The A Cappella Society

Upcoming Events

2010-11-03T21:09:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Thank you for all your support for our 3rd International A Cappella Festival!!

Start from 25 Oct all the way to the month's end, the international lineup resumes, and it was a blast!

The Esplanade Recital Studio was graced by Klangbezirk, who released their all-mandarin album, and so did Fool Moon with their album celebrating 10 years of singing together.

Following up, we returned to The Arts House Chamber, where we hosted Niniwe and Vocaldente, the final few German groups, all very fine artisans in vocal art.

We had Key Elements for two nights, and in between, Hong Kong's Orange sang to a high-energy crowd with their brand of mando and canto-pop.

Now that the Festival is over, to those who missed it, do not fret, as next year's festival is being planned, with even more varied acts and more vast lineup even!

Till then, this is what TAS has planned so far!

Our annual Christmas Vocal Jam, featuring the TAS Pop Choir and Juz B, along with other guest performances!

And shortly after that, we have our second A CAPPELLA 101 with Angie at the Esplanade Rehearsal Studio, click here for more information.

Till then, we'll catch you again here!

What You've Missed

2010-10-19T12:13:00.002+08:00

What have you missed so far at the International A Cappella Festival?

A LOT.

(That is if you've not even left your seat to catch these talents which we have hosted at The Arts House, by the way..)

Suade and A-five have had a great time with the audience, who have showed enthusiasm in supporting their concert, and of course, their fair share of post-concert paparazzi syndrome - fans waiting outside the Chamber after the concert, hoping to catch a picture with the groups!

And local teams have begun to grace The Arts House Chamber already, with SMU Voix, ITE A Cappella, TAS Youth Voices and TAG already finished their turn with wonderful pieces on 15-16 Oct!

Not hooked enough? Read on and look ahead:

22nd Oct: Acappuccino, Republic Rhapsody & The Dotz

Three groups, each with their own distinct styles and personalities will take the stage on 22nd Oct.

Acappuccino will bring together their close-harmony and acoustic senses to the Chamber, while Rhapsody will fire up the stage with the latest hits, and newcomer The Dotz will show that even newcomers can have fun with the other teams.
23rd Oct: Coffee on Sunday & Notella

Coffee on Sunday has performed widely in schools and will be sharing their blend of with (a touch of) Notella on 23rd Oct!

It's irresistible, thinking about two groups with food-related names! Try-tone and Corrinne May covers ensue above songs that represent each group's versatility.

Java Jive anybody?
24th Oct: TAS Voices & Juz B

The TAS Voices is an a cappella programme for people within the working ages who wants to perform in an a cappella ensemble.

Performing on 24th Oct will be the men's team who will bring to you highlights of their time singing together!

After which, Juz B will charm audiences will their smooth harmonies, excellent showmanship and of course, their style!

And that concludes the local acts for the festival!

Following up next week, 2 shows at the Esplanade Recital Studios and definitely more towards the concluding act for the festival!

International A Cappella Festival News

2010-10-07T18:18:00.001+08:00

Greetings to all from The A Cappella Society,

We're in the final lap towards the opening of our highly anticipated International A Cappella Festival, which opens this Saturday! Just to highlight a few interesting programmes in the festival:

1. Festival Opening : Comedy Pop A Cappella with SUADE

SUADE (Australia) opens the festival this Saturday, 9 Oct, with their boyish charms and reputation as vocal shenanigans in a comedic-infused a cappella showcase. Starting from Singapore, the festival marks their first stop on their Asia Tour and they will be travelling to Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan and Korea after their award-winning performance!

2. Celebrate Korea's Independence Day with A-FIVE

Let Korean pop a cappella group A-FIVE rock you off your seat with their repertoire of Korean classics to current hot favourites like SNSD's Gee. With such a repertoire to heat up The Arts House Chamber on Thursday, 14 Oct; Korean's Independence Day is definitely celebrated early in Singapore with A-Five.

3. All-Range performance with ORANGE

Hong Kong's ORANGE fires up the night with mando- and canto-pop hits like 情非得以, and a mandarin-infused Lady Gaga medley! A team made out of all music graduates from various conservatories in Hong Kong and overseas, let Orange bring you a myriad of styles with their performances and charisma on Saturday, 30 Oct!

All shows commences at 8PM at The Arts House Chamber.

Tickets at $35 are still available but selling fast, so book yours today to avoid disappointment from missing out these premiere international groups!

Yours in harmony,

--
The A Cappella Society
www.a-cappella.org.sg
contact@a-cappella.org.sg

A Cappella Tuesdays!

2010-09-21T11:27:00.002+08:00

Hi all!

Was really busy at the office recently and finally have time to post videos for our weekly series!

This week's theme is ASIAN A CAPPELLA!

What do you think? We have 3 asian groups in this year's line up! Singapore's best - Key Elements, Hong Kong's Orange and Korea's A-five!

Let's start with A-five, the most talked-about group so far!

Ain't that awesome?! Remember to check them out on 14th October, k?

Hong Kong's Orange has a mission, to perform an "all-range" performance... And we'll let you decide if they have:

And what about Key Element's offerings? This is from their last concert:

Enjoy!

A Cappella Sundays!

2010-09-12T15:31:00.002+08:00

Hi all, it's me again!

I hereby declare Sundays as A Cappella Sundays, because we all...

need a good dose of harmony and ensemble singing in our lives,
should hear more out there, and
understand more to really enjoy ourselves when we attend one of the festival concerts!

But of course, at any time of the week, the blog will be updated and so will our festival playlist on our YouTube channel!

Let's begin from SUADE who will be the opening act for the festival!

My favourite song ever from Billy Joel! Always a favourite Sunday chill out tune. Arrangement by The King's Singers.

(Can anyone tell if the lady at 1:55-1:58 was crying? Haha!)

All male harmonies have taken a cappella music by storm since the early days of music, contemporary groups like Suade, and others like Rockapella, The Nylons are no exceptions to such brilliant blends.

