Send Pitch Please to Carnegie Hall!

Hello! Pitch Please is a contemporary a cappella group from Northwood High School in Pittsboro, NC. The ensemble is  made up of 18 auditioned singers that rehearse twice a week after school under the direction of Northwood Choral Director, Matthew Hanson.

In February, the group competed in the International Championship of High School A Cappella and placed 2nd in the semi-final round held in Atlanta, GA. Pitch Please has placed 1st and 2nd in the MIX 101.5 Christmas Choir Competition the past 2 years and won $7,000 for their choral program. The student's music can also be found on iTunes with the release of their EP entitled "Take Note" last April. This past May, the group won 1st place and the state title in the NCASA A Cappella Competition which included special awards for "Best Choreography", "Best Male Soloist" (Andrew Bonomolo), and "Best Female Soloist" (Carmyn Johnson). Pitch Please stays active in the Chatham County and Triangle community and performs regularly for local festivals, charity functions, and various community events. 

Onto the GREAT NEWS!

We have recently been selected (based on a video audition) to travel to New York City to participate in a performance called Total Vocal put on by none other than the great producer/arranger Deke Sharon (Pitch Perfect, NBC's The Sing-Off, The House Jacks)!

Dr. Jonathan Griffin, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor states, "Northwood High School's "Pitch Please" received this invitation because of the quality and high level of musicianship demonstrated by the singers as well as the exeptional quality of their audiiton recording."

We will get to spend 5 days and 4 nights in New York City in preparation for our concert and will rehearse 9-10+ hours over the course of the 5 day residency with Deke Sharon. This 4 day adventure will take place April 6-9, 2017 and will culminate with a final performance in Carnegie Hall! 

So.. just who is DEKE SHARON??

Deke is heralded as "The Father of Contemporary A Cappella" and "a one man a cappella revolution" (Boston Globe). Deke is reponsible for the current sound of modern a cappella and for spreading the dense vocal-instrumental sound around the world. 

From San Francisco, CA, Deke is the founder, director, an arranger for the House Jacks, and has share the stage with countless music legends including Ray Charles, James Brown, Crosby Still and Nash, Run DMC, The Temptations, LL Cool J, and The Four Tops. 

Deke produces NBC's "The Sing-Off" and served as arranger, on-site music director, and vocal producer for Universal's "Pitch Perfect" movies. 

So now you can see just why we HAVE to be there, right?!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for this group and our school as this is the FINAL year that Total Vocal with Deke Sharon will be offered.

ALL funds raised will go toward  the necessary expenses required for us to participate in the 5-day event. This includes round-trip airfare, ground transportation, 4 nights in a mid-town Manhattan hotel, and students partcipant fees. 

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any comments or questions and THANK YOU in advance for supporting our students! 

Thank you,

Matthew N Hanson, Choral Director