INSTRUCTORS*
Below is the list on instructors for the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival 2010.
- Dave Brown
- Marco Cassone
- Chris Crawford
- Trist Curless
- Matt Emery
- Amy Engelhardt
- Freddie Feldman
- Charlie Forkish
- Ariel Glassman
- Bill Hare
- Mark Hines
- George Hoffman
- Julia Hoffman
- Tony Huerta
- Dan Jordan
- David Loucks
- Amy Malkoff
- Jonathan Minkhoff
- Jon Pilat
- Fletcher Sheridan
- Moira Smiley
- Jeff Smith
- Dave Sperandio
- Ben Stevens
- Mister Tim
- Greg Whipple
Dave Brown is the founder, co-producer, and co-host of the highly acclaimed weekly a cappella podcast show Mouth Off. He also is a nominator and judge for the Contemporary A cappella Record Awards (CARA); and a producer, emcee, and judge for all levels of the International Championship of College A cappella (ICCA).
Dave's past a cappella performing experience includes several high school groups in his home state of California, BYU's all-male championship group Vocal Point, and several community groups at law school and beyond. He is a co-founder and former director of BYU's all-female group Noteworthy, who were the 2007 ICCA champions, and were also recently featured on The Sing-Off on NBC. He has served the a cappella community in a variety of posts, including 2008 CASA president, four years on the CASA Board of Directors, and founder and director of CASAcademy. He has taught workshops and clinics at the West Coast A Cappella Summit, the East Coast A Cappella Summit, A Cappella Innovations, SoJam, and SpringSing. He's delighted to make the trek from New York City to be included in the 2nd annual LA/AF.
Marco Cassone, a founding member of m-pact, works as internal entrepreneur to help turn m-pact's musical inspiration into reality. He graduated from the U. of Washington in Vocal Performance and Music Psychology, a dual degree which continues to bring thoughtful wisdom to Marco's commitment to empowering others. Beyond music, his interests include business, philosophy, photography, travel, physical therapy, writing, and world religions, true testimony to Marco's seemingly unmitigated I.Q. and apparently unmedicated A.D.D.
Chris Crawford, CASA's Director of Marketing, is the founder of A Cappella Records, the first all-digital a cappella label. While studying music and business at UC Santa Cruz, Chris interned at Apple, Inc.'s departments of Public Relations and iTunes Promotions and founded the group Acquire A Cappella, for which he also created a business team -- the "Street Team" -- of non-singers to run the group's events, marketing, and communications.
Trist Curless lays the foundation of the harmonic house of m-pact. Musically intuitive from the start, his study of Music Education at the U. of N. Colorado further introduced this co-founding member to percussion ensembles, jazz bands, choral/vocal groups, and full-scale operas. His impressive 100,000 track digital jukebox is exactly what you get when a true musicologist practices music retail therapy. When not absorbing new music, his natural eloquence and instinct for instruction draw international interest in Trist as a respected voice in music education.
Matt Emery is the Public Relations Director for The Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA). He has served as the Marketing Officer for the SoJam A Cappella Festival for the past two years and helped to produce the two latest installments of the Sing compilation series. During his time at Duke University, Matt sang in the University Chorale and in the co-ed a cappella group Rhythm & Blue. It was during Matt's time as musical director of RnB (2005-2007) that the group attained its first exposure on the national level, garnering four CARA nominations (with two Runner-Up awards) and three compilation appearances, including back-to-back BOCA nods in 2007 and 2008. He has arranged over twenty-five songs for the group, including several since his graduation in 2007.
Matt has a collective penchant for stirring music, delicious food, and engaging conversation. He actually spends so much of his spare time working to promote CASA and its programs that he has yet to get involved in a singing group after graduating from college. Ah, irony.
You can follow Matt on Twitter or Facebook, shoot him an email, or check out the CASA Twitter, which he updates regularly with the latest in a cappella news, musings, and events!
