Contemporary A Cappella Society
Encyclopedia
The Contemporary A Cappella Society (of America), or CASA, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to fostering and promoting a cappella
music
of all styles around the world. CASA was cofounded in 1991 by Deke Sharon
by incorporating the first a cappella directory, The List, founded in 1988 & distributed by Rex Solomon
, into a subscription newsletter called The C.A.N. or The Contemporary A Cappella Newsletter.. The organization boasts over 6,000 current members, and serves as a resource for media and scholarly work in the area of contemporary a cappella.
CASA keeps in close touch with its membership through the CASA.org website. The website features articles, blogs, and an Acapedia, which are updated daily.
The CARA mission reflects that of its parent organization, the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA) : an aim to reward artists that create outstanding work and to promote innovation, creativity, and continued growth of the a cappella modality. Furthermore, the awards aim to foster the a cappella community by having its best and brightest participate in the CARA nomination and judging process. Finally, CASA uses the application process as a means to provide resources to charitable programs such as Tunes to Teens .
Each Acapedia profile is designed to include group information such as school or affiliation, current roster of members, concert listings, history, recording information, and tour dates.
Ambassadors also keep abreast of a cappella happenings globally via CASA.org, and share that information with their respective communities while encouraging them to become CASA members, to sing in Contemporary A Cappella League groups, to attend CASA festivals, and to support the vocal arts.
Ambassadors serve a one year volunteer term, and are offered a number of incentives which have included free memberships to CASA.org, free copies of CASA-sponsored compilation albums and free tickets to CASA-sponsored festivals such as SoJam.
A Cappella Radio International was aired on over 50 stations worldwide from 1996-2004.
CASA has been establishing contemporary a cappella choruses around the United States, from the SF Bay Area to Maryland.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
of all styles around the world. CASA was cofounded in 1991 by Deke Sharon
Deke Sharon
Deke Sharon is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders of the contemporary a cappella community and a pioneer of the contemporary a cappella style, referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella" by some...
by incorporating the first a cappella directory, The List, founded in 1988 & distributed by Rex Solomon
Rex Solomon
Rex Solomon is an American jeweler and grandson of Philip solomon.-Early life:Rex Solomon a fifth generation Texan, was born and raised in Houston, attending Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Ma. He is a grand son of Philip Solomon and noted philanthropist Abe "Honey Donsky son of...
, into a subscription newsletter called The C.A.N. or The Contemporary A Cappella Newsletter.. The organization boasts over 6,000 current members, and serves as a resource for media and scholarly work in the area of contemporary a cappella.
CASA keeps in close touch with its membership through the CASA.org website. The website features articles, blogs, and an Acapedia, which are updated daily.
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards
The annual Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (aka the "CARAs") recognize the best recorded a cappella and aim to support this burgeoning culture of instrumentless enthusiasts. Every year since 1992 hundreds of albums are considered in this celebration of the best a cappella recorded around the planet.The CARA mission reflects that of its parent organization, the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA) : an aim to reward artists that create outstanding work and to promote innovation, creativity, and continued growth of the a cappella modality. Furthermore, the awards aim to foster the a cappella community by having its best and brightest participate in the CARA nomination and judging process. Finally, CASA uses the application process as a means to provide resources to charitable programs such as Tunes to Teens .
A Cappella Community Awards
The "A Cappella Community Awards" (aka the "ACAs") are voted on annually by registered users of CASA.org to allow fans the chance to award their favorite a cappella groups. Often called the "People's Choice Awards of the A Cappella community", the ACAs aim to further award excellent groups and individuals in the a cappella community, including non-American groups, by giving fans a venue to reward their favorite groups.CASAcademy
CASAcademy is a comprehensive web portal where CASA members can come to learn more about a cappella, hear samples of great music, view videos of great performances, read about forming and managing groups, and read about all a cappella-related topics (vocal health, etc.).Acapedia 2.0
The CASA Acapedia is a huge database of a cappella groups, solo artists, beatboxers, studios, producers and more. The Acapedia is free and editable by any registered CASA member. It not only has information on existing groups, but also includes the profiles for groups that no longer exist. The database is set up like a Wiki, in which any user can add/modify information. All changes are tracked and can be un-done in the event of error or vandalism. The Acapedia currently features over 2400 profiles.Each Acapedia profile is designed to include group information such as school or affiliation, current roster of members, concert listings, history, recording information, and tour dates.
Ambassador Program
The Ambassador Program is aimed to unite singers and groups from all over the country and world via an organized networking system. CASA Ambassadors are individuals responsible for being involved in their own a cappella communities- gathering information about groups, events, auditions, a cappella friendly clubs, singers, technology, opportunities and anything else that touches on a cappella. They upload that information to CASA.org via the Acapedia so it can be shared with the entire community.Ambassadors also keep abreast of a cappella happenings globally via CASA.org, and share that information with their respective communities while encouraging them to become CASA members, to sing in Contemporary A Cappella League groups, to attend CASA festivals, and to support the vocal arts.
Ambassadors serve a one year volunteer term, and are offered a number of incentives which have included free memberships to CASA.org, free copies of CASA-sponsored compilation albums and free tickets to CASA-sponsored festivals such as SoJam.
Tunes To Teens
Tunes To Teens (TTT) is designed to put a cappella CDs into the hands of developing singers. Chorus by chorus, TTT sends junior high and high school students a cappella CDs donated by a variety of sources. The program's goal is to spark interest in a cappella music in up-and-coming singers, and to serve as a touchstone for directors to teach their students the basics of music theory. Since 2003, over 2000 students in 23 US states and Canada have received CDs from TTT.A Cappella Radio International was aired on over 50 stations worldwide from 1996-2004.
CASA has been establishing contemporary a cappella choruses around the United States, from the SF Bay Area to Maryland.
External links
- Official Website
- NY Times Article Article from New York Time mentioning CASA.
- Article about CASA Article about CASA on the Barbershop Harmony Society website
- Allied Organizations Mention of CASA on the Barbershop Harmony Society website
- American Music Teacher Article Article from American Music Teacher mentioning CASA
- Boston Herald Article Article from Boston Herald about CASA's East Coast Summit
- ACDA article Article from Eastern Division American Choir Director's Association Troubadour about CASA's East Coast Summit
- CNN "A Cappella Summit Joins Voices in Harmony" and partial archive of text Vanderbilt Television News Archive (scroll down)
- Meridian Magazine Article from LDS Magazine about BYU a cappella group Noteworthy, mentioning CARA award nomination