A Cappella: Semi-Pro
Amateur and semi-professional a cappella groups
Business Casual, 2018 National Harmony Sweepstakes Champs. Featuring powerful leads, floor thumping bass, and sizzling vocal percussion, Business Casual combines unexpected musical styles to produce fresh a cappella versions of vintage chart toppers, today’s top 40 hits, and award-winning original songs. Currently active and available for parties, corporate events, and any other occasion that would be improved by a cappella! bookings@bcvocals.com
Conspiracy of Beards, 30 member male choir that performs dynamic, original, a cappella arrangements of the poetic songs of Leonard Cohen.
Fog City Harmonia, Furthering the San Francisco barbershop singing revolution with the power of female voices.
Halfway to Midnight, 2016 and 2019 Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes Champs. Mixed a cappella singing pop and rock covers on the Peninsula.
Hookslide, (info@hook-slide.com) A five part, four person, all-male vocal band, featuring a repertoire of rock, pop, funk, and r&b covers and originals.
Kinsey Sicks, (415) 326-4679, ksicks@aol.com -- "America's Favorite Dragappella Beautyshop Quartet" has performed music and comedy to audiences at performing arts centers, music venues, and comedy festivals throughout the US and internationally! (Winner, SF regional sweeps audience favorite, 1999)
KITKA Women's Vocal Ensemble (Oakland, (510) 444-0323,staff@kitka.org)
The Loose Interpretations, The Bay Area’s only all-female a cappella group.
MeAN, Members Even after NiCE, an a cappella group with alumni of UC Berkeley's Nikkei Choral Ensemble
Musaic, A men's vocal ensemble dedicated to musical excellence and to exploring exciting music which expands the limits of a cappella singing.
Redshift, Redshift, an eight-person mixed group singing a capella arrangements of pop, rock, and jazz. Contact Stephen Nelson, steven@jubal.com
Ro Sham Bo, has been entertaining Bay Area audiences for more than 15 years. This Oakland based group of three men and three women specializes in original arrangements of Jazz tunes with a Latin, funk and R&B twist. Ro Sham Bo can be reached at roshambosings@yahoo.com.
San Francisco Sacred Harp Singing Group (non-performing)
Scales of the City: Based on the model of a collegiate glee club, but decidedly updated, we're a group of 27 San Franciscans who perform pop music we love from our childhoods and today, with a sprinkling of showtunes just for kicks. We're all about making great music to share, and having a great time doing it!
Sidenote, 2022 Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes Champs
Smorgaschord \'smOr-gas-kord\ n. 1: a variety of tones and rhythms spread out on a buffet table; 2: a group of entertaining singers of a cappella music who enjoy a wide range of styles and can often be found near a buffet table. 3. a clog on the internets tubes at a Facebook page
Solstice, founded in 1996, is a female vocal ensemble specializing both in music written by women and for women's voices. Our music spans many different genres, including classical, world, pop, jazz, and gospel. We are also committed to performing new works for female voices and regularly compose, commission, and arrange new songs. solsticesings@yahoo.com, 415-450-8437.
Spot the Octopus, Berkeley
Take Flight, 2023 Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes Champs
Threshold Choirs, several groups of women who are called to sing at the bedsides of people who are dying. There are choirs in San Francisco, Marin County, Sonoma County, the East Bay, Bolinas, Contra Costa County and Placerville, with choirs starting soon in Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, and more out-of-state.
Vocolot, founded in 1988, is a women's a cappella ensemble performing original music with universal heart, Jewish soul and social conscience. Vocolot uses the power of music for world peace.
Possibly Inactive Groups
Boyz Nite Out, 1995 Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes Champs from Sacramento
The Eclectic Company, a 9-voice multi-style (rock, jazz, E. European, classical, originals...). Features four writer/arrangers, four music teachers, two members blest with perfect pitch. Call Santa Cruz (831)457-0910 or e-mail jpaul@ix.netcom.com
ESTHER, 20-member women's ensemble blending a refined musicality with a zany attitude. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Flying Without Instruments (Caia (415) 824 4011, info@flyingwithoutinstruments.com), founded December 1996, 9 mixed voices, sing and perform all styles of a cappella music from several centuries, "from Byrd to the B-52's."