Amy Engelhardt has been writing, arranging and performing with Grammy-nominated, rule-breaking vocal quartet The Bobs since 1998, winning numerous ASCAP songwriting and ACA vocal performance awards. Her work is featured on five Bobs CDs, two Bobs DVDs and the documentary film, SIGN MY SNARLING MOVIE (2007). Amy's brainchild, Rhapsody In Bob (Gershwin's concerto arranged for piano - and The Bobs as a vocal orchestra), premiered at the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia in Spring 2005.
Her 2008 solo CD, Not Gonna Be Pretty was nominated for two 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards: Best Female Singer/Songwriter Album and Best Modern Rock Song ("Like Me"). Additional vocal credits include Jim Henson's Animal Jam (Discovery Kids/The Learning Channel), Barbra Streisand's Timeless concerts, Harry Shearer and Judith Owen's Holiday Show at Walt Disney Concert Hall (L.A.), NPR programs West Coast Live, Mountain Stage, and E-Town, special material for Minnesota Public Radio with The Bobs (and countless FM-radio morning zoos), The Doctor Demento Show, Hooked on Phonics and interactive educational website Smarterville.
Amy's album credits include Neil Young's Living With War, Bob Malone's Born Too Late, Jill Sobule's Letting Go of God (produced by Don Was) and the documentary CSNY: Déjà Vu.
An alumna of Berklee College of Music and Syracuse University, Amy is also a composer/lyricist whose works include the musicals CARL SAGAN'S CONTACT (lyrics) and NICHOLAS NICKLEBY (lyrics) at Seattle's Centerstage, THE NEW NORMAL (music/lyrics) at Los Angeles' John Raitt Theater, the Bobs/Flying Karamazov Brothers collaboration: A COMEDY OF ERAS at ACT Seattle (music/lyrics), special musical material for HOLLYWOOD NURSES (Chip Deffaa Invitational Festival at Chashama, NYC), THAT SINKING FEELING (The Free Associates, Chicago), THE DOG AND PONY SHOW (Huntington Theater, Boston and The Free Associates, Chicago, also book co-writer) and THE EGG GAME (The Present Company, NYC).
Amy was the Musical Director/Arranger for the world premiere of DRUNK WITH LOVE: A TRIBUTE TO FRANCES FAYE at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theater (and a Manhattan Cabaret Award winner). Find out more about Amy at www.myspace.com/iaremusic or www.myspace.com/thebobsmusic.
Freddie Feldman has been immersed in the world of a cappella for over fifteen years. He got his start with his high school group, The Coppertones. He started the college group, Five O'Clock Shadow at Northwestern University. After graduation, he toured nationally with his professional a cappella group, VOCOMOTION. After the group split up, Freddie opened VOCOMOTION Studios.
He has produced over 60 a cappella albums at VOCOMOTION, winning several Best Of College Acappella (BOCA) Awards and Contemporary Acappella Recording Awards (CARA). He has served as an album reviewer for the Recorded Acappella Review Board (RARB), reviewing over 70 albums for the online publication. He is the creator of The Thumper, the world's only throat microphone designed specifically for vocal percussion.
Freddie toured as the frontman of the hard-rock band Gaskit for four years. He is a two-time winner of Songs Inspired By Literature Songwriting Competition (SIBL). Gaskit opened for national acts Godsmack, Tantric, Drowning Pool, SOiL, and Dark New Day. Gaskit did a world-record national tour in 2004, playing in 50 states in 50 days. Their single "Peel This Away" featured on television show Jake 2.0 on UPN Network.
Freddie holds both a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Northwestern University.
Charlie Forkish first came to understand music from the unconventional perspective of the classical percussionist. A freelance percussion performer and instructor from the age of 15, he encountered a cappella in high school through exposure to the University of Oregon's On The Rocks and Divisi and in it saw a new medium to explore percussive doings. When he came to the Bay Area for college he discovered an affinity for producing, and as director of the Stanford Harmonics from 2007-09 produced a CARA-winning album and completely reinvented the group's approach to live performance, incorporating full rock concert production. He now records and produces a cappella groups around the country, and is always looking for something new and exciting to do with vocal music. Check out his website at www.forkishproductions.com.