On the topic of all-male groups, let's have an all-female team from the festival - Niniwe, as part of our playlist for the festival, presenting "Your Eyes".

Niniwe has a haunting sound that is so alluring - something which is so endearing to me, because it sounds so seamless!

Now while I go swoon into my couch again, I'll return to blog the next time I have an update or A Cappella Sundays again!

Adios!

International A Cappella Festival!

2010-09-09T15:31:00.003+08:00

Hi all!

Derrick here, and I'm reporting from the home of a cappella music here in Singapore, THE A CAPPELLA SOCIETY.

Have you found our beautiful flyers all around, be it online or just around recently? YES, IT'S THE INTERNATIONAL A CAPPELLA FESTIVAL and it's the 3rd year already!

Check out the e-flyer for the international and local lineup!

This year's international line up is wild with personalities and styles. From comedic bantering-infused a cappella, we have SUADE from Australia and VOCALDENTE (Germany) returns to The Arts House this year, and leading the a-Kappella wave, we have A-FIVE from Korean also!

Local teams and those fresh from August's A Cappella Championships are set to take the stage once again for a few nights of music making!

Watch out this space for more updates from me and catch more from our live feed on twitter!

REPORT FOR A CAPPELLA CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010

2010-09-01T21:53:00.000+08:00

The A Cappella Championships ‘10 were held on 21-22 August at The Arts House Chamber and 23 August at Esplanade Recital Studio.

The first day at The Arts House hosted the Pop Choir category where the Filipino Voice Symphony, Singapore’s all-Filipino choral ensemble was crowned Champion of the category. This year marked the entry of full chorales like the Singapore Men’s Chorus into the competition.

As the event proceeded into the evening hours, we recorded a full house which saw fine performances throughout from all the groups in the College category. Soul 9 from Republic Polytechnic won the title as Champions. The prevalent opinion from the international judges and audience members was that the standard of A Cappella groups in Singapore has increased drastically and is very high as witnessed in the competition.

On 22 August was the High School and Open categories where we saw a wide range in the age of participating groups and still a rather low number of participants in the Open category as there has been a decline in interests for ensemble singing, much less for a cappella after most people leave their collegiate groups. The mixed-school team The V.O.calists and Malay-based Juz-B took the titles as High School and Open category winners respectively.

On 23 August was the International Category and Beatbox Battle at Esplanade Recital Studio, a first for us as we host 4 foreign teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia for the International Category. Taiwan’s jazz ensemble Green Onion proved winner with their all jazz repertoire and evening-wear costumes to match.

The first Beatbox Battle held by us was a success, having 5 very competent beatboxers who battled it out in a 2-stage, knockout round; followed by a Finals, where the remaining 4 contestants fight it out with another finalist to determine the title-winner. Kai (Hwang Kai Wen) emerged as 1st Runner Up, as Zack Arif was crowned Champion after a highly intensed 1-v-1 match before our esteemed judges.

Furthermore, the quality of singing over the period of the competition was high in general which strengthens our hope that the past work is bearing fruit and can be sustained in the future.

Happy National Day everyone!

2010-08-02T01:55:00.000+08:00

This year at the prestigious annual A Cappella Championships, we will see 6 international teams, who will travel from within Asia, competing for the top award in our international ensemble category.
This is the first time we have an entire evening dedicated to international teams due to the ever increasing number of teams.

From as many countries as they come from, they will bring their pop and folk musical arrangements, ensuring that the repertoire for the evening will be not only entertaining but also educational and surely inspiring.
Furthermore, we are privileged to host a guest group on that evening all the way from Sri Lanka. The Revelations are currently ranked #4th in the world among male voice choirs, highlighting a truly international evening of world class vocal music.
Please support all the groups by bringing along your friends, colleagues, students and fellow singers to extend a warm Singaporean welcome to our international friends.

June newsletter

2010-06-01T23:43:00.000+08:00

Happy belated Vesak Day everyone!

We've just had a great performance from the Yale Spizzwinks, all of you who couldn't join us for the night, you missed something! But don't worry too much, you'll have another chance very soon, in less than 2 weeks the group's all-female counterpart, the Yale Whim 'n Rhythm, will make their stop in Singapore (diverted from Bangkok).

After a short summer break everything is set for the Championships and our Festival. The first registrations from international groups have already come in promising another exciting Champs.

Your team at The A Cappella Society

www.a-cappella.org.sg

Youth Voices – Songs From Grease Concert Report

2010-05-23T20:57:00.000+08:00

The 2010 concert was a step-up technically as we insisted on mic-ing up every voice. It did affect the overall balance of the show due to the inadequate manner in which voices were split in the songs and from the unwillingness of better singers to take on an alternative voice part for the sake of balance. The youth were fairly prepared for the use of microphones but in terms of vocal development and musicality, some singers lacked the required level of polished skills.

The programme for the concert was a balanced one with modern pop hits to retro selections for the parents and family. There was a mix of pop choir and small ensemble performances throughout the show. One area of improvement for the next concert is that soloists should be allowed to step up front during their songs which would provide a better image for the audience to grasp. More seasoned choreography work should also be included.

The reviews for the concert were mixed with non-supporters from guest singers being more negative and with family and friends having enjoyed the show.

Our internal review has thrown up several areas of needed improvement including commitment to rehearse prior to each rehearsal, more detailed choreography for songs, more balance of voices, and a better development plan for individual members in terms of personal targets.

The content of the show included songs from Grease, Cold Play, Space Jam, Lady Gaga and many more artistes. We had no Mandarin song this year and no original compositions.

We look forward to a different concert for 2011 where we will attempt to challenge conventional a cappella concert set ups.

Tufts Beelzebubs feat. SMU Voix

2009-12-07T22:12:00.002+08:00

we're happy to announce the PAssion card promotion for our upcoming concert with The Tufts Beelzebubs. PAssion card members will get $5 off the ticket price, which makes it $30 for the 17 January concert at The Arts House Chamber, tickets at the arts house box office.

