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Fourth Annual Santa Cruz Acappellafest Expands to Two Days

The best bargain all year long for those who love vocal music is the Fourth annual Santa Cruz Acappellafest which is expanding to two days this year. A full day of workshops and concerts on March 10 at the First Congregational Church, 900 High Street, Santa Cruz will be followed on March 11 by a concert with the amazing pop band MoPACT at the Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville. For as much as it would cost to see the headliners alone, fans can enjoy a full day of seminars and three concerts over two days with nine top quality groups. The Saturday conference with workshops, seminars and sing-a-longs begins at 9:00 a.m. and the evening concert features award-winning ensembles: Plus4db, Wicki 6, Mayim and Eclectic Company. The Sunday concert features exciting international touring stars MoPACT.

The day conference will be filled with workshops, seminars, sing-a-longs along with a lunchtime concert. Singers can try out different styles, from Shape Note to Doo-Wop to Barbershop to Dalmatian Klapa music from Croatia. Musicians also have the opportunity to network with others interested in forming groups. Other workshops will cover Vocal Percussion and Rhythm fundamentals, Jazz Scat singing and a folk sing-a-long. Unique this year will be a workshop focused for performing groups on how to promote their music and get gigs. The noon concert will feature contemporary groups Speedzoo, and Hookslide, local men's barbershop The Gold Standard Chorus and perennial local favorites VocaMotion.

The Saturday evening concert features a wide variety of musical styles. Plus4db, a mixed professional quintet from the Cupertino area, focuses on jazz and world beat stylings with impeccable tuning and remarkable harmonies. They are the 2000 Northern California Regional Champions of the Harmony Sweepstakes. Wicki 6 is a bay area energetic mixed sextet that combines excellent harmonies, rockin' percussion and powerful solo voices. This will be a very rare spring performance for Santa Cruz favorites Mayim, the delightful women's trio who pack the houses at their annual First Night concerts each year. Santa Cruz's own Eclectic Company will round out the evening's line up with their own blend of Bach to Beatles and even some Bulgarian.

Both the Saturday conference and the evening concert will be held at the First Congregational Church, 900 High Street in Santa Cruz, California. The daytime workshops begin at 9:00 a.m. Evening concert doors open at 6:30 p.m. with open seating, and the concert begins at 7:00 p.m.

The Sunday concert with MoPACT begins at 2:00pm at the Henry J. Mello Center, corners of East Beach and Lincoln Streets. The five gentlemen of MoPACT put together a show featuring sensational singing, fantastic arrangements in the pop-jazz-rock mode, high energy choreography, original and pop favorites in their own x-plosive a cappella style. They are the 1996 Harmony Sweepstakes Champions and Billboard's Best-Unsigned Band of 1999.

Acappellafest Saturday conference tickets are $10.00. The evening concert tickets are $15.00. The Sunday MoPACT concert tickets are $10.00 advanced, $12.00 at the door. Combination tickets for both days' events are $30.00. Tickets are available through Gateways Book and Gift, 1018 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 429-9600.

The Acappellafest is cosponsored by SCATS (Santa Cruz Acappellafest and Talent Showcase), the Central Coast chapter of CASA (Contemporary A cappella Society). "Because we want to provide everyone in our community an opportunity to sing, SCATS fosters a cappella music on the Central Coast." (SCATS Mission Statement.) In addition, the Acappellafest is supported by a grant from the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, and by KUSP 88.9 FM. The Sunday concert is in collaboration with the Henry J. Mello Center.