a cappella clinicians -- Vocal Spectrum and GQ. They rehearsed all day on Saturday, June 8, 2019, hosted by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Music Department and with a memorable and fun musical welcome by Director of Choral Programs Dr. Jace Saplan. Then on the afternoon of Sunday, June 9, they convened at the Hawaii Theatre to prepare to perform there that evening. In that very short time they learned, memorized, and polished five difficult a cappella songs, two for the men, two for the women, and a joint finale. Some visual highlights:
At the concert Sunday evening the audience got in a good workout, with all the standing ovations. GQ and Vocal Spectrum demonstrated amply why they are two of the most sought-after show quartets worldwide, with jaw-dropping performances that lived up to their billing. And the kids showed they could master both catchy uptunes and emotional ballads. The young womenʻs performance of the Sara Haze song "Lovely," as arranged by GQʻs Amanda McNutt, was especially electrifying, as the singers started out seated on the risers and stood one by one while they delivered a powerful message in song.
Coverage of the 2019 A Cappella Academy by Hawaii Public Radio is available here, and you can watch two KHON2 News television segments here and here and another from Hawaii News Now here. We hope these talented young musicians will spread the word to their peers so that this year's success provides momentum toward an even greater A Cappella Academy next time!