Christmas caroling

2009-12-04T22:35:00.002+08:00

our xmas caroling season has officially begun today. it will again be a very busy period for our singers caroling all over the country. if you hear them at one of the HDB shopping centers or any of the other venues, make sure to give them a good cheer!

December newsletter

2009-12-01T23:00:00.001+08:00

December is here again and as every year it's time for Christmas caroling. All our singers will be kept very busy during this period singing all over the country. There's a good chance that you may encounter them somewhere, so make sure you'll give them a good cheer if you do!

Looking ahead to 2010, we've already programmed our events. We'll start off the year with the Tufts Beelzebubs concert in January! In April, our Vocal Mania will take on a new shape and a new dimension, being transformed into a full day vocal music event. If you or your group want to be a part of this exciting event, just let us know and contact us as soon as possible.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Read the full December newsletter on our website if you don't receive it in your inbox!

The Yale Spizzwinks (?)

2009-11-27T21:58:00.002+08:00

we're happy to announce the Singapore concert of the Yale Spizzwinks (?), 31 May 2010 at The Arts House Chamber, make sure to put the date in your calendar!

Christmas Is Coming

2009-11-26T21:02:00.001+08:00

A Post-Concert Report for

Christmas Jam with NANU, 21 November 2009

A brief review:

With a fun and interactive programme, the Christmas Jam featured local band, NANU and special guests. The music consists of a cappella renditions of Christmas music and included new arrangements from the NANU repertoire. There were some jazz harmonies along with the pop hits. The performances were of high standard, and the atmosphere was very relaxed and intimate, which was warm and inviting for the audiences to participate in the show. The audiences not only sang along, they were also very responsive to the performers and the host. The event which was separated into two shows (afternoon and evening), allowed The A cappella Society and performers to better tailor for the needs and interest of the different target audiences for each show.

The afternoon show was a children’s matinee, and had special guest performances from Swiss School’s students and the TAS children’s choir. Catered specifically for children, the performers and host had interacted with them by teaching them a couple of vocal techniques, which included beat boxing. The audiences were asked to practice and even come on stage to show off what they had just learned!

The evening show targeted the youths and young at heart. It also featured Beatz, a group that offers beat box and rap, which is the genre well liked by contemporary youths. Their performance offered an alternative rendition of Christmas tunes. Again, the show was interactive and the atmosphere was every energetic.

The event was successful in bringing the audiences an enjoyable time.

Ticket Sales

The capacity of the location was 245 seats for each show. The ticket sales were excellent, with over half the tickets being sold for the afternoon show and an almost sold out for the evening show.

Audiences

The majority of the audiences were from the schools, which consisted of primary students (afternoon show), secondary students and youths (evening show) and their teachers. Some of these schools had attended shows organized by The A Cappella Society in the past while some had not. There were also parents and friends of the performers. Other audiences included a small group from a girl’s home charity organisation, and the general public who had bought tickets from Keppel nights.

THE PROGRAM

Date: 21 November 09

Times: 3pm-4pm Children's matinee

7.30pm-8:45pm Evening show

Location: Esplanade Recital Studio

TICKETS

$20-$25

Beatz at RGS, 30 October 2009

2009-11-10T23:18:00.001+08:00

We performed with Triple B, students from Raffles Girls’ Secondary School for their school event, called Talent Vogue. It is a talent show competition and Halloween concert merged into one. It was held in their school hall.
We did a remixed version of Onegai DJ (Miss You) by M Flo, Bongo Bong by Manu Chao, Disturbia by Rihanna and our hit song, Move It. Christopher and Samuel were the beatboxers, Arif rapped and Kathy sang, a bit under-prepared though as Kathy joined the group only a week prior to the event.
The sound system was really bad. We not only did not manage to get a final sound check despite asking for it, the sound crew also lost one microphone, so Christopher had to be left off stage for our first song. In the end, they took out the clip on microphone for Arif, and they did not adjust the sound system for us at all, so we sounded pretty bad.
The crowd however was brilliant and enthusiastic. They seemed to be enjoying the songs tremendously. They went wild when Sam, Chris and Arif did a special with Triple B- dancing to Beyonce’s Single Ladies.
We mostly loved Move It and the dance segment, because we managed to hype up the crowd and even get them to sing and dance along.

International A Cappella Festival

2009-11-09T17:10:00.002+08:00

The International A Cappella Festival expanded to 5 nights featuring 4 international A Cappella groups. Permanent Fish (Japan) on 14th October, Rock4 (The Netherlands) on 15th and 16th October with two different programmes, all at Esplanade Recital Studio, and MayTree (Korea) on the 17th and Tux (The Philippines) on the 18th at The Arts House Chamber. All concerts were opened by a local group, TAS Youth Voices, Beatz, NANU and Key Elements. The programming provided a well balanced and varied selection of fine a cappella groups which did not overlap in style, approach and song selections and provided a good mixture for presentation, flavour, style and genres.

Each night, the audience members came out of the concerts asking for CDs from all the teams as well as many well-wishes for the festival. They enjoyed the performances and excellent singing of all the groups.

Ticket sales for the first two nights were very bad though and only picked up for the weekend shows but still remained below expectation. Marketing was limited due to the small budget of the event, which was part of Encore! The European Season in Singapore and the Keppel Nights ticket subsidy scheme. There were also promotional performances by Permanent Fish at NTU as part of NIE's concert series and at ITE College East, which were very well received and led some members of the audience to buy tickets for the Esplanade concert. Rock4 was also interviewed on Channel News Asia's Primetime Morning show.

The audience feedback was very positive and thus we will keep developing this festival for vocal music into one that is of international quality and one with a wide variety of acts.

We will also continue to look for ways to include local groups in the festival to continue in their development in an international context and to provide an opportunity for them to exchange ideas and learn from the international groups.

TAS newsletter

2009-11-02T00:10:00.002+08:00

our November newsletter is out, read it online on our website if you don't receive it in your inbox.

