“Aisa” is an attitude; in Taiwan, the elders of the indigenous Paiwan tribe have an old adage: “When you don’t know how to say it, sing it!” And if you sing it, you’d better bring it. That is the attitude that Aisa encompasses, and the music that they bring; from the the ringing of Hakka hill songs and soulful voices of Atayal hymns echoing through the forests, to the contemporary instrumentals of Taiwanese indie rock jamming in the disco clubs, the repertoire of these singers will put their passion for singing on full display, and showcase what “Aisa” truly represents. What they don’t express through language they express with their sound, and what you don’t understand with words you feel with the groove, so wherever you’re from, whatever your mood, come and take a piece of “Aisa” home with you!
AORA is an a cappella group consisting of six independent voices, which all work together to create their own unique sound. The group was created 2016 and has ever since continued to grow and mature together to shape the six person unit they are today. The singers stem from a variation of backgrounds, which has been a key ingredient to the great variety of musical genres that they thrive in exploring together. In 2022 they released their debut EP “Puls” with original music in Swedish, with the song “Jag lovar” being their lead single. Puls illustrates the thoughts, feelings and dilemmas that you can come across in life. Through strong singing and relatable lyrics, the listener travels through different themes where the common thread is the pulse. AORA won 1st prize at the Tampere Vocal Music Festival 2021 in Finland and has previously received 2nd prize at the German vocal competition International A Cappella Contest Leipzig 2019. In 2022 AORA recieved a scholarship for vocal ensembles from the world renowned Swedish male choir Orphei Drängar.
Bird-Land is a jazz acapella vocal groupfrom Slovenia.
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“Boonfaysau” (BFS) is an award-winning, full-fledged A Cappella team from Hong Kong. Literally named “half fat and half lean” after the beloved Hong Kong style barbecued pork, the group was founded on the members’ shared passion for singing, and vocal cords that brave the frontiers of various musical genres. Boonfaysau has received acclaim and continuous recognition from the wider A Cappella circle, both in Hong Kong and abroad, claiming not only the overall First Prize, but also the VoiceJam Award and a Special Award for Best Rhythm Section at the Vocal Asia Asian Cup A Cappella Competition 2018, the largest and most influential A Cappella festival in Asia.
“GLAS” is the word for “voice” in all Slavic languages. The Viennese vocal ensemble GLAS, founded in 2017, embarks on a journey into the magical world of polyphonic women’s songs: from tender harmonies of yearning songs from the Dalmatian coast to passionate Bosnian chants or wild Bulgarian heroic epics, to lively “alley hits” from Macedonia and Greece in 7/8 time. Powerful-voiced world music with a focus on Southeast Europe, both in pure tradition and wrapped in artful arrangements and compositions. Under the direction of singer, actress and voice coach Univ. Prof. Nataša Mirković, a polyphonic body of sound is created that creeps under every skin and leaves no one untouched. The colorful diversity is found not only in the repertoire, but also in the origin of the ensemble members: the singers with roots from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Iran and Austria sing in different languages, cultivate and present this diversity with passion. The common denominator is the love of polyphony and the perfect unification of the often contrasting tones.
The duo huja are Heidi Clementi and Brigitte Knapp from Merano and Bolzano, who met in their enthusiasm for singing and yodeling and now devote themselves with passion to the modern Zwoagsong for a little over 2 years. They present alpine folk tunes in new garb, traditional as well as selbergmochte yodels and all sorts of “Verjodeltes”.
Kaleidoskop is an a cappella group that was formed in 2016 at the Musikhochschule Freiburg and performed in public for the first time in December 2016 – at that time still under the name 5Pac. Since then, the ensemble has given numerous regional and international concerts, which led them to the renowned a cappella festival ‘Vocalmente’ in Fossano (Italy) in 2018, for example. Workshops followed with some of the scene’s inspirers, including Jan Bürger (Maybebop), Kim Nazarian (New York Voices) and Peder Karlsson (Ex-Real Group). The group also received regular support from Julian Knörzer (Unduzo). The ensemble has set itself the goal of bringing the changeable a cappella genre to life in very different facets: with rock, metal, jazz and pop, the group brings a colorful spectrum of genres to the stage.
As good as the original, only a cappella: That is the mission of the six-piece vocal- band Magpie Alley from Augsburg (Germany). In the middle of the corona pandemic, the stage-experienced musicians Alexandrina Simeon (Alexandrina Simeon Quintet), Martin Seiler (Cash’n’go, Greg is Back) and Tobias Elster (Jukevox), as well as a cappella newcomers Mona Sonntag, Naomi Nlomé and Thomas Metschl (both Greg is Back). Together they cover current German and English-language hits, well-known classics, but also lesser-known musical treasures, which the audience is sure to will surely love after their performance. With the self-written arrangements collide pop, soul and jazz collide in a harmonious mixture in their repertoire.
Based out of New York City, SPIDERHORSE is an award winning beatbox duo comprised of Chris Celiz and Gene Shinozaki. They have been creating music for seven years together and expanding the capabilities of the human voice in the most innovative and exciting way.
The band “The Knorke” makes genre-spanning a-cappella music with their own arrangements of sometimes more, sometimes less well known songs or simply fabricate the songs themselves.
Their program “The Knorke – Jukebox of Horror” goes from Knorkator, Muse and David Bowie, about the not in the row Tom Waits, Tears for Fears and “Billy-Talent-Volksmusik-Mische”, up to “Hey Du” from the musical “Linie 1” and then they also add their own stuff. It’s about environmental protection and why zombies are the better people. The performance by the five Berliner Bierkehlchen was also a hit at the at the renowned a cappella competition vokal.total.2017. There they won the prize for the most original performance of a song. In addition, they were awarded the title of “trashy a cappella martial arts”. At the Solala-Solingen 2021 they won the audience prize “The golden blade”. Since then three light injuries and a lot of bread has been cut into slices.
The mixed voices ensemble Vocoder was founded in 2016 at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. During their studies of music education, the six singers discovered their passion for all sorts of different genres which is why they aim to explore a wide range of styles through their a cappella singing. Lacking a definite style, Vocoder enjoys the benefits of moving freely across genre boundaries which is also expressed in their current programme: Stillos Glücklich! Vocoder took part in numerous masterclasses given by the King’s Singers, Stephen Connolly, Stephan Görg, Erik Sohn & Jan Hendrik Herrmann. They also participated in festivals and competitions such as the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, the Vocal Champs Contest, SoLaLa Festival, the International A Cappella Festival in Leipzig and the German Choir Competition.