Ariel Glassman, classically trained as a clarinetist, discovered her voice in college and has been involved in contemporary a cappella for the last 9 years. She began her a cappella career with the Stanford Harmonics and since then has been a part of two semi-professional vocal bands in Boston and Seattle. Ariel has competed in several ICCAs and Harmony Sweepstakes, appeared on two of the Harmonics' acclaimed albums, and was featured on the compilation album Sing 2 for the Harmonics' cover of "Faster, Faster." She has also nominated and judged the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAS) for the last 5 years. Ariel is currently on the board of the the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) as the Director of Fundraising, through which she raises money to support a cappella singers, fans and educators nationwide and teaches a cappella groups to fundraise at festivals like SoJam and the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival. In her non-aca life, she is the Director of Development at On the Boards, a contemporary performing arts center in Seattle, and really likes pickles.
Bill Hare has been a professional musician since the age of 14, a full-time recording engineer/producer for nearly 25 years, and has specialized in Contemporary A Cappella production since 1989. Over the last 20 years, Bill has recorded and/or mixed acclaimed albums for some of the best Contemporary A Cappella groups around the globe such as England's Flying Pickets, Swingle Singers and Voces8, Denmark's Basix, Norway's Apes & Babes, Italy's Cluster, various projects with Italian super-producer Andrea Figallo, as well as working with many top American acts including +4dB, Duwende, Hookslide, Moosebutter, and The House Jacks.
Bill's work in the world of Collegiate A Cappella is unmatched, with hundreds of albums (and thousands of songs) for over 70 different groups. This includes some of the "benchmarks" of the genre such as the Beelzebubs Shedding, as well as the "notorious" Code Red - and the highest-scored Collegiate album ever rated on the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB) - Talisman's Passage - a score held alone for nearly 8 years until recently, when it was finally matched by the Beelzebubs' Pandaemonium album - also mixed by Bill. For a more detailed list, visit the Bill Hare Productions website at www.billhareproductions.com.
Bill is the only producer to have won a CARA Award specifically for the job of producing and mixing (1992). Other awards include over 45 appearances on BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella) compilations, over 100 CARA nominations, 29 albums in the RARB "Picks of the Year" lists, and 11 "DeeBee" awards since 1987 in the Vocal Jazz category from Downbeat Magazine.
Mark Hines caught the a cappella bug in 1998 when he joined the NCSU Grains of Time. Since then, he has produced numerous award-winning albums with Liquid 5th Productions, judged a handful of ICCA events, taken part in the SING series selection process, performed on the SoJam stage, and even served as Executive Producer of SoJam (the first to have the title), among other notable achievements.
For more information on Mark or Liquid 5th Productions, please visit www.liquid5th.com.
George Hoffman has performed as a member of the four-man SF Bay Area vocal band Hookslide for the past ten years, lending his powerful baritone, face-peeling falsetto, and soulful leads to the group as well as serving as the resident sound engineer. Starting his vocal career in musical theater at an early age, he made the jump into a cappella with the Cornell Key Elements and later with the Stanford Harmonics. When not singing, he serves as CTO for a Silicon Valley technology company.
Julia Hoffman, Psy.D. is the President of the Board of the Contemporary A cappella Society (CASA). Julia started her a cappella career as a member, and later director, of the Stanford Harmonics. She served as the West Region Producer for the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella (ICCA) for two years and has sat on CASA's Board of Directors for six years. For the past five years, she has also served as the Director of the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs), the most prestigious award program for recorded a cappella music. Under her leadership, the program has expanded to become truly global as it rewards groups from every continent and requires the work of hundreds of volunteers in many countries to continue to meet a standard of excellence.
