Glee College A Cappella

United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County

THE EVENT WILL NOT RETURN IN 2024

Award-winning college a cappella performers from the Mid-Atlantic region compete for the championship title annually at the Carlisle Theatre. The competition showcases competitive a cappella groups from the east coast!

Competitive collegiate performers from the Mid-Atlantic region are invited to apply to be competitors.  Selected groups then prepare to compete in our one-day competition to be crowned M&T Bank Glee: College A Cappella Champions!!!  The event is judged by a panel of musical expert judges and hosted by ABC 27’s Brett Thackara  &  Kendra Nichols. A SOLD OUT event since 2015, this competition showcases top-notch collegiate groups and draws an enthusiastic aca-audience from the east coast.

Tickets for the event go on sale on FEBRUARY 2nd (Groundhog Day)!

(Come on folks…Punxsutawney Phil is PA’s claim to fame:)

For information email: @uwcarlisle.org

Thank you to our title event sponsor:

PAST WINNERS:

  • 2019: University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Cleftomaniacs
  • 2018: Drexel University’s 8 to the Bar
    • People’s Choice:  Dickinson College’s Octals
  • 2017: Drexel University’s TrebleMakers
    • People’s Choice: St. Joseph University’s 54th & City
  • 2016: James Madison University’s BluesTones
    • People’s Choice Winner: York College’s Rhapsody
  • 2015: Dickinson College’s Octals
  • 2014: St. Joseph University’s 54th & City
  • 2013: Dickinson College’s Octals
  • 2012: Drexel University’s 8 to the Bar (General Competition)
  • 2011: Dickinson College’s Octals (General Competition)
2019 The Sentinel Images 2018 News Article from The Sentinel 2017 News Article from The Sentinel

M&T Bank Glee: College A Cappella Competition History:

The M&T Glee Competition started in 2011 as a general a cappella competition and included: barbershop quartets, choral groups, high school, and college a cappella.  Due to the gaining popularity of the collegiate performers, 2012-2014 required the program to be split into two sessions; One focused on general a cappella as a genre and the other strictly college a cappella performers.  By 2015 the program became a solely collegiate competition. 11 college a cappella groups performed to a SOLD OUT audience of nearly 1,000 people in historic downtown Carlisle PA.  On a 600-point scale, our top three finalists were only separated by 10 points.
In 2016, with increasingly excellent competition and talent, we needed to expand the awards we were giving in order to acknowledge the efforts of so many of our competitors. Our consistently sold-out audience also warranted “a voice”, so we added a “People’s Choice” winner, determined by audience voting, as well as, new judges awards for top vocalist, percussionist, and choreography. 2017 & 2018 did not disappoint, as our consistently sold-out audience cheered for talented performers invited to compete in this popular college a cappella competition. In an effort to truly provide an excellent competition 2019 was our first year limiting the number of groups to perform to 8.  This allowed each group more time to perform and only the most competitive groups were selected. Any question regarding this competition can be directed to JoAnn Curtis, Marketing Director and Event Coordinator at: [email protected] or 717-486-8320. The event has been hosted by abc 27’s Brett Thackara and Kendra Nichols for the past 9 years.   Red 102.3, Filson Water, and the Sentinel have been additional media sponsors. Our official event photographer is Revelation Photography.