Hall High School graduate, UConn rising junior, and West Hartford native Michael Patterson is performing on Martha’s Vineyard with ‘The Vineyard Sound’ a cappella group.

By Joy Taylor

Shevon and Tom Hickey of West Hartford, with Michael Patterson, a tenor with The Vineyard Sound. Photo courtesy of Tom Hickey

Michael Patterson, a UConn student and West Hartford native, is spending his summer as part of the 10-member, all-male professional vocal group known as The Vineyard Sound, based in Edgartown, MA.

This is Patterson’s second season with the group, and his first as the musical director.

The group, formed in 1992, is a summer fixture on the island. The members change every few years, but just as the founding members did, The Vineyard Sound draws from area colleges and universities.

Patterson had this to say about the experience: “The Vineyard Sound has been an incredible group to be a part of because of the life-long friendships and ageless songs that have been passed down from older members for decades.”

Patterson isn’t the first West Hartfordite to be in the group. Ari Wolfe, a current Vineyard Sound board member, is a also a Hall High alum (class of ’99) and he did four summers in the group in the early 2000s. David Baker, a Kingswood Oxford graduate and current KO teacher, sang with the group for three summers.

Of course the privilege of performing with the group means a lot of rehearsing and hard work, but it also means members get to live on the island for the summer. The young men share a house in Edgartown.

Venues are typically churches, mostly due to the great acoustics, but the group can also be hired for private parties. Keep your eyes and ears open when touring the island, the guys are known to sing in the streets.

The Vineyard Sound repertoire is about 50 songs – everything from jazz standards and classic rock to contemporary pop and soul tunes.

The group performs weekly from June to August.

WEEKLY SHOWS (courtesy of The Vineyard Sound Website)
From June 15th, 2016 through August 21st, 2016, VS will be performing the following weekly shows around Martha’s Vineyard.
•Mondays: United Methodist Church
Join us every Monday evening in Oak Bluffs at 8pm.
June 29th’s show will start at 9:00pm, No show JULY 4th

•Tuesdays: Chilmark Community Church
VS will be in Chilmark every Tuesday at 8pm.

•Thurdays: Federated Church
Come see VS perform every Thursday at 8pm in Edgartown.

•Fridays: St. Andrews Church
Double duty! VS will be performing two shows, 7 and 9pm, every Friday night in Edgartown.

2016 Vinyard Sound a cappella group includes: Frank Kosi Amaefuna, Max Luton, Drew André, Cody McDonnell, Michael Patterson, Jermaine Doris, Connor Bennion, Mark Thurner, Killian Grider and Gavin Morgan. Courtesy photo