Julia has coordinated the A Cappella Community Awards (ACAs), executive produced the SING compilation, judged numerous collegiate and professional a cappella shows including the semi-finals and finals of the ICCA, taught classes and workshops to a cappella singers and enthusiasts of all types, and been featured on Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) albums as both a singer and an arranger.
In her spare time, Julia works as a psychologist on a collaboration between the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (VA) and the National Center for Telehealth and Technology (Department of Defense). She lives in Northern California with her husband, George, and her dog, Winnie.
Tony Huerta started his career as a professional singer for Elitch Gardens (6 Flags) in 1990. While attending the University of Northern Colorado and majoring in Vocal Music, he founded his first A Cappella group with Matthew Selby (LA, CA) called "Exact Change", which later moved to the Seattle area and became the popular vocal group, Òm-pactÓ.
In 1998, Tony joined the groundbreaking A Cappella group "The 17th Avenue Allstars" and performed for ten years as the Vocal Percussionist and baritone/tenor, performing in about 70-80 concerts per year across the United States. He was also the principle arranger, recording engineer, and producer for three full length ÒAllstarÓ CDÕs.
HuertaÕs production company, Sonic Audio, was founded by Huerta in 1998. He has produced and engineered acappella CD Projects for: The Ò17th Avenue AllstarsÓ, ÒGroove SocietyÓ, ÒMoosebutterÓ, ÒFaceÓ, DU ÒIdiosingcrasiesÓ, US Air Force Academy ÒIn the StairwellÓ, ÒSound Of The RockiesÓ, Skyline ChorusÓ, ÒStorm FrontÓ, ÒNexusÓ, and ÒIgnitionÓ, ÒMcPhlyÓ, ÒMile 21Ó and ÒIn the BuffÓ. He also started a record label in 2009 and signed his first artist, Tommy Staudt.
Currently, Tony is the international touring Production Manager for 10 time Grammy winners, Take 6. Furthermore, he engineers live concerts for the NBC ÒSing OffÓ group, Face and LA based acappella pioneers, M-Pact. Huerta is the producer of the Mile High Vocal Jam Acappella festival in Denver, Colorado and recently worked with Amy Grant at the Grand Ol Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
You will always find him Producing and engineering a cappella music in his Lodo Denver, Colorado recording studio. Tony is available to travel and engineer concerts for any acappella concert or work with groups as a clinician. He welcomes and enjoys any phone call or email to discuss vocal music!
Dan Jordan has been a long-time member of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Over the years, Dan has won four medals in International competition, including a gold medal as the lead singer of The New Tradition. Dan's groups have toured to Europe, shared the stage with the King's Singers at the Barbican Centre, and sung back-up for Neil Diamond on his two multi-platinum Christmas recordings.
He also has the distinction of being the singing voice of Homer Simpson on the episode of The Simpsons featuring Homer's Barbershop Quartet, "The Be Sharps." Dan sang baritone for 6 years with Main Street's own The Dapper Dans of Disneyland. He has appeared on Arrested Development, Blossom, ER, and numerous commercials for amazon.com. Additionally, he has performed on stages around the U.S. in the show A Day in His Life.
David Loucks musical journey began at the age of 8 with the French Horn. However, while studying at Azuza Pacific University, David found his love for singing. Studying voice and performing as a soloist with the University Choir, as well as leading several small vocal ensembles touring the US and Europe, David quickly gained a wealth of knowledge and experience that has proved invaluable as a career musician. David has worked in the Los Angeles area as a studio vocalist and arranger for the past 10 years, performing with such renowned artists as Barry Manilow, Sandi Patti, David Pack, and Faith Hill. However, perhaps his proudest achievement to date is receiving the coveted award for coolest hair in m-pact.