Christmas Is Coming

2009-11-01T22:55:00.002+08:00

Christmas Is Coming soon, but before that comes our A Cappella Jam to ring in the season. The Keppel Nights tickets for the evening show are already sold out and the rest of the tickets are selling fast. Hurry to get one of the seats for the afternoon if you have a young child or the evening show, discounted tickets are available for PAssion Card members and students.

International A Cappella Festival - Rock4

2009-10-30T16:05:00.001+08:00

Rock4 has put some of the photos they took during their stay in Singapore on their Facebook-page : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rock4/153010847113?v=photos&ref=ts#/album.php?aid=116693&id=153010847113

Christmas Vocal Jam

2009-10-20T23:29:00.002+08:00

we've tied up with PAssion Card again for our next event, Christmas Is Coming - an A Cappella vocal jam with nanu and friends, there is a 3.30pm show for primary school kids and a 7.30pm show, 21 nov at Esplanade Recital Studio. as a PAssion Card member you'll get $5 off the ticket price.

International A Cappella Festival

2009-10-19T13:34:00.004+08:00

I just want to say a big thank you to the A Cappella society for organising such a wonderful event! I attended both Permanent Fish and Maytree acappella concerts and I absolutely enjoyed their performances! How I wish the festival could be longer so I could see more acappella groups from overseas performing. Nevertheless, I want to compliment the society for being able to invite prestigious acappella groups to Singapore. I really hope to see the performance by Permanent Fish again, so please consider bringing back Permanent Fish for the festival next year!!! Thank you very much!

Zi Ling

I attended MayTree's concert and I enjoyed it very much.

Chian Chian

It was a fantastic concert. Thanks again for bringing in such a class act.
Looking forward to more.

Kong Chiu

Please get PERMANENT FISH back in Singapore again.
Their performance is really AWESOME!
Can't wait to hear them sing again!

Jia Jia

International A Cappella Festival

2009-10-13T23:44:00.003+08:00

our Festival has begun! Permanent Fish is already in Singapore and has done its first performance today at ITE College East. if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, we have a very special offer for you, 1-for-1 Permanent Fish tickets, buy one ticket and you get one free!

International A Cappella Festival - Permanent Fish

2009-10-07T23:38:00.005+08:00

our festival is now only 1 week away and we can announce a few promo performances by our Japanese guests. you can catch Permanent Fish on tuesday 13 oct at ITE College East and Wednesday 14 Oct at NIE/NTU, it's free!

Tux workshop and Voices for Hospices

2009-10-07T00:22:00.004+08:00

sat 10 oct is the annual Voices for Hospices charity concert, this year at Lasalle Auditorium, a part of the entertainment is Beatz with some modern music and SMU Voix with more traditional a cappella music.
also, make sure to sign up for our masterclass with Tux, sharing their expertise of many years of singing a cappella and more! check our website www.a-cappella.org.sg for all the details.

2009-10-02T00:31:00.001+08:00

our latest newsletter, October issue, is ready, if you didn't receive it in your inbox you can read it on our website.

Festival & Vocal Jam

2009-09-28T23:48:00.004+08:00

Keppel Nights tickets for the MayTree concert on 17 Oct at The Arts House are now sold out.

Christmas Is Coming, our vocal jam in nov at recital studio is Tote Board approved, schools can use the fund for 60% of the ticket purchase.

International A Cappella Festival

2009-09-25T23:31:00.003+08:00

find the first draft of the song list from Tux for their concert at our International A Cappella Festival on our website now, go to events - festival and open the programme sheet. Tux will perform on 18 october at The Arts House Chamber.

also, check out the latest infos from VoCollision on the groups page.

Pop Vocals course

2009-09-24T23:08:00.002+08:00

our Oct-Nov course has been postponed a week, it will now start on 8 Oct, you can still register for it.
announcing some more promotions for our International A Cappella Festival, if you're working at one of the Ministries or are a Kinokuniya member, you can get the discounted tickets.

A Cappella Festival videos

2009-09-23T00:02:00.002+08:00

Derrick has sifted through youtube for some sample videos of the performing groups:
Just to keep all excited for the IACF09, I've found some very interesting clips on YouTube with regards to the feature groups!
Permanent Fish at a Christmas gig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfVim_ipt8w
For videos of Rock 4, check out http://www.youtube.com/user/jrondas (i'm particularly in love with the one for Sting and Police)
"Mmmbop" by MayTree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB_n-jGXES0 (ooh! i love!!!)
Tux, with Regine Velasquez "On The Wings of Love" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJBOuv0ex2g (LOVE! This is love!!)

Pop Vocals course

2009-09-16T23:33:00.003+08:00

our next Pop Vocals course will start on 1 October, register now, it's the last course this year!
also, we've confirmed the concert with the Tufts Beelzebubs for 17 January 2010 at The Arts House Chamber, more details will be on our website shortly.

press release september

2009-09-15T22:28:00.002+08:00

read our latest press release with details of our International A Cappella Festival and Christmas Is Coming - An A Cappella Vocal Jam on our website.

PAssion Card promotion for A Cappella Festival

2009-09-09T22:42:00.003+08:00

if you are a member of PAssion Card, watch out for the latest promotions including $5 off for tickets to our International A Cappella Festival.
also, we've put info about our latest group on our website, Beatz will keep us in touch with the youth culture of today with their beatbox and rap music.

A Cappella Festival

2009-09-08T17:19:00.004+08:00

We've just received copies of Rock4' s latest CD, Bring On The Night. You can find it in our shop and order a copy through TAS. Also, check out the Rock4 videos on youtube, visit our youtube channel for the link.
Tickets for all Festival concerts are still available through TAS!

YouTube Channel

2009-08-27T20:26:00.003+08:00

We finally got our own YouTube Channel! I know, it took a very long time, but anyways, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheACappellaSociety
You will find a lot of great A Cappella clips, from our events, our groups and more. Check back often to catch the latest uploads!

