Posts Tagged ‘benefit’

SingStrong – A Cappella Music Festival

A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media

Reston, Virginia

Last March, I was invited to cover the SingStrong in Reston, Virginia. SingStrong is an a cappella music festival held at South Lakes High School on this occasion. Overall, musicians come together to do workshops, have master classes, and hear from performers from around the country. A cappella, in short, describes a style of music where all of the sounds from the band are create from the human voice. Popular culture has show off these performers especially in movies like “Pitch Perfect” or TV shows like NBC’s “The Sing – Off.”

A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media

Main Stage – South Lakes HS

Blue Jupiter are the main hosts for all the attendees of this event. Diana and Jonathan emcee the larger shows over the weekend including the Aca-Idol competition and the main show on Saturday evening. Marty sets up the audio-visual presentation on the stage running the sound board. The sound of the singers sounds amazing from the crowd and along with the theater lights really elevates the concerts.

A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media

The 2015 edition of SingStrong continued their tradition of bringing passionate musicians together. They spend a weekend full of learning, networking, and inspiring each other. I enjoy being a part of the weekend to help preserve some memories that the groups can look back on when they get back home. I hope it keeps them working to sound better, and to continue their progress to be even better. The proceeds from participating or attending the shows over the weekend help to support the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. With the tickets and silent auctions, all of the funds help to support an amazing cause. I hope to see what the groups have in store next year!

Blue Jupiter performing at SingStrong - A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
Blue Jupiter performing at SingStrong – A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
Ball in the House performing at SingStrong - A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
Ball in the House performing at SingStrong – A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
Main Stage at SingStrong - A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media
Main Stage at SingStrong – A Cappella Music Festival ©TimeLine Media

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SingStrong – High School Competition

SingStrong DC 2014 - ©TimeLine Media

SingStrong has so many ties to the local music education scene in northern Virginia. All of the weekend performances and workshops are held in South Lakes High School in Reston, VA. They have been very generous to allow the festival to take over the many rooms in their art wing for practice rooms, coaching spaces, and some larger rooms where workshops and large group rehearsals can take place.

South Lakes High School

SingStrong DC 2014 - ©TimeLine Media
SingStrong DC 2014 – ©TimeLine Media

The main stage is the auditorium where the SingStrong team transforms the stage into an amazing place to perform a cappella music. It is a lot for both the eyes and ears to take in from the multicolor stage lights, and the professional sound setup. The High School Competition on Saturday afternoon gives the many high school students a chance to use this professional setup. They perform for their family and friends on the big stage as the featured performance at this time.

SingStrong DC 2014 - ©TimeLine Media
SingStrong DC 2014 – ©TimeLine Media

They receive feedback from judges, and the audience gets to weigh in with their votes for their favorite group. For this competition, I listen from backstage. These groups that get coaching over the weekend, really put their newly gained knowledge to the test sometimes with some great results! Directly after their performances, I have them for a few minutes to get a group photo backstage. They are so relieved after finishing their set, and they are excited about how well they performed.

SingStrong DC 2014 - ©TimeLine Media
SingStrong DC 2014 – ©TimeLine Media

All these photos are a really nice memento from a weekend that they have dedicated to improving their singing and stage presence. For a lot of the groups, some members cannot make the trip due to other commitments. I think they have missed out on a unique experience in their music education. Nothing brings a group together like going through a competition together. I hope they take the photos, and enjoy looking back at this time when group singing was such a big part of their lives.

SingStrong DC 2014 - ©TimeLine Media
SingStrong DC 2014 – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Twitter – SingStrong

Ten performs at SingStrong DC 2014 - ©TimeLine Media

I am taking a break from the blog today! Yesterday, there was quite a lot of activity on my Twitter account. Follow me @rassigborneo to see some of the postings from last weekend’s SingStrong a cappella music festival. I have started posting some of my favorite photos on my Twitter feed to show to the performers. There were so many great performances, and the lighting setup on the stage really helped to make some dynamic photos. I’ll post more on the blog here in the coming week. Have a nice rest of the weekend!

Ten performs at SingStrong DC 2014 - posted to my twitter account  ©TimeLine Media
Ten performs at SingStrong DC 2014 – ©TimeLine Media

Overall, I really enjoy sharing my images on the blog. It is my own space on the web, but undoubtedly social media has a lot of reach. At this time, I realized how much after this music festival. Especially with the enthusiastic fans getting such close access to their favorite musicians, these photos were shared many times! Being that I am new to the Twitter game, please send me along some tips. I enjoy the interaction with fans and other photographers. Moreover, I also find other similar photographers as people tag their favorites along with mine! It is an amazing way to make new connections.

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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