Amy Malkoff is a founding member and bandleader of the NYC and Boston-based pop-funk vocal band All About Buford (www.allaboutbuford.com), and she has appeared on stage and in the studio with the likes of Wayne Brady, Jonatha Brooke, The Persuasions, Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, GrooveLily, Patty Griffin, and Dar Williams. She has a degree in music from Kenyon College, with music studies at Youngstown State University and masters-level coursework at the New England Conservatory of Music. Amy is the Director of Web Content for The Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA), serves on their board of directors, and is also a writer and designer (see: BOCA '06 and '07). Other professional music ventures include her band Deadline Poet, and several years as 1/2 of a touring acoustic duo. Her music has appeared on both the Rounder Records and Hear Music/Starbucks labels. www.amymalkoff.com/harmony.
Jonathan Minkhoff is the Executive Producer for SingStrong, a weekend-long a cappella festival in the Washington DC area, March 5-7, 2010 whose profits go to support the Alzheimer's Association. Last year the event featured over 22 a cappella groups and lecturers from around the world including New York, Maryland, DC, Utah, Australia, China, Germany and Denmark.
Jonathan Minkoff has directed various a cappella groups since 1984. Six of those years were spent as the Founder and Artistic Director of the full-time men's a cappella rock quartet, Blind Man's Bluff. While directing and performing with Bluff, he toured nationally, recorded radio and TV commercials, shared the stage with national recording artists like All-4-One, headlined the Improv Comedy Club, sang the anthem for the World Champion Chicago Bulls and performed in front of crowds larger than 100,000.
Minkoff holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education (with a minor equivalent in theatre) from Northwestern University where he performed with the University's Chorus, Chorale, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Chapel Choir. Minkoff also holds a Juris Doctorate, cum laude with a concentration in Intellectual Property (copyrights, trademarks, entertainment law etc.) with honors from Boston University School of Law where he received the Dean's Award for achievement in Copyright Law. Minkoff is admitted to practice in both New York and Massachusetts. Minkoff also completed a certificate program in voice at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
Jonathan Minkoff was the choral director and voice instructor for Grayslake High School. He has received numerous musical awards including the National Harmony Sweepstakes' Best Original Song and Best Original Composition, Chicago's Sweeps Champion, and Chicago's Audience Favorite. Minkoff is a frequent judge at both collegiate and professional a cappella competitions including the New York and Chicago Harmony Sweepstakes, NCHSA and ICCA/Varsity Vocals. Minkoff has performed or conducted seminars in a cappella at the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008 East Coast A cappella Summits, SoJam 2005, the Vermont A cappella Summit 2007, at SpringSing2009: Voices United for a Cure, at the SingStrongDC2009 and at AcappellaFestChicago2009. For his own vocal compositions, Minkoff was selected as one of only two composers in the prestigious New York City Genesius Guild's Revolutionary Writers program.
Jonathan Minkoff has served as the Executive Director and Producer for the East Coast A cappella Summit from 2003 until 2008. He has served three terms as the President of CASA - The Contemporary A Cappella Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the furtherance of a cappella music.
In late 2004 Minkoff received national attention as a featured expert in a cappella music on The Jane Pauley Show where he also musically directed, arranged for, and performed with the Jane Pauley Singers.
Minkoff runs a ProTools HD|3 based, vocal-centered recording studio, "Minkoff Arts, LLC" (formerly Jungle Studios), where he records, writes and produces for various artists like: former Boston Harmony Sweepstakes Champions, Ball In the House, Vocal Percussionist Extraordinaire, Wes Carroll, Voiceover Queen, Diana Preisler and others. The studio is physically located on 42nd Street, in the heart of Manhattan.
In 2005, Minkoff joined the pop funk a cappella band, Blue Jupiter as a pro temp member. Performance highlights have included tours of the US and Asia, performances on nationally syndicated radio for over 10 million listeners, headlining AcappellaStock2009 the country's most well attended a cappella festival, and opening for Third Eye Blind.
