On Saturday, Jan. 25, singers from schools throughout New England returned to the Roberts Theater stage for the annual Wyvern Invitational A Cappella Festival (WIAF).
Founded in 2009 by Marcos Carreras, the festival showcases the singing talents of students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, while also acting as a fundraiser for the annual Team Tobati trip to Paraguay. This year, the event was judged by singers from the Iris Vocal Trio, a vocal group mainly based in New York.
From Kingswood Oxford, there were two musical ensembles: the all boys group Crimson 7, led by performing arts teacher David Baker, and the all girls group Oxfordians, led by choral director Steve Mitchell. Crimson 7 sang “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child with a solo from senior Zaire Ramiz, and “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC featuring a solo from junior Riley Mapp. The Oxfordians performed “Disturbia” by Rihanna with a solo from sophomore Danica DeDios, and “Over the Rainbow,” originally sung by Judy Garland.
Award winners from this festival include an honorary mention for Kingswood Oxford’s Oxfordians, Revolution from Springfield placing third along with taking home awards for Best Vocal Percussion and Best Choreography. Peanut Butter and Jelly from Lexington took home first place in addition to Best Student Arrangement and Best Male Soloist for Aman Verman. Onomatopoeia from Lexington placed second and was also awarded Best Female Soloist for Maggie Radcliffe. And, our very own Crimson 7 boys took home an award for Best Student Arrangement done by junior Riley Mapp and senior Zaire Ramiz and their arrangement of “Bills, Bills, Bills.”
Sophomore Crimson 7 member Matthew Habeeb reflected on the preparation for the big event. “We had rehearsal from 7 to 8:30 every Tuesday night in the dance studio,” he said. “When it came to the week before WIAF, we went on the stage and ran the songs to get used to that space.”
In addition to their Tuesday night rehearsal, Oxfordians met during Community Time throughout the week before WIAF to make sure they were ready for the competition. Not only did the girls place fourth (the highest the group has placed in 15 years), but they had a lot of fun during the event.
Sophomore Oxfordians singer Lidia Martinez-Castro commented on what the festival meant to her. “It was fun to perform for an audience that was there just for a cappella, especially since many people don’t even know what it is, or that KO has a cappella groups,” she said. “It was also really fun to bond with the girls and really become friends, not just ‘people I sing with.’”
The night ended not only with the Oxfordians placing fourth, but with Riley and Zaire getting recognized for their involvement in choreographing Crimson 7’s numbers. Congratulations to all who participated in making it a night to remember!
