UNH Manchester to host New Hampshire’s second annual a cappella competition for middle and high school students. More than 125 middle and high school students are scheduled to come together on Friday, October 14 for Voices of the (603), for a friendly competition at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester and a morning of workshops at UNH Manchester.

Voices of the (603), hosted by UNH Manchester’s a cappella group, Milling Around, will include an a cappella festival, including educational clinics for New Hampshire middle and high school students and a friendly competition/concert in the evening. The program’s goals are to: raise awareness of vocal and a cappella music; showcase NH’s talented student musicians; support Arts advocacy groups (like NH Citizens for the Arts); and provide students with alternative ways to foster their passion in music and the Arts.

Voices of the (603) will consist of two segments on Friday, October 14. The day begins at 10:00 a.m. at UNH Manchester where students and teachers will learn about topics such as arranging music for their current ensemble, promoting the ensemble, stage presence, recording on a dime, Beatboxing 101, and microphone use. There will be presenters from collegiate a cappella groups and their alumni, professional a cappella clinicians from the Boston area and national recording artists, Overboard. CEUs are available for the morning workshops.

The second segment, which is open to the public, is an a cappella concert at the Currier Museum of Art beginning at 6:30 p.m. In conjunction with the Currier, the exhibit Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photography will be viewed during intermission. During the festival all participants will take part in the a cappella piece: Rock and Roll: A Medley, an a cappella arrangement made specifically for this festival to tie into the Currier’s exhibit. The competition will be emceed by WZID’s Heather Bishop and will include performances by teams of students from across NH, one of which will be named the 2011 Voices of the (603) a cappella champion, a title that the Chamber Singers of Manchester West High School under the direction of Susan Wilkes won in 2010.

There will also be group performances by UNH Durham’s all female groups, New Hampshire Notables and Maiden Harmony, co-ed group Off the Clef and award winning all-male group Not Too Sharp. Also performing will be UNH Manchester’s a cappella group, Milling Around and national recording artists: Overboard (overboardvocals.com).

Teams and schools who have expressed interest in performing or coming to the clinics are: Kingswood/Wolfeboro High School, Winnacunnet High School, Woodsville High School, Lisbon High School, Windham High School, Berlin High School, Milford High School, Manchester West High School, and Bow High School.

Schools interested in participating have until Friday, September 30 (exceptions can be made) to register their teams by emailing voicesofthe603@gmail.com. We will be live streaming the concert through our website. Tickets for the concert are $10 per person and are available through http://www.voicesofthe603.com.