Choral Competition Sing That Thing! Launches Second Season
WGBH Selects 24 Groups to Compete on TV Broadcast
BOSTON, Mass. (December 22, 2015) – Twenty-four amateur singing groups from across New England were selected from a field of more than 81 groups to perform during the second season of Sing That Thing!, from Boston public broadcaster WGBH. The series brings singing groups together in a televised competition to celebrate the power of song and is hosted by Boston Children’s Chorus Artistic Director Anthony Trecek-King. Sing That Thing! begins taping in January 2016 and premieres on WGBH 2 on Friday evenings starting April 1, 2016.
The series includes groups from three categories: high school, collegiate and adult. The groups will perform during eight episodes, including a live-to-tape semi-final and finale featuring the top group from each category performing their unique rendition of a pop favorite.
“We are proud to introduce a brand-new set of New England’s most talented singers to our enthusiastic audiences,” said Liz Cheng, WGBH’s general manager for television and co-executive producer of Sing That Thing!. “With a 40% increase in applications from across the Northeast, WGBH continues a legacy of showcasing artists performing nearly every genre of music – from jazz, gospel, religious and show choir to pop and classical.”
The Sing That Thing! coaches – Larry Watson, Annette Philip and Jared Bowen – will provide constructive feedback to the groups and determine which will advance to the grand finale. Watson, an educator, lyricist and civil rights activist, is a professor in the Berklee College of Music ensemble department. Philip, a vocalist, composer/arranger and faculty member at Berklee College of Music, won the 2014 national Harmony Sweepstakes a cappella Championship with her quartet, “Women of the World.” Bowen, WGBH News executive arts editor, hosts WGBH’s Open Studio with Jared Bowen, Boston television’s only local arts series (airs Fridays at 8:30pm).
“Sing That Thing! was a joy to create and present in its inaugural season, and I excited to bring the fierce passion of local singing groups back to the screen,” said co-executive producer Patricia Alvarado Nuñez. “The coaches and experts will bring their supportive and colorful touch to the competition that will educate both competing groups and fans.”
Sing That Thing! is WGBH’s newest original local series. Other local series include WGBH News’ Greater Boston, Beat the Press, Basic Black and Open Studio with Jared Bowen, as well as High School Quiz Show, produced by WGBH Education, and Front Row Boston, produced by the WGBH Digital Studios division. Funding is provided by The Boston Foundation.
Preliminary round tapings for Sing That Thing! will take place Tuesday, January 12 through Thursday, January 14, 2016 at WGBH Studios in Brighton. The semifinal and final groups will be taped in February in front of a studio audience. More information about the series is available at WGBH.org/SingThatThing.
Selected Choirs
High school
- Beverly High School Vocal Ensemble – Beverly, MA
- Hollis-Brookline Honors Choir (Hollis Brookline High School) – Hollis, NH
- The 18 Wheelers (Wheeler High School) – Providence, RI
- Mansfield High School Select Choir – Mansfield, MA
- Music Unlimited (Waltham High School) – Waltham, MA
- ShenaniGanns (Gann Academy) – Waltham, MA
- Strawberry Fields (Bristol Eastern High School – Bristol, CT
- Vibe (Daniel Hand High School) – Madison, CT
College
- Doo Wop Shop (UMASS Amherst) – Amherst, MA
- Fermata NoWhere (UMASS Lowell) – Lowell, MA
- Good Question A Capella (Williams College) – Williamstown, MA
- Gordon College Choir – Wenham, MA
- Manic Optimist (Bates College) – Lewiston, ME
- Noteworthy (Emerson College) – Boston, MA
- Redhot & Blue (Yale University) – New Haven, CT
- Simple Harmonic Motion (Worcester Polytechnical Institute) – Worcester, MA
Adult – small group
- Bostonality – Brookline, MA
- Boston Jazz Voices – Waltham, MA
- Boston Skyline Chorus – Lexington, MA
- Cambridge Chamber Singers – Cambridge, MA
- The Copley Cats – Boston, MA
- Mass Whole Notes – Somerville, MA
- Vocal Revolution – Lexington, MA
About WGBH:
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web. Television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH, Boston Public Radio; 99.5 WCRB; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. Find more information at wgbh.org.
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