History
Sonos began as a recording project in 2006, composed of then current and former members of the University of California, Los Angeles co-ed a cappella group Awaken A Cappella; the group arranged and recorded several songs. In 2007, the recording project disbanded and former members Christopher Harrison, Jessica Freedman and Paul Peglar recruited friends and colleagues Rachel Bearer, Katharine Hoye and Ben McLain to form Sonos.
In the fall of 2008, the sextet began performing live and incorporating electronic effects pedals. In the summer of 2009, Sonos completed SonoSings, 2009, produced by band member Harrison, as well as Gabriel Mann, and Hugo Vereker. Sara Bareilles was featured on the cover of her own song "Gravity" as a guest vocalist. Sonos signed onto Verve Forecast and released SonoSings September 15, 2009, and began touring.
Special appearances include live radio sessions on NPR's Weekend Edition , KCRW, BBC Americana, Studio 360 and Sirius XM Radio; performances at South by Southwest 2011, Sundance Film Festival 2010, Celtic Connections, ASCAP Awards and L.A. Ovation Awards; collaborations with Margaret Atwood and the Young@Heart Chorus at Royce Hall. In further collaborations, Sonos performed with Sara Bareilles at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and sang on an Ozomatli remix as part of their Ozomatli vs. KCRW Soundclash EP. Gods & Marionettes, their collaboration with the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company and playwright David Bridel, premiered in 2010 in Los Angeles at the Ford Amphitheater and USC's Bovard Auditorium.
In November 2010, Sonos released their second studio album, December Songs, also self-produced. December Songs comprises holiday season classics as well as four original songs: two by Bearer, and one each by Freedman and McLain.
In 2011, Sonos appeared on the Sing Off. They had 3 performances and were eliminated in the fourth week.
In 2012 Sonos appeared on Pet Shop Boys' album Elysium.
In July 2013, Sonos changed their name to "Arora" to reflect changes in image and style accompanying their third studio album release, "Bioluminescence." Arora says of their latest album, "Two years in the making, 'Bioluminescence' perfectly demonstrates the cinematic dream pop sound that is Arora, marrying dreamy vocals with striking production. Arora takes the album to the stage using nothing except their 5 voices and their rig of live looping and effects pedals." [1]
In 2015, they worked with Mattel for the film Barbie in Rock 'n Royals. They recorded some songs for the movie.
Collegiate a cappella ensembles are college-affiliated singing groups, primarily in the United States, and, increasingly, the United Kingdom and Ireland, that perform entirely without musical instruments. The groups are typically composed of, operated by, and directed by students. In the context of collegiate a cappella, the term a cappella typically also refers to the music genre performed by pop-centric student singing groups. Consequently, an ensemble that sings unaccompanied classical music may not be considered an a cappella group, even though technically it is performing a cappella.
Deke Sharon is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community. He has been referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella" by some authors, and "the godfather of a cappella" by others.
The Contemporary A Cappella Society, 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 founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon in San Francisco just after graduation. In his Tufts University dorm room during his senior year, Sharon published a newsletter, The "C.A.N.", mailed to all known collegiate a cappella groups by merging "The List," founded in 1988 & distributed by Rex Solomon, with the database maintained by his college a cappella group the Beelzebubs. 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.
BYU Vocal Point is a nine-member, male a cappella group at Brigham Young University (BYU). Founded by two students, Bob Ahlander & Dave Boyce, in 1991, Vocal Point is under the direction of Emmy award-winning director and former member, McKay Crockett. However in December 2022, Crockett decided to leave as director for a new job opportunity.
Shir Appeal is Tufts University’s only mixed-gender Jewish a cappella group. Founded in 1995 with assistance from the Jewish Agency, Shir Appeal is one of the nation’s oldest collegiate Jewish a cappella groups. The group sings music from a wide range of genres, including Israeli rock and pop, traditional and liturgical Jewish songs, Jewish world music, and English music with strong Jewish themes. Though based at Tufts University outside Boston, Shir Appeal has gone on tour to numerous areas in the United States, including New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Chicago, as well as the New England and Boston areas. Shir Appeal has been on Best of College a Cappella (BOCA) four times. It was the first non-secular a cappella group to be recognized on BOCA, and the only Jewish group to have ever been featured on it.
Overboard is an a cappella group based in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Tufts Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", is a male a cappella group of students from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song." Founded in 1962, they have toured in Europe, Asia, South America, and North America, and they competed on NBC's The Sing-Off in December 2009, finishing in second place.