Huzzah!, San Jose (Pandora Simmons, 408.298-4467), an early music vocal sextet. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
IMPROVOX, an SF group blending a cappella and theatre improvisation. Doni, 415-267-3034 or humorwrx@sirius.com. Note: they are NOT a comedy group, although the work does inspire a lot of laughs. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
The Loose Canons (SF/Oakland): a 10 voice womens a cappella ensemble, sings intriguing songs from all over. Rehearse Sunday evenings from 6:30-9pm. Contact Jillian Tallmer, 415-668-2284, or YIDL@peoplepc.com. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Making Waves -- Singing Out Truth in 5-part Harmony. Original women's acapella ensemble. Currently auditioning new members. irinarivkin@hotmail.com, Irina Rivkin, 510-524-3545 [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
montereyvoice, Monterey: a small acappella group that invites people to come and sing with them. helene@sbcglobal.net [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Naked Voices (Carolyn Stark, (831) 475-9151, cjstark@cats.ucsc.edu), singing a wide variety of a cappella music ranging from R&B, Rock, Gospel and Swing, has been together for the last 9 years. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
OutBurst, the a cappella octet performance group of the Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Mary Schmary [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Mostly Motets sing a cappella sacred music from the Renaissance and earlier. We are looking for a couple of more singers. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
New Trix: Quartet in Sacramento since 1990, singing the best of jazz, big band era songs, pop, musical theater and spirituals. New Trix specializes in programs for lodges, clubs, conventions and other private groups, but does occasional public concerts. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
One of Each, a 4 member group located in the south bay.
Out On A Clef, a lesbian a cappella quartet that sings swing, barbershop, jazz with twisted lyrics to old songs, plus their own original works. Fun and satirical, they perform all over the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Janet Rachel, 510-654-4088, jardsp@uclink4.berkeley.edu [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Prime Time, Prime Time is an award-winning contemporary a cappella group from the California Bay Area. Known for their dynamic performances and exquisite musicianship, Prime Time has been wowing audiences for years. The singers have decades of experience spanning multiple musical styles. Reviewers have named then as "a joy to watch". "Amazing dynamic range!", "beautiful delivery, lots of energy, great cohesion." Keep up to date on shows in your area through Facebook. * 2014 SF Bay Area Regionals Harmony Sweeps - Champions
The Richter Scales are a baker's dozen of gentlemen songsters, all residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. We perform selections from a wide variety of genres, including American standards, Broadway, Motown, and contemporary music. We rehearse in San Francisco. Loren,(415) 440-3797
Rolls Voyce (SF, W. Sutton, days 707-257-0408, eves 707-226-5927). Gershwin, Cole Porter, oldies, originals. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Savina Women's Folk Choir, (510) 530-1567 [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
speedzoo, a fun, contemporary 1 woman/4 men group. Eclectic repertoire including rock/pop and other styles. Ken Purchase, (650) 965-4832 [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Spontaneous Combustion, 4 man a cappella quartet specializing in attack serenades. Spontaneous Combustion is based in the Bay Area on the Peninsula but goes most places for singing engagements. They sing everything from doo-wop to contemporary a cappella. They've been called "better than Phil Donahue!" Bill Lapcevic, Business manager, 650-954-9692. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Sweet Deliverance, Christian A Cappella Vocal Band. Has been performing on a part-time basis for over 20 years. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Talk of da Town, Oakland [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Total Chaos, Santa Rosa. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Three 5 and 6, audience favorite at the 2001 Harmony Sweepstakes Semifinals in San Francisco. Based in Sacramento. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Vacuum A Cappella, alumni of UC Berkeley's Artists in Resonance (AiR)
VocaMotion, Santa Cruz (Jonathan Arthur) [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Voci del Tesoro is a Bay Area-based touring choir of professional singers dedicated to the prayerful presentation of the Catholic Church's finest music through sacred concerts and liturgies. We sing all periods of serious repertoire from Gregorian Chant to the 21st century. Most, but not all music is acappella, and we specialize in early music. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
Wicki 6, a mixed sextet with vocal percussion and a pop repertoire of original songs and arrangements ranging from R&B to classic rock with stops at jazz, 80's and grunge. [2/26/12: Needs confirmation]
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