BRATTLEBORO — Tickets are now on sale for Brattleboro's ninth Annual Collegiate A Cappella Concert, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre.
The concert is a benefit for the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC). Tickets are $35 for front orchestra (sold out), $28 for rear orchestra, and $20 for balcony.
A limited number of Producer's Circle tickets are left for $75. Tickets and outlet locations are available at the Museum by calling 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
Always a popular event, last year's concert got a big boost when the Tufts University Beelzebubs were showcased on NBC's a cappella reality/competition show, The Sing-Off, which aired nationwide in mid-December 2009.
After that national exposure, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center was swamped with ticket orders and sold out the 750-seat show before the holidays.
More recently, the Bubs, as they are known, were featured as back up vocalists on the hit TV show, Glee, where they performed Katy Perry's “Teenage Dream.” That song reportedly sold 55,000 copies in its first day. The Bubs also performed on NBC's 2011 Holiday Special.
This year's concert will also feature the Dartmouth Aires, another a cappella group from the college whose members competed in the 2011 season of NBC's The Sing-Off.
Aires lead vocalist Michael Odokara-Okigbo emerged as the favorite soloist of the competition, which aired last month.
According to the Aires' business manager, Ethan Weinburg, the Brattleboro A Cappella Concert is the group's favorite event of the year, and they are thrilled to be returning to such a receptive audience as Brattleboro's.
On Feb. 5, the Dartmouth Aires will also perform a “Breakfast and Up Close and Personal” concert at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.
The lineup for this year's concert also includes UVM Top Cats, The Spirits from Wesleyan University, The Mandarins from Syracuse University, and Three Miles Lost from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Each of the remaining groups includes an alumnus or alumna of one of the high schools in the Brattleboro area.
“The involvement of hometown kids adds a really nice touch and makes this concert unique,” said concert producer Dede Cummings.
“We always seem to attract a terrific lineup of groups, and the show has a good reputation for presenting the best in terms of collegiate a cappella,” she added.
Returning as concert host is BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld, a former member of the Tufts Beelzebubs.
On the night of the show, the museum will collect canned goods for the food shelf at the Brattleboro Drop-in Center. The event will also feature a display for Mariam Diallo's Haitian Relief Fund and the Tropical Storm Irene Fund for the Mountain Home Trailer Park.