big
BIG news!!!
saturday,
april 1,
2006
5-ALONE
named
New England Champion!
at
the International Championship
of High School A Cappella (ICHSA).
Saturday night, April 1, 5-Alone took
1st Place at the regional semi-final held in Pawling, NY.
Now we move on to the Finals, where we will compete against
regional champions from all over the US at Alice
Tulley Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City.
If you're interested in going to this show, you can find ticket
information at the Varsity Vocals web site (link below).
It is recommended that you purchase tickets well ahead of time,
because the event is anticipated to sell out.
The event is Friday, April 28, 8:00pm.
The winning high school group of the night will be invited to
perform at the College Finals (ICCA) the following night,
Saturday, April 29, 8:00pm. The College competition
is rumored to be one of the most entertaining concerts of the
year, and will certainly sell out as well.
http://varsityvocals.com/ichsa/finals.shtml
This is a huge accomplishment, as 5-Alone had to face
some great groups at two competitions along the way. In
the first round, Trevin Bond was recognized as "best
soloist" and Jorge Jones was recognized as "best vocal
percussionist". We are excited to continue on
in the competition, and we're looking forward to our first appearance
at Lincoln Center!
As you must know, this is the result of hundreds of hours of
extra work by these talented students this year. Since
January 5-Alone has already performed nine major concerts.
Thank you parents, for the support. Thank you PVPA
teachers and staff for the cooperation and understanding.
Thank you friends for coming to hear us sing. Thank you
alumni for pioneering the way. And thank you to the students
in 5-Alone for your dedication and your spirit!
TONY
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march
17, 2006
5-ALONE
wins 1st PLACE at
East Coast A Cappella Summit!
The East Coast A Cappella Summit is a weekend-long festival
of a cappella performances, workshops, and master classes, held
this year in Oswego, NY. 5-Alone competed against
high school groups from all over upstate New York in the high
school competition yesterday and came in 1st Place. In
addition, Trevin Bond was named "Best Male Soloist"
and Jorge Jones was named "Best Bass".
Included in our prize package is a custom arrangement for 5-Alone
by "Mach-1" a cappella arranging service, and
a free "re-mix" of one of our songs from the
Heavenly CD by an a cappella producer of our choice (including
Jeff Thatcher of Rockapella).
• East Coast A Cappella Summit web site: casa.org
We were also lucky enough to have a coaching by Wes Carroll
www.mouthdrumming.com
who is a pioneer in the world of a cappella and a truly
inspirational person to be around. He worked with 5-Alone
for an hour and I think I speak for everyone in the group when
I say he made the whole trip worthwhile!
Later that night 5-Alone performed in the headliner's
concert (another benefit from winning the competition earlier
in the day) and brought the house down. Jorge Jones
made a big splash with his percussion solo. As soon
as he walked off stage, Jeff Thatcher immediately came
over and introduced himself! (Go Jorge!!!)
Even though we were only there for one day, we got to meet and
rub elbows with some great a cappella groups, including "Blue
Jupiter", "Rilltons Vänner" (from Sweden!),
and "Yo-Yo Beats".
A special thank you to Su Hoyle for driving!
And that's a LOT of driving.
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april
1, 2006
5-Alone
named in CASA Awards!
Each
year the Contemporary
Acappella Society of America (C.A.S.A.) gives
out awards for the best professional, college and high school a
cappella albums in the world.
"Heavenly" has
won Runner-UP for "Best
High School Album"
and
"Thousand Things"
has won Runner-UP for
"Best High School Song".
CONGRATULATIONS gang!!
Check
out www.casa.org
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march
1, 2006
The
RARB review of AACI's "Sing II" Compilation is out!
Reviewer Ellie Landau has this to say about
5-Alone's track, 'Silence of Time'...
"Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School
5-Alone may be the single longest name I've ever encountered
for an a cappella group but Lord above, can these kids blend.
I'm sure they can sing too, but when you're tackling an arrangement
from New York Voices, it's all about the blend in the impossibly
jazzy flat-7-9 chords and these kids are rock solid. If there
are collegiate a cappella scouts out there from Tufts, Penn, USC,
University of Michigan, the entire state of North Carolina, and
elsewhere — check these kids out. I guarantee you
we'll be hearing from some or all of them soon."
www.rarb.org/reviews
going back to October 2005
Greetings
5-Alone fans!
5-Alone
has just received another distinct "first" in the a
cappella world: "Silence of Time" from our
soon-to-be released CD is going to be included on the "SING
2" a cappella compilation album, produced by the Alliance
for A Cappella Initiatives www.allforacappella.org
5-Alone
is the "first and only high school group" to
be included on this professional and collegiate compilation!
"'Sing
2' represents a slice of the very best that contemporary a
cappella has to offer, and will make some serious waves in the
land of a cappella music and beyond."
CLICK BELOW for a ACCI FORUM page
review of 5-Alone's contribution!
www.allforacappella.org/forum
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march
25, 2006
5-Alumni
to compete in
National Harmony Sweepstakes,
March 25, 7:30pm
Tony Lechner leads a group of distinguised 5-Alumni
to compete in the Boston Regional division of the National
Harmony Sweepstakes at Cohen Memorial Auditorium, Tufts University,
Medford, MA. Rounding out this quintet (!) will be:
Alecia Chakour ('02),
O.J. Martori ('03),
Emily Kaufman ('04)
and current senior Jorge Jones.
We will be performing all new arrangements by Tony and competing
aginst some of the best professional a cappella groups in Boston.
Visit the site: www.harmony-sweepstakes.com
and click on "Boston" at the top of
the page to see the other groups and for ticket information and
directions.
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5-Alone
Chosen by BOHSA!
