Several Kingswood Oxford singers from West Hartford, as well as from Conard High School, were among the award winners.

Submitted by Kingswood Oxford School

Two Kingswood Oxford singers were among the top award-winners at the 8th annual Wyvern Invitational A Cappella Festival (WIAF), the largest independent high school a cappella festival in New England, held at KO on Jan. 8-9, 2016.

Held for the first time over two nights, the WIAF attracted 14 groups with more than 200 singers from high schools in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Proceeds from the event, which were earmarked for Team Tobati, KO’s signature service-learning program in Paraguay, totaled $13,000; combined with proceeds from Ryan Gordon ’05 Hockey Night, also held on Jan. 9, more than $19,000 was raised for Team Tobati over the weekend.

“Every year, this festival reminds me why KO is the great community that we know and love,” said History and Creative Arts teacher David Baker ’04, director of the WIAF. “The WIAF is a celebration of artistry, but it’s also a celebration of community – the KO community, the West Hartford community, the New England community, and, considering our connection to Paraguay, the global community.”

Carolyn McCusker ’17 of West Hartford, a member of Oxfordians, was named Outstanding Female Soloist for her rendition of “Valerie.” Josh Pugliese ’16 of Bolton came in 2nd in the People’s Choice Beatbox Competition, through which viewers in the audience and on the livestream feed voted for their favorite beatboxer.

The all-male Crimson 7, directed by Baker, sang “Uptown Funk” (with a manmade limo and a powerful solo by Zack Herz ’18 of Avon) and “Animals/Maps,” featuring solos from Ricky Ferris ’16 of Farmington and Jimmy Woods ’16 of Burlington.

The all-female Oxfordians, directed by MS arts teacher John DePalma, sang a rendition of the Taylor Swift Medley that featured solos from Ellie Kraus ’16 of West Hartford, Hayley Eicher ’16 of West Hartford, and Gabby Rusconi ’18 of Tolland. Gwyneth McDonald ’16 of West Hartford and Lauren Barnes ’16 of Avon performed as the Oxfordians’ first-ever vocal percussionists.

The top group awards went to:

Gold: Onomatopoeia, an all-female group from Lexington (MA) High School, featuring a male vocal percussionist

Silver: 18 Wheelers, coed group from The Wheeler School
Bronze: Pitchpipes, all-male group from Lexington HS
Honorable Mention: Be S#arp, coed group from Conard HS

In addition to McCusker and Pugliese, individual awards went to:

• Outstanding Male Solo: Jongtae Jeon from Lexington HS
• Outstanding Vocal Percussion: Adrian Ardon, Conard HS
• Outstanding Student Directors: Mallika Purandare and Maddy Allen, Lexington HS
• Outstanding Student Arrangement: Katharine Courtemanche, Lexington HS
• Outstanding Student Choreography: Lexi Sylverne, Bristol Eastern HS
• People’s Choice Beatbox Award: Adrian Ardon, Conard HS

Chris Grace ’01 was Master of Ceremonies for the WIAF, and more than 50 KO students served as Wyvern ambassadors, selling tickets and concessions and ushering guest groups around campus. “They did a phenomenal job,” said Baker.

Friday night featured several new groups to the WIAF, including Kent School’s Kentones/Kentettes and Lexington High School’s Onomatopoeia, as well as returning appearances by Ethel Walker’s The Grapes and Avon Old Farms’ The Sing-ed Beavers. This portion of the WIAF was a celebration of a cappella music, with judges writing critical feedback for each song the groups performed. During their deliberation, the Middle School all-girl a cappella group, the Octopipers, sang “And So It Goes.”

The judges for Saturday’s WIAF were:

• Ed Boyer, the producer, engineer, and arranger whose credits include Pitch Perfect 1 and 2, Glee, the Sing-Off, Pentatonix, and Straight No Chaser;
• Garth Kravits, award-winning composer for the Sing-Off;
• Amy Malkoff, board member of the Women’s A Cappella Association;
• Brian O’Connell, college professor and guest conductor; and
• Andrew John Kim, producer, sound engineer, and composer. Kim is one of Camp KO A Cappella’s directors and a member of the YouTube sensation Backtrack.

Everyone who participated in the WIAF received a leather award with golden print made by craftsmen and artisans from Tobati.

In addition to Baker, the WIAF was organized by Creative Arts faculty Todd Millen, John DePalma, and Rebecca Urrutia; Technical Director Mark Kravetz, Scoring and Technology Liaison Juan Martinez; and IT/Livestreaming coordinators Dan Bateson and Erik Durr.

A huge a cappella program is just one aspect of the robust Creative Arts offerings at Kingswood Oxford, the preeminent Hartford-area independent day school located just steps from Blue Back Square and West Hartford Center. The 508 students come from 62 towns in CT and western MA, as well as China and South Korea.

The school is still accepting applications for September 2016 enrollment, but only those completed by Feb. 1 will be eligible for merit scholarships. Questions? Contact the Admissions Office at 860-727-5000 or [email protected].