VoiceMale is an all-male a cappella group based out of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Tracks from VoiceMale albums Propeller (2003), Ain't Done Overnight (2006), and Where's the Album? (2008) have appeared on the Best of Collegiate A Cappella (BOCA) compilation albums. In 2004, VoiceMale also received the award for Best All-Male Album of the Year from the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA) for their work on Propeller.
After Dark (AD) is a co-ed a cappella group at Washington University in St. Louis specializing in contemporary rock and pop music.
Voices in Your Head is a student-run a cappella group from the University of Chicago who aim to "push the bounds of contemporary a cappella." Founded in 1998, the group has consisted of both undergraduate and graduate students whose studies range from Economics to Music to MD/PhD programs. Its unique repertoire includes original pieces, as well as an eclectic mix of pop, R&B, rock, and alternative music. Voices competes regularly in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and releases studio recordings of their arrangements.
The Stanford Harmonics are a co-ed a cappella group from Stanford University. Known for their alternative rock repertoire and award-winning recordings, the Harmonics have garnered international recognition for their performances and have been featured on BOCA, Sing, and Voices Only a cappella compilations. The Harmonics are one of the few collegiate a cappella groups that own their own wireless microphone equipment and have developed a live performance style that includes the use of electronic distortion and sound effects.
The SoCal VoCals are the first of nine a cappella groups from the University of Southern California. Founded in 1996, the group's signature achievement is being the only a cappella group to win five titles in ICCA, which it accomplished in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2018. In 2020, The A Cappella Archive ranked The SoCal VoCals at #1 out of all ICCA-competing groups.
The Accidentals are an all-male collegiate a cappella group. Formed in 1974, the Accidentals are the oldest a cappella group at the University of Georgia. The Accidentals are typically anywhere from 12 to 17 members and hold auditions every fall and occasionally at the end of the spring
BYU Noteworthy is a nine-member, female Brigham Young University (BYU) a cappella group, based in Provo, Utah, United States. They won 1st place at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) in 2007 and appeared on the first season of NBC's a cappella competition reality show The Sing-Off in 2009. Esther Yoder formed the group in 2003, aided by members of BYU's Vocal Point. Noteworthy began operating under the direction of the Performing Arts Management (PAM) at BYU in 2014. One of their most popular music videos is a cover of Amazing Grace, which won the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CARA) award for Best Religious Video and has garnered millions of views on YouTube since its release. Noteworthy has released six albums since its formation in 2003. In 2018, Noteworthy performed "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" for a Mormon Message for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The House Jacks is a professional a cappella quintet from San Francisco, founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon.
Peter James Hollens is an American singer/songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. He has been involved with a cappella music since 1999 when he and Leo da Silva founded the University of Oregon's a cappella group, On The Rocks, known as the first official collegiate a cappella group in Oregon. He regularly releases new music videos to his YouTube channel. With over 5 million followers and 2.7 million subscribers, his content has received over a billion total views since 2011.
Pentatonix is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, basslines, riffing, percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material. Pentatonix formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music. When Sony's Epic Records dropped the group after The Sing-Off, the group formed its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures. Their YouTube channel currently has 20 million subscribers and 5.9 billion views. The group's video tribute to Daft Punk has over 365 million views as of December 29th, 2022.
The Dartmouth Aires is an Ivy League a cappella group from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The group rose to fame in the third season of the NBC musical competition The Sing-Off, placing runner-up behind international a cappella sensation Pentatonix.
Out of the Blue is a co-ed a cappella group from Yale University. Out of the Blue's repertoire includes music that spans 50 years and several genres, including pop, folk, and R&B. The group has won multiple a cappella competitions, awards, and accolades, shared the stage with Ben Folds and Sister Hazel, and performed for audiences all over the world. Out of the Blue records a full-length studio album every two years. The group's sixteenth studio album, Late Nights, was released in February 2021.
Note-oriety is an upper voices a cappella singing group at James Madison University in the United States, founded in 1998 by Kelly Myer and Bonnie Estes. The group sings in and around Harrisonburg, Virginia, tours the east coast and other parts of the United States. Note-oriety is best known for the viral video of their cover version of Beyoncé's song "Pretty Hurts". The group has been featured in USA Today, The Huffington Post, and BuzzFeed, and the group has been praised by Nicki Minaj, TLC, and Kelly Clarkson. They have also been nominated for and received several awards from international organizations, notably, the Contemporary A Cappella Society and the Recorded A Cappella Review Board. Note-oriety has performed all over the country, including The White House, the Lincoln Center, and Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey's United State of Women Summit.
