Many West Hartford students and musical groups shone at the Annual Wyvern A Capella Festival held at Kingswood Oxford School.

Submitted by Jackie Pisani, Kingswood Oxford School

For months, all across the state, young voices were in deep training to develop their distinct sound in preparation for the Wyvern Invitational A Capella Festival (WIAF) – one of the largest high school a cappella festivals in New England, spanning two nights, Jan. 27 and Jan. 28.

Fifteen groups competed over two nights. Featuring all-female, all-male and mixed groups, the WIAF showcased smooth sounds and powerful chords that delighted the packed house.

Each group sang one song, and then came back for another round. Performances included Hall High School’s A Cafella Crazy, Conard High School’s BeS#arp The Prince of Egypt Medley, Lexington High School’s version of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky.

Kingswood Oxford’ all-female Oxfordians covered Honey Moon Avenue while their Crimson 7 delivered a rousing version of My Shot from the play, Hamilton.

Ethel Walker’s The Grapes, awarded Best in Show, delivered a strong performance of Happy Ending that featured some fun dance moves.

The judges awarded the following prizes at the event:

Outstanding Student Arranger: Guacamole – Lexington H.S , Elise Counsell and Jocelyn Geller

Outstanding Student Director: The Grapes -Ethel Walker, Alana Garcia

Outstanding Student Choreography: Strawberry Fields – Bristol Eastern, Emma Kelly and Lexi Sylverne

Oustanding Vocal Percussion: A Cafella – Hall High School, Jeremy Hariprasad

Outstanding Male Vocalist: Pitchpipes- Lexington High School, Vivek Gopalakrishnan

Oustanding Female Vocalist: Close Harmony – Fairfield Ludlowe, Avery Bebon

Honorable Mention (4th Place): Guacamole – Lexington H.S.

Bronze Citation (3rd Place): Be S#harp – Conard H.S.

Silver Citation (2nd Place): Pitchpipes – Lexington H.S

Gold Citation (Best in Show): The Grapes – Ethel Walker

Middle School teacher, Kyle Chapman, a West Hartford resident, emceed the event, kept the event moving and drew laughs with his droll sense of humor. After seeing the Lexington High School all-girl group clad in matching denim jean jackets, Chapman warned the audience not to attempt to purchase the item at the Gap, since the store was sold out in a size small.

Esteemed judges with a steep background in theater and vocal music for Saturday’s event included: filmmaker Mallory Moser, Backtrack singer Jordan Bilbrew, music educator and choral conductor, Brian O’Connell, Director of Choirs and Theatre at Francis T. Maloney High School in Meriden, David Pelletier, and composer and vocalist Dr. Kathryn Swanson-Ellis. Andrew John Kim, an a cappella producer/engineer and composer from New York City, served as the audio engineer.

Todd Millen, the Kingswood Oxford Creative Arts teacher who organized the event said, “Each year, the WIAF draws top singing talent from the area. Whether students perform radio-ready songs like Brittany Spear’s Toxic or old standards, each group brings their signature style. There’s an incredible sense of community among all the singers. Clearly, they love performing for each other and the crowd.”

Kingswood Oxford raised over $11,000 through ticket sales the WIAF for Team Tobati, the long standing Kingswood Oxford service-learning program which will cover the construction of a kitchen at the 21 de Julio Grade School in rural Tobati, Paraguay. The Paraguayan government will fund a breakfast and lunch program for the students in this very poor village once the construction is finished during the school’s March service trip. The WIAF is directly helping the nutrition and health of the children in this Paraguayan community.

The preeminent independent co-ed, college preparatory day school in Greater Hartford, Kingswood Oxford is located just steps from Blue Back Square and West Hartford Center. Its 502 students come from 62 towns in Connecticut and western Massachusetts as well as China.