A Cappella Championships 09 Review

2009-08-17T19:42:00.000+08:00

The A Cappella Championships 09 were held on 31 July at The Arts House Chamber and 1 & 2 August at Esplanade Recital Studio. Due to the large number of registrations, in total 32 groups signed up, the competition was held over 2 rounds for the first time. The first day at The Arts House saw the competition within the categories of High School, College and Open Ensembles. As the event proceeded into the evening hours, we recorded a full house which saw fine performances throughout from all the groups. The prevalent opinion from the international judges and audience members was that the standard of A Cappella groups in Singapore has increased drastically and is very high as witnessed in the competition.
On 1 August was the Choir Final at Esplanade Recital Studio. We again saw a wide range in the age of participating choirs and still a rather low number of participants as most choirs are reluctant to include contemporary music in their repertoire. However, there is a growing interest and response and we'll continue to reach out to the choirs and hope to get more choirs to take part and fill the various categories for a more contested competition over the next years.
On 2 August was the Ensemble Final at Esplanade Recital Studio, where the best 9 groups from the 1st round competed for the overall A Cappella Champion. The evening was again a sold out success with great performances by all groups and an enthusiastic audience cheering for all participants led by the 09 Champions, SHaca.

The A Cappella Championships 09, a SHINE Festival event supported by the National Youth Council and the National Arts Council, was a great success. There was a surge in the number of participants and also an increase in the audience figure which attests to the healthy state of A Cappella in Singapore. Furthermore, the quality of singing was hailed as very high in general which strengthens our hope that the past work is bearing fruit and can be sustained in the future.

CAMP A CAPPELLA REPORT

2009-07-02T04:02:00.001+08:00

(1) Programme

The programme was initially planned for 2 tracks of workshops for the beginners and for the slightly more experienced singers.

Due to a smaller turn out this year, we had to scale the workshops to fit the wide age group and experience of the singers. We had singers from age 10 to 20.

On the first day we spent time working on simpler a cappella tunes to allow the younger singers a chance to work in teams outside of their own choirs. On the second day we worked on more sophisticated skills and songs plus a cappella arranging which allowed the more experienced singers a chance to flex their musical skills.

(2) Clinicians

We engaged local clinicians for Camp 09. They bring a good wealth of experience in a cappella performance but because our campers are beginning to attend our camps annual, we need to source for external trainers with international staging and directing experience. This will prove to add to the continued attractiveness of the camp for the more experienced singers. We should also consider 2 separate camps for the experienced and inexperienced.

We worked with recently graduated David Thian who directed several groups at Duke University. We also worked with Angelina Choo, the Director of TAS and Ms Lim Huimin, resident singer of NANU.

(3) Tickets Sales

This year we had about 80 singers who attended the camp. We should work on bringing this number back up to at least 120 – 150 per camp.

We will also look into bringing the camp directly to schools for a greater reach.

(4) Production

We utilised the theatre at Tampines Safra and this space was excellent with a stage and theatre style seats. It was a little dim at times but was still a great venue. We did not touch on extensively progressive workshops which meant that we did not need too much technical support.

(5) Summary

We will aim to change the way the camp is offered and also aim to work with international groups and clinicians to challenge our singers and fellow local clinicians. We hope to continually enfore positive reinforcement to all singers and trainers.

THE YALE ALLEY CATS REPORT

2009-07-01T02:39:00.000+08:00

(1) Programme
The A Cappella Society organised a host of activities for the group and this included a cross section of audience.
• 93.8FM Radio Interview
• Prime Time Morning Appearance and interview & performance
• Tan Tock Seng Lunchtime Concert
• Esplanade Concourse Performances (2 sets)
• 1-Night Concert at the Arts House
The estimated exposure rate for all the activities is approximated at 1,200 audience members and thousands of Radio / TV viewers. The society was also acknowledged at all of these shows.
(2) Concert
The concert was a sold-out success. The programme was neo-classical in nature and highly engaging and entertaining. Feedback from vocal sources said that whilst the concert was very enjoyable, the singing was good but was not comparable to teams from Harvard and other outstanding college groups. The overall feedback nonetheless was very positive overall for the concert.
The repertoire of pop, classic hits and Jazz tunes done in older and more current a cappella arrangement styles and coupled with the collegiate touch of an expanded barbershop group (sound) was well received.
(3) Tickets Sales
The concert was sold out and we hope to continue supporting such groups on their visits to Singapore.
(4) Production
The group was well rehearsed and was always mentally and physically ready for their next show. This showed a good level of professionalism from a college team, something that our local groups can emulate.
(5) Summary
All in all, the concert was a tremendous success. The audience at the concert was mainly made up of Yale Alumni members and some general public and from American & singing community. We are happy that we organised a show at Tan Tock Seng and The Esplanade which allowed the team to sing to the younger crowd (school holidays) as well as the older crowd.

Youth Voices - 16 May 2009, Esplanade Recital Studio

2009-05-27T18:49:00.001+08:00

Youth Voices was our very successful first attempt at staging The A Cappella Society's youth singers in a full-length concert. It featured the TAS Children's Pop & Jazz choir and TAS Youth Voices in various formations and group sizes, from Pop choir to A Cappella group, produced and staged by the groups' Director Angelina Choo and was already sold out before show day. It was generally acclaimed as an entertaining and vibrant performance. The audience, mainly friends and family of the singers but also a large number from the general public due to Keppel Nights tickets available with a 50% subsidy, gave very positive feedback having enjoyed the concert very much.

The concert featured a good selection of a cappella music ranging from pop, jazz, rhythm & blues to original a cappella pieces. It also charmed audiences with an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary pieces, choir and group songs.

Youth Voices has shown that there is a growing interest not only in youth productions but also in a cappella music in general and that such shows can be staged successfully. It has also set the standard for a cappella singing and performance for youths.

There were some issues encountered in the process of the production though, most notably concerning sound. The amplification and mixing of the various groups and sizes poses a challenge that has to be addressed and improved. We will do so in the coming year as we intend to establish Youth Voices as a yearly showcase concert for the youth singers after this successful beginning.

Vocal Mania 08 : REPORT By Angelina Choo

2008-11-23T21:24:00.001+08:00

Overview

The concert was successful and well appreciated by the audience and proved a relevant exercise for the choirs.