During daylight hours Minkoff can be found as the youngest partner of the law firm of Fuchsberg & Fuchsberg, LLP. The firm has more than half a century's expertise in personal injury and medical malpractice. Minkoff has since expanded his personal practice to include artists and businesses who need intellectual property and entertainment law representation.
Jonathan Pilat has been singing, beatboxing, and arranging for a cappella groups in Northern California for the past 14 years. He attended Stanford, where he sang with the Harmonics, and has stayed involved with that group as an arranger and advisor well after graduation. Jon has also sung and beatboxed (at the same time) with Hookslide for the past 10 years, garnering strange looks and frequent questions about breathing. Jon has arranged several tracks for the Harmonics and Hookslide that have appeared on BOCA, on SING, and received CARA nominations and awards.
Flecher Sheridan has amassed a wide spectrum of musical experiences that he brings to m-pact. It's hard to say which aspect is most endearing to fellow m-pacters about Fletcher: his bright, chirpy personality, his incessant singing to himself, or his perfect pitch. Woodshedding his musical skills in the LA session scene since the age of 16, and earning his degree in Music Industry Studies from CSU-Northridge. From overtone singing to wailing scat solos to French chamber music, Fletcher thrives on versatility and pushing the envelope. All endearment and experience aside, Fletcher's smiling eyes when singing always leave the world a happier place.
Moira Smiley, singer-composer, leads moira smiley & VOCO, travels the world as a soloist and creates new work for dance, theatre and film. Her voice can be heard on a wide variety of media, including feature films, television (BBC, PBS), NPR, and on over 40 recordings. Her recent albums "blink," "rua" and "circle, square, diamond & flag" feature spare, vocally driven collections of warped traditionals and new song. She has sung with leading ensembles and artists around the world, including Paul Hillier's Theater of Voices, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, KITKA Vocal Ensemble and New World Symphony. Featured at Lincoln Center, UCLALive, Royal Festival Hall, and music festivals across the U.S. and Canada, Moira has received praise from Billboard to Gramophone. While studying piano performance and Early Music at Indiana University, Moira was represented by IMGArtists Agency and toured extensively with her vocal group, VIDA. Praised for her musical depth and noted as a musical "shape-shifter," Moira premieres new art song, opera, and physical theater. She also explores the depths of early American, Irish and Balkan traditional song. Moira is in high demand as a music director and vocal coach-giving master classes in vocal technique, traditional styles, physicality and improvisation. She composes for vocal ensembles around the world-her song "Stand in that River" is performed by thousands of choral ensembles and singers of all stripes. www.moirasmiley.com www.myspace.com/vocoinfo
Jeff Smith, born and raised in the Midwest, began his professional music career immediately after high school as a bassoonist for the 312th Army Band in Lawrence, KS. While attending the University of Kansas on a bassoon scholarship, he was very active in the music department, dividing his time as an instrumentalist and vocalist. However, JeffÕs dreams of bassoon stardom were eventually eclipsed by his desire to pursue singing as a career.
In addition to performing in KU's top choral ensembles, Jeff sang in various extra-curricular vocal groups before starting his own a cappella group, measureXmeasure ("measure by measure"). What began as a fun hobby and side project eventually developed into a full-time profession. He spent 8 years with mXm, touring more than 30 U.S states and recording 3 CDs. He also acted as the group's primary arranger, producer, and artistic director. In 2004, Jeff moved to Los Angeles to join the critically-acclaimed vocal group, m-pact. Since then, he has toured all over the world performing in venues ranging from jazz clubs and festivals to concert halls and opera houses.
Jeff continues to play the bassoon for the 300th Army Band in Los Angeles (for whom he is also the woodwind section leader, drum major, and featured vocalist). When not harmonizing and beatboxing with m-pact or bassooning for Uncle Sam, he enjoys being a freelance singer-for-hire for live performances and recording sessions of all kinds. His voice can be heard on major motion pictures and TV, and he can be found most Sunday mornings leading contemporary worship at Citylight Church in downtown L.A. Jeff currently lives in the San Fernando Valley with his wife Heather and son Noah.
