Tickets are on sale for Brattleboro's 15th annual Collegiate A Cappella Concert, a benefit for the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, at the Latchis Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, the concert features eight singing groups from around New England. Six of these groups include “hometown singers” from southern Vermont and two perennial favorites from Tufts University.
One of Brattleboro's most popular annual cultural events, the Collegiate A Cappella Concert was launched in 2004 by Dede Cummings, then a BMAC trustee. She arranged for the Brown University Jabberwocks, of which her son, Sam Carmichael, was a member, and other groups with local connections to perform in Brattleboro, and a lasting tradition was born.
“I think the popularity of this event stems from several factors,” said BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld in a news release. “First of all, the performances are always really entertaining. On top of that, the 'hometown kid' element is very special.
“Seeing these young adults who grew up in and around Brattleboro come back home with their college groups is truly heartwarming. It's a real testament to our community's extraordinary school music programs and other local resources, such as New England Youth Theatre, Brattleboro Music Center, and Vermont Jazz Center."
The 2018 concert lineup includes the CharlieChords of Berklee College of Music (featuring Ian Epstein, BUHS '16), Dartmouth Decibelles (featuring Breanna Sheehan, BUHS '16), UMaine Renaissance (featuring Julia Waldron, BUHS '15), UMaine Farmington Clefnotes (featuring Vanessa Brown, BUHS '16), UVM Top Cats (featuring Zeb Hathaway, BUHS '16), and UVM Zest (featuring Emma Urbaska, Leland & Gray '17), as well as the Tufts Amalgamates and Tufts Beelzebubs.
Although the two Tufts groups don't technically have “hometown singers,” both have strong ties to Brattleboro and its annual Collegiate A Cappella Concert.
The Amalgamates count among their alumni Brattleboro natives Sean Ryan and Aurora Phillips. The Beelzebubs have participated in the concert since 2008, when Brattleboro's Penn Rosen joined the group as a freshman and Lichtenfeld, a former Beelzebub, became Director of BMAC.