Ticket sales were not up to expectations and is an area to relook at but the initiative to provide a positive environment for choirs to expose their repertoire is a good one that should be built on.

Not all the choirs performed up to their own expectations but that is an issue that should be managed by the conductors and schools in terms of preparation time but still provided an opportunity for good reflection for all teams.

The closing groups who performed pop a cappella provided some reprive from the choral performances and added a nice touch to the end of the evening without over shadowing either performance styles but showcased a different way of performance for vocal groups which was a good outreach effort to new audience.

2. Festival Programming

Choirs that performed included St Andrew’s Secondary, Ang Mo Kio Secondary, Pasir Ris Secondary, Chirst Church Secondary, FajarCappella, TAS Youth Voices and TAS Singers.

The programme content consisted of a wide variety of songs from historical art songs to contemporary choral arrangements and folk and pop choral arrangements and performed in different vocal formations from SSA to SATB.

We also had a cappella groups who sang a variety of arrangements from the pop and rock & roll genres.

Overall the programme offering was a nice mix for the family-oriented audience.

3. General Feedback

The choirs sang fairly well, with a special note that St Andrew’s sang extremely well.

The hall was surprisingly appropriate for choral performance and also pop a cappella (with mics). Singers did not have trouble hearing one another unlike in other halls. Sound was warm and well represented and hall was large enough to encourage projected singing and well supported singing.

Depending on the programme line up for each choir, some felt the experience was worth the preparations while others did not perform on par due to accumulated projects leading up to the show.

The lack of a holding room saw groups warming up throughout the venue but it did not pose a huge problem otherwise apart from poor acoustics for hearing for warm ups which for young choirs is not appropriate as they go on stage out of tune. A studio was provided but not all teams went over to use it.

Those who did, studio was too small for the 70 pax choir and lock on door was not left unlock for ease of access for some of the later a cappella teams.

4. Ticket Sales

Considering that each team was encouraged to move 100 seats each for personal fund raising, the turnout was slightly disappointing. Approximately over 400 seats.

The mission of the concert is to have the choirs pull in their supporters and provide all teams with a sizable hall and audience to perform to and to receive positive encouragement from the performance.

5. Publicity & Marketing

For VM, choir publicity to their school and families was ample although not all took the effort to sell tickets efficiently.

We will consider a much earlier release of tickets for all future VMs.

6. Audience Cross Section

Mostly family and friends and school staff who were very supportive of every group. This is the positive environment we were targeting and will continue to target.

7. Festival Logistics

Logistics was well done. Not too much confusion from the teachers this year apart from a few who did not read or receive instructions proper from their teachers-in-charge. The flow of events was effective. Even food and drink distribution and sound check times were effectively carried out. 2 choirs were late for the sound checks.

8. Aspects to Improve & Build On

To engage more choirs in the project and to encourage grater ticket sales. Perhaps a lower ticket fee which can be decided by the school should they wish not to fund raise.

To announce the availability of such a concert much earlier and to a wider array of schools and private contacts.

We should focus on getting feedback form the participants and trainers and teachers to see how we can further improve this initiative.

1st International A Cappella Festival 08 : REPORT By Angelina Choo

2008-11-23T20:01:00.003+08:00

1. Overview

Singapore’s first A Cappella Fest embarked on a successful opening and will see further and more exciting developments in the years to come.

From programming to audience feedback on experience and willingness to support to logistical management, the humble attempt to start an international level festival proved to be fulfilling for TAS and one that is filled with promise of developing into a substantial and staple programme for TAS.

2. Festival Programming

15^th & 16^th October 08 German Group, Vocal Dente

17^th October 08 Asian Night featuring NANU, Flexitones (Malaysian) &

JUZ B

18^th October 08 Jazz Night featuring TAS Singers, Blue Intentions& Key

Elements

Festival programming provided a well balanced and varied selection of fine a cappella groups from Singapore, Malaysia and Germany.

The careful selection of groups which did not overlap in style, approach and song selections provided a good mixture for presentation, flavour style and genres.

There were new teams like Blue Intentions, which is made up of singers combined from a few local groups, who have come together to tackle more intellectual musical expectations and then there was the TAS Singers which we are trying to develop into a stable team of high quality singers and therefore developing a new team but with musical finesse and good vocal quality.

And of course there were the stars of the evenings, groups like JUZ B and Key Elements who have been continuously hard at work for over 10 years in the music industry. This amount of work showed up in their presentations, repertoire, vocal agility and their superb blend and balance.

We also had a little surprise all the way from Johor Bahru, a team of young singers who are formally trained in singing and who have travelled to Austria (Graz) for the recent Choral Olympics and now to Singapore to share with us their brand of a cappella music which was a mix of choral and pop adaptations. They had the added element of dramatic play in their presentation which again provided a nice twist to the programming.

3. General Feedback

Each night, the audience members came out of the concerts asking for CDs from all the teams as well as many well-wishes for the festival.

They enjoyed the performances and on the whole had no complaints about the logistical elements of the concert from the free seating to the ushering and concert content.

We met many people who mentioned that they were fans of a cappella music and will continue to support the programmes.

Some were repeat audiences from other TAS productions earlier in the year, namely The Annual A Cappella Championships and also new audiences who were mesmerised by the singing of German group, Vocal Dente at their Takashimaya promotion.

The final evening was an evening of Key Element friends and family. The team sold over 70 tickets (almost 40% house) and contributed to the 97% sell out rate for that evening.

4. Ticket Sales

Ticket sales for the first 3 nights bordered on 50% while sales for the final evening rose to at least 97%.

Ticket sales for the first three nights could have been better.