Dave Sperandio , or "dio" as he is sometimes called, has been working with a cappella music for 18 years as a performer, producer, and engineer, and his work has appeared on scores of CDs for clients from around the globe.
Since founding the a cappella production company diovoce in 2000, his clients have appeared on numerous "best-of" compilations, including over 35 appearances on the BOCA, CAMO, Voices Only, and 'Sing' series. Dave's work has received dozens of CARA nods, both as a performer and while "behind the glass".
Dave is the founder of the Alliance for A Cappella Initiatives, and creator of the hit SoJam A Cappella Festival, as well as the internationally acclaimed 'Sing' vocal compilation CD.
Dave has performed with numerous ensembles, directed the UNC Clef Hangers, and has toured the globe and recorded with vocal tonic, transit, and Almost Recess. His work has afforded him the opportunity to work with many talented recording artists, including Ben Folds, Brendan James, and Anoop Desai.
In 2006 Dave partnered with several fellow producers to form VocalSource, which represents the most comprehensive network of vocal music studios in the world.
In 2008 Dave merged the AACI with CASA, and is excited to join the CASA Board of Directors as Secretary and Director of Events, managing SoJam, the East Coast A Cappella Summit, and a growing network of CASA festivals and events around the world.
Ben Stevens is Director of CASAcademy, the online learning and educational outreach arm of the Contemporary A Cappella Society, as well as CASA Treasurer. He has judged the International Championships of Collegiate and High School A Cappella, including the international finals, and regularly nominates and judges for the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards . Since January 2003, he has coordinated the Recorded A Cappella Review Board, overseeing reviews of more than 500 albums; between 1997 and 2003 he wrote 127 reviews of his own. A baritone and vocal percussionist, he has performed with groups based in Portland, OR; Chicago; and Boulder, CO. At Bard College, where he teaches Classical languages, literature, and linguistics, he hosted an a cappella radio show, Naked Noise (2004-6), and co-founded and continues to advise the College's first student a cappella group, the Orcapelicans!. You can find Ben on Facebook, visit his website, or email him here.
Mister Tim is a hardcore a cappella junkie, arranging, composing, directing, and performing with and for more than two dozen groups and productions, including the Las Vegas cast of Toxic Audio, vocal percussion ensemble and 2009 Harmony Sweepstakes finalists Mouth Beats, comedy a cappella quartet moosebutter, and in his solo vocal live looping performance. While he is completing his Master's degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Mister Tim works with secondary and college ensembles, as well as consulting, artistic directing, and producing post-college performing acts. Mister Tim is the Director of Online Media for the Contemporary A Cappella Society and hosts the A Cappella Originals podcast. He is one of the world's foremost advocates for original music in a cappella. http://www.mistertimdotcom.com
Greg Whipple is certainly no stranger to the world of vocal music...and no stranger to m-pact, for that matter. A graduate of Florida State University, Greg cut his musical teeth in the Orlando area as a featured vocalist for Walt Disney World, as well as numerous recordings for TV and radio. He later relocated to Seattle to tour with m-pact from 1998-2001 --- his distinctive, soulful tenor voice can be heard on m-pact's award-winning albums "2" and "The Carol Commission". Since then, Greg has established himself in Los Angeles as an in-demand studio vocalist and singer-for-hire. He has worked on projects ranging from film scores and sound recordings to live rock operas and cruise ships. Greg has worked with such luminaries as Burt Bacharach, David Foster, Roger Daltrey, and Frankie Valli among others. He has also maintained a healthy a cappella diet, performing throughout North America with the renowned vocal group Sixth Wave. It's no wonder that m-pact is thrilled to share the stage with Greg once again! Incidentally, the group is equally excited to begin the betting pool for the number of times Greg bumps his head while entering/exiting the tour van.
* Artists, instructors, and classes are subject to change without notice.