2006 Album is now available!
The
results of the BOHSA (Best of High
School Acappella) album were just announced, and I am happy
to report that 5-Alone is on it (second year in a row.)
This album is put out each year by
A-CAPPELLA.COM
and features a compilation of tracks from the best
high school a cappella groups in the country.
Last year they chose
"Waltz for Debby".
This
year's selection is
"I'm With You".
Just being on the album is great for us, because it means 5-Alone
will be exposed to people all over the country who otherwise wouldn't
hear us.
Congratulations, 5-Alone!
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february
11, 2006
5-Alone wins 2nd Place @
Berklee College H. S. Jazz Festival
We
were thrilled to come in 2nd place this year at
Berklee College of Music's annual high school competition.
The group performed wonderfully, and the judges went out
of their way to tell us how unique and incredible we were.
First Place winners Greater Hartford Acadamy of the Arts "Real
Ambassadors" were astounding in performance and extremely
deserving of their award.
Competition was fierce, with 17 high school vocal
jazz groups in our division alone!
5-ALONE
would like to thank
the Savage Sextet:
Lee,
Zack, Shankar, Mike, Alex and Ashley
for accompanying us at our various gigs.
The SAVAGE Sextet at Berklee
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reprint
from:
Simon Says - News and Views
from Simon's Rock College of Bard
january
31, 2006
The
College Starts a Music Festival and Hosts
an A Cappella Championship
You know the scene: young, talented
high school students from all over the country come to sing their
hearts out in a jazz, rock, pop, or maybe soul idiom. They stand
frightened before the judges, trying not to make their hands shake
and their palms sweat as they compete for a chance to be national
champions and perform in front of thousands. Sound like the umpteenth
season of American Idol? Well it's not. This year, the New England
Regional Quarterfinals of the International Championship of High
School A Cappella were part of Simon's Rock's First Annual Fire
& Ice Music Festival, which took place at the Daniel Arts
Center on January 28 and 29. The festival also featured a performance
by the hosts of the ICHSA event, Simon's Rock's new a cappella
group Free Trial. On Sunday an Acoustic Afternoon showcased alumna
and folk singer Meg Hutchinson '95, guitarist Zo Tobi, Natalia
Zukerman, and others.
The five contenders were a truly impressive bunch — poised,
practiced, and vocally adept. The judges, three ICCA (International
Championship of Collegiate A Cappella) - certified adjudicators,
had their work cut out for them to decide on a winner. They
finally settled on 5-Alone, an outstanding group from a performing
arts charter school in Hadley, Mass., who stunned the audience
with their rendition of Take Six's arrangement of "David
and Goliath."
A cappella groups from all over the New England region competed
in ICHSA, which is dedicated to promoting quality a cappella music
in high schools and to providing top-notch groups with valuable
feedback from experienced judges. Each year, the ICHSA tournament's
competitions take place from October through March in four regions:
West, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. Each region holds several
quarterfinal events that feature three to eight groups. High school
groups from Northampton and Hadley, Massachusetts, Hyde Park,
New York, Providence, Rhode Island, and West Caldwell, New Jersey
were among the competitors on Saturday.
The winner of each quarterfinal is invited to advance to semifinals,
where they will join the groups who have been accepted directly
to semifinals. The winner of each semifinal is invited to participate
in the ICHSA finals, held in New York's Lincoln Center for Performing
Arts, where they compete for the title of Grand Champion, cash
prizes, and the opportunity to appear in the International Championship
of Collegiate A Cappella Finals.
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january
14, 2006
New York City!
and the IAJE
I'd
like to thank all the students and chaperones alike for a successful
trip to the IAJE in New York City last week. Our
two concert performances were a huge success, and we got to
see some of the greatest jazz performers in the world, up close
and personal. Friday night we got to see the 2006 NEA Jazz
Masters honored, including Tony Bennett, Chick Corea,
Buddy DeFranco, Freddie Hubbard, John Levy, Ray Barretto,
and Bob Brookmeyer! Attending this conference and seeing
jazz legends walking among us was truly a once-in-a-lifetime
experience that these students will never forget.
I'd
like to thank all the parents of 5-ALONE and the jazz combo
for your support before
and during the trip (especially those who made the trip to see
us in NYC). I know how difficult all the extra rehearsals were
on everyone, but it was worth it! 5-ALONE was a big hit
at the conference and would have made you all proud. Our opening
night performance was seen by thousands of jazz fans and musicians
from all over the world, and has opened a lot of eyes as to
what's going on here in our little corner of New England!
5-Alone
made lots of new friends at the conference, including "Red
Square", an amazing teenage a cappella group from the
Thelma Yellin School for the Performing Arts in Tel Aviv, Israel.
After our performance, the directors of the Taiwan International
Choral Competition invited 5-Alone to come and perform
there in October 2006 (anyone know a good grant writer???).
The age cutoff for the festival is 18 years and older, but the
directors said they would make an exception for 5-Alone.
I managed to give copies of the new 5-Alone CD
to jazz saxophone legend Jimmy Heath, the Reverend
Al Sharpton, and jazz pianist Makoto Ozone (who made
a special trip backstage to congratulate us on Wednesday night.)
The jazz combo (Alex, Mike,
Ashley, Shankar, Lee & Zack)
were dynamite, creating quite a buzz themselves. Guest pianist
Miro Sprague added just the right touch without overshadowing,
and Shankar was approached by someone who wanted to purchase
his arrangement of "Teentown". Faculty members of
the Berklee College of Music were excited about seeing
more of our students this year, and invited us to perform as
part of the "Berklee City Music Program" which mentors
inner city youths in Boston. Jazz singer Kevin Mahogany's
agent approached me about Kevin working with 5-Alone
and possibly coming to do a workshop at PVPA!
Tony
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