Here are some areas to re-look for the next festival:

a. Asian Night is perhaps a rather broad term to market to a crowd who may not consider the repertoire line up as exciting. It could be alternatively be re-coined into Mando Pop Night and or Malay Pop Night in the near future to narrow down the theme for better marketing and communications.

b. Visiting teams have to communicate more openly about extra programme they may have while in Singapore so as to avoid and overlap of audience members needed at the show. Alternatively, we will only provide them with 1 evening show and not 2.

c. For this festival, we encouraged our groups to sell tickets to their friends and family in order to bring in a portion of the ticket sales. Some groups were very open to it but never quite delivered their share of the ticket sales. Only 1 group was successful in this and that was Key Elements. This shows that there is a need for local groups to really focus on audience building and fan building in their plans for growth. They should also be constantly performing to remain in the minds of the consumers.

5. Publicity & Marketing

We were included in the European Encore Season brochure and some online and on site publicity form the Arts House. We also purchased an ad in Time Out Magazine which proved to be a futile effort which will not be considered again.

We managed to garner promotional publicity to Kinokuniya’s membership list and to perform in store for a promotion.

We also were interviewed on News Radio 93.8fm (Vocal Dente).

The group Vocal Dente had workshops at the German School and a performance at the German Embassy where their tried to promote their tickets and CDs.

As with most of TAS; productions, as there is a severe lack of fulltime manpower, this element of marketing and publicity of our products is in need of assistance and attention. We relied heavily on our mailing list and word-of-mouth publicity to get the festival going and under all circumstances, it did pretty well.

With a stronger marketing and publicity plan and tighter management of its communication and sales plans, this event will surely develop into one that is much cherished and loved by our audience.

6. Audience Cross Section

At each concert there was an eclectic mix of audience and at least 50% were new audience for TAS.

We will continue to persevere in building up this audience base into a far larger one and one that is more active in supporting concerts and attempting to sing as well.

7. Festival Logistics

Logistically, The Arts House provided the much needed security and ease of traffic flow into the concert space.

We did end up having to rely largely on our producer to coordinate between the teams and the sound company and technician which should have been managed by a stage or technical manager. It was hard work for the Producer but it all worked out eventually.

Ticket counter management was one of the few things that were not up to expectations. The process was slow and often wrong information about group discounts were provided and sales were rejected and turned away due to sales staff not knowing the details. This area can be improved on by The Arts House.

8. Aspects to Improve On

We can consider how we can move away from the group by group presentations into perhaps solo group presentations with a larger variety of different shows presented as the group by group variety show concept may tire or bore the audience in the long term. Enlarging the realm of each group would also allow all shows to continuously build on audience capacity.

We could also consider a wider array of vocal performances to include comedy a cappella, solo acts amongst other ideas.

Marketing, sponsorship and publicity would really create the over and under the line buzz that TAS needs to build on its networking.

9. Aspects to Build On

The audience feedback was very positive and thus we will keep developing this festival for vocal music into one that is of international quality and one with a wide variety of acts.

We will also continue to urge local groups to be more strategic in their development plans and to continue to support them but also provide a firm direction for them to develop responsibly and for long term not short term.

We encouraged all teams to bring in their own sound engineer and this created an opportunity for them to be more responsible for their delivery and sound output as compared to most shows where they have been complaining a lot about how sound has been managed. This created more satisfaction for all parties.

A Cappella Championships

2008-09-24T20:31:00.002+08:00

The National Acappella Championships was held at Esplanade Recital Studio on 11^th and 13^th August 2008 for the choir and college/open category respectively. There were a total of 16 groups participating over the two nights, and the songs impressed not only the audiences but also the judges as well as the groups’ professionalism. The two nights proved to be successful performances as attested from the audiences’ constant cheering.

The flow of the group sequence was good. We could witness an improvement in the level of professionalism among the groups, especially for the college/open category.

For the choir category, we saw a wide range in the age of participating choirs. For the next competition, we hope to get more choirs to take part and fill the various categories for a more contested competition.

AcaFest Review

2008-08-21T18:07:00.000+08:00

The A CappellaFest this year, Listen Now!, was held in Mrs Lee Choon Guan Concert Hall in ACS Barker on 30^th and 31^st July 2008. The participating groups included The Acappella Society’s Youth voices and singers (TASYV and TAS singers respectively), VoCollision, Key Elements and Jamaica Café from Indonesia. Most of the audience was made up of secondary school students, which was the main target group for this concert. An afternoon show was held for primary school students. The highlight of the show was the second half performance by Jamaica Café which especially awed the audience.

This concert has helped to increase the awareness of the a cappella music scene, especially among youths. It exposes students to a new genre of music and hopefully garner their interest in spreading the joy of singing a cappella too. Also, with Tote Board fundings and Edusave, schools are able to absorb most of the ticket cost and ease the students’ burden in attending the concert. However, the ticket sales were not going very smoothly as the concert was held at the end of July, when many students were preparing for their common tests. As a result, some teachers were reluctant in committing their students to attend the show.

January Newsletter!

2008-01-02T21:39:00.001+08:00

From the Desk of The A Cappella Society – January2008

Dear 2008*,
What shall you deliver? A few assassinations? A few typhoons? Will there be a Tsunami? A few fresh presidents? Anything unprecedented?
How many million death? How many million births? How many weddings? How many divorces? How many crimes? How many jailbirds? How many fresh loves?
Will you make the worldHappy or sad- or bah- fine
(the nasty adjective)? Or will you make it merrier? Or will you make a world war?
How will you be? How has the boss of yours, Mr. God written your horoscope?
How many A Cappella events
Will you attend?
How many poems will you write?

Just a tongue in cheek stab at writing poetry! Have a happy new year everyone! Our online newsletter format has been changed. To facilitate your easy reading, we have moved much of the information to our blog! Check it out!
www.

Happy new year everyone!

