BRATTLEBORO — Tickets are on sale for Brattleboro's 16th annual Collegiate A Cappella Concert, a benefit for the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, taking place at the Latchis Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, the concert features six singing groups from around New England - five whose members include “hometown singers” from southern Vermont and one perennial favorite from Tufts University.
Tickets ($15-$50) are available online at www.brattleboromuseum.org or by calling 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
The Feb. 2 concert lineup includes the CharlieChords of Berklee College of Music, featuring Ian Epstein, BUHS '16; the Dartmouth Decibelles, featuring Breanna Sheehan, BUHS '16; UMaine Renaissance, featuring Julia Waldron, BUHS '15; the UVM Top Cats, featuring Zeb Hathaway, BUHS '16; and UVM Zest, featuring Emma Urbaska, Leland & Gray '17; as well as the Tufts Beelzebubs, whose alumni include BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld.
One of Brattleboro's most popular annual cultural events, the Collegiate A Cappella Concert was launched in 2004 by Dede Cummings, then a trustee of BMAC.
Cummings arranged for the Brown University Jabberwocks, of which her son, Sam Carmichael, was a member, and other groups with local connections to perform in Brattleboro, and a lasting tradition was born.
“I think the popularity of this event stems from several factors,” said Lichtenfeld in a news release. “First of all, the performances are always really entertaining. On top of that, the 'hometown singer' element is very special.
“Seeing these young adults who grew up in and around Brattleboro come back home with their college groups is truly heartwarming. It's a real testament to our community's extraordinary school music programs and other local resources, such as New England Youth Theater, Brattleboro Music Center, and Vermont Jazz Center."
The Latchis concert will be preceded by the High School A Cappella “Warm-Up” Concert at BMAC during Gallery Walk on Friday, Feb. 1, when local high school groups will perform in the museum's Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Gallery.
That concert takes place at 8 p.m. Tickets are free for those 18 and under, $5 for everyone else, and are available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.