Female Acapella Quartet Shares Harmony at Singing Workshop for Northern Virginia Youth

Jan. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- Epic, the Washington, D.C., region’s freshest acapella female quartet, has announced it will host an educational singing workshop for sixth graders in the Northern Virginia region on Saturday, February 4. The “Saturday School for the Arts” program, organized by George Mason University’s Potomac Arts Academy, will bring acapella harmony training to students from Hunter Woods Elementary School, a magnet school for the arts and science in Reston, Va.

Epic, a female acapella quartet specializing in barbershop harmony, will present its diverse and harmonic styling to youth participants during the two-hour educational workshop. The young musicians participating in the program will receive the training and support they need to sing four-part harmony on their own with no additional accompaniment.

“The fantastic thing about acapella harmony is that it complements and reflects so many diverse styles of music and truly appeals to singers of any age,” said Anne Albright, lead singer for Epic. “Whether recreating pop tunes on televised competition reality shows or taking barbershop harmony to a younger generation of musicians, acapella harmony is flexible enough to fit any occasion.”

Acapella singing is a challenging musical endeavor, Albright pointed out, which makes it essential to embed these skills with singers at a young age.  “Singing—and singing in the acapella style, in particular—is popular right now among younger singers thanks to shows like NBC’s ‘The Sing Off,’ so Epic welcomes any opportunity to offer young musicians the music pedagogy that our quartet members rely on for every performance we give or contest in which we compete,” Albright added. “Plus, we just love barbershop harmony chords—and we share that any chance we get with singers of any age or experience level.”

The Potomac Arts Academy is a vital part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University, bringing university quality arts instruction to the community, whether it's through innovative and inspiring music, theater, visual art and computer gaming classes or through a variety of special events and programs focused on teacher education and enrichment. The Potomac Arts Academy seeks to enrich the lives of community members of all ages, skill levels and socio-economic backgrounds by providing the highest caliber of artistic instruction in an accessible and nurturing environment.

Epic is a vibrant quartet filled with an impressive blend musical and life experiences. Its members are Kristina Adams (baritone), Anne Albright (lead), Shana Oshiro (bass), and Christina Lewellen (tenor). The quartet has been recently invited to open the prestigious Virginia Gold Cup races in May with its harmonic rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

Epic formed when two barbershop acapella harmony singers, a jazz singer and an opera singer found they shared a common love of ringing chords, fun rehearsals and fantastic shoes. The foursome hails from Virginia and Maryland and is proudly affiliated with the Harmony, Inc., a premier international organization of women barbershop harmony singers.

For more information, visit EpicQuartet.com or PotomacAcademy.GMU.edu.

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Epic formed when two barbershop acapella harmony singers, a jazz singer and an opera singer found they discovered a common love of ringing chords, fun rehearsals and fantastic shoes. The foursome hails from Virginia and Maryland and is proudly affiliated with the Harmony, Inc., a premier international organization of women barbershop harmony singers.

Epic is a vibrant quartet filled with an impressive blend musical and life experiences. Its members are Kristina Adams (baritone), Anne Albright (lead), Shana Oshiro (bass), and Christina Lewellen (tenor). The quartet has been recently invited to open the prestigious Virginia Gold Cup races in May with its harmonic rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

Visit EpicQuartet.com to learn how the quartet aims to fill its days with Epic laughter, Epic music, and Epic shoes!