For The A Cappella Society
Angie & Alex Sassarak
www.a-cappella.org.sg

* These updates are correct to our best knowledge. Should there be any errors, kindly note that they are non-intentional.
NEWS

Feature
A Blog Entry Written by Rachael Au-Yong of TAS Youth Voices

The A Cappella Society’s Youth Voices Christmas Carolling 2007 From Boon Lay to Pasir Ris, TAS Youth Voices have indeed travelled to the ends of Singapore in the name of good ol’ a cappella singing. Since late October, the Youth Voices have been practising hard – the 31-strong group consisted of TAS YV alumni, students without any choral experience whatsoever, and a whole bunch of youths all ready to make music with JUST their voices! It hasn’t been easy. Yes, there have been cringe-worthy rehearsals. But while TAS Youth Voices strives for the best, the philosophy driving this team has always been one of progression. And hopefully, it has paid off in our performances. From dealing with an inadequate number of microphones to sound systems we weren’t used to, and even on-stage ‘drama’ (such as excited kids at Downtown East jumping onto the stage only to steal your thunder by snatching a mic and belting an earth-shattering scream in the middle of your song), we have learnt one thing: that we are not just singers, we are performers – and performers deal with it. It’s not something that can be scripted, or prepared for – but that’s why teamwork (and preferably some element of instinctive talent) is so important. If someone goes out of key, everyone (tries to) adjust. Because at the end of the day, no one cares if the tenor or the soprano sang brilliantly if Last Christmas sounded rather strange. Performing with The A Cappella Society’s Youth Voices has been a whirlwind – especially when you are a girl, you have to bring just about everything: make-up, shoes, clothes, accessories. Stories of fellow stressed-out singers who arrive breathless at Downtown East after finishing a show at Singapore Discovery Centre may even scare potential singers. But I do think it’s been a rather worthwhile journey. There will be no clichéd aphorisms about how friendship is the greatest treasure you can find in the 21st century – but you can find your own ‘lesson of the day’ just by being a part of the TAS Youth Voices. Have a wonderful 2008!

TRAINING

Courses

TAS Ensemble 12-week training course
Come explore contemporary a cappella with the TAS adult ensemble as we embark on a 3-month journey through the world of the human voice. This twelve-week series of seminars-cum-rehearsals culminating in a public presentation promises to equip you with the fundamental skills of a cappella performance. Experienced clinicians will lead you and your fellow singers through a discussion of various topics, including i) recent developments in a cappella music, ii) elements of blend in close harmony, iii) dynamic microphone technique, iv) an introduction to vocal percussion, and iv) basic staging and song presentation. You will also be guided through the rehearsal of 3-4 songs from a variety of genres to practice your newfound knowledge.So if you have always wanted to be a part of an a cappella group, but could never figure out how to get one started; or find the right people to sing with; or if you've been singing for a while and want a new perspective on contemporary a cappella music, then this is the course for you! If you'd like more details, please email contact@a-cappella.org.sg.

Cost: $250 for 12-week course, please register at www.a-cappella.org.sg/training.html

Vocal Training Classes

Individual vocal training is available all year, contact us for details.
A CAPPELLA GROUPS

TAS Groups

TAS Ensemble – Mixed group ages 20 and above
TAS Youth Voices – Mixed group ages 12 and above
TAS Babies – Mixed ages 5 - 11
TAS Beat Boxers – all ages male & female

If you are interested to be part of the Society as a singer or beat boxer, auditions are open to everyone young and young at heart. There will be multiple levels of training available for a variety of singers and age groups. Send us an email at contact@a-cappella.org.sg if you would like to be the first to know. Tell us which area you are interested in and we’ll definitely be in touch.

Vocal Jams

Jam sessions with the TAS Ensemble are back. Drop by at our space at TAPAC every Saturday 3-5pm and sing with us!
Miscellaneous

Rehearsal Space

Haven’t found a space for your rehearsals yet? For $10/hour you can make use of our room for your practice. Just drop us a mail if you are interested.

Shop Window

No
Artistes
Album Title
Cost
1
Vocal Six (Sweden)
International (2007)
S$25
2
m-pact (USA)
m-pact
S$25
3
Java Five (Germany)
The Art of Vocal Swing
S$25
4
Key Elements (Singapore)
Better than Anything (2006)
S$10
5
Various (Singapore)
Mandarin A Cappella (2001)
S$10
Shipping : $2 (Singapore) , $5 (Overseas)

All items are available in our office or via postal delivery. To order please send us an email at contact@a-cappella.org.sg

Contact us

If you would like to submit articles, news and updates, volunteer your services or provide feedback, please do not hesitate to write us! We look forward to hearing from you.

For folks who are keen to join this mailing list, please send us a note to the same address.

The A Cappella Society
www.a-cappella.org.sg
contact@a-cappella.org.sg

182 Cecil Street
#02-07 Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre
S 069547

*(Poem Adapted from Ravikiran Arakkal’s 2008)

Introducing The TAS Youth Voices

2008-01-02T21:36:00.000+08:00

TAS Youth Voices: Singapore's 1st Pop Choir

The Dream
That Singapore will one day see an outstanding development in thevocal arts scene that we can form a team that is as highly regarded and respected as Vocal Line (Denmark).http://www.vocalline.dk/koret/default_en.asp

Overall Mission
To be established as Singapore's leading pop choir for youth singers
To be a training ground for singers to gain qualifications and develop their performance and technical skills
To be the centre for all a cappella & pop ensemble singing in Singapore
To be established as a recognized CCA by the ministry of Education for (a) a cappella performance (b) pop choir (c) jazz choir

Strategic Trust
Directed by prominent pop vocal ensemble trainer, Angelina Choo, founder of The A Cappella Society
Trainers & Experts from all over the world
Singers are trained in music theory, vocal technique (classical & pop), performance, ensemble performance (all accompanied by ABRSM /Trinity exams and internal tests

Welcome to the home of The A Cappella Society, Singapore's leading resource centre for a cappella happenings!

2007-12-29T03:00:00.000+08:00

Hello All!

We have a website and now we have a blog!

I'm glad to be part of Team A Cappella in Singapore. Makes me feel extremely good that a cappella scene is growing and i'm an actual part of it's growth. To all groups and fans alike, kudos!

Am testing the blog now. So, Test Test Test.

We just had our TAS X'mas lunch yesterday. So fun. Hehe..

Will update soon with information about the lunch!

~> Jho signing off to go Rock Around the X'mas Tree