Sing That Thing! also will air throughout New England on WGBY (Springfield, MA) Maine Public, New Hampshire PBS, Vermont PBS, CPTV - Connecticut Public Television and in Rhode Island

BOSTON (April 3, 2019) – Sing That Thing!, WGBH’s televised competition for New England-based vocal groups, will premiere its Season 5 on Friday, April 12, at 8pm on WGBH 2. Eight new episodes will showcase performances from 18 ensembles, representing a diverse array of music genres.

“The groups this season offer unique sounds, arrangements, perspectives and even an original composition. We expect the Sing That Thing! audience to be impressed not only with the performances, but also with their stories detailing a passion for singing and community,” said WGBH General Manager for Liz Cheng, WGBH’s general manager for television and co-executive producer of Sing That Thing! “Bringing together singers from across our regions, Season 5 is a wonderful expressing of the most democratic of arts – vocal music.”

The 18 groups are divided into three divisions: the high school, college and adult singing groups. The coaches will select two groups from each division to perform in the Grand Finale, when category winners, as well as the overall Sing That Thing! champion will be named.

Sing That Thing! coaches are Anthony Trecek-King, president and artistic director of the Boston Children’s Chorus; Annette Philip, a vocalist, composer and faculty member at Berklee College of Music and winner of the 2017 International Championship of A Cappella with her quartet, Women of the World; and Jared Bowen, WGBH News executive arts editor and host of WGBH’s Open Studio with Jared Bowen.

The coaches will guide the groups, drawing on their experiences in music and the arts to provide constructive feedback throughout the season. Ultimately, the coaches will decide the top group in each division, as well as the overall Sing That Thing! Season 5 winner in the Grand Finale.

Participating groups in season five include the Boston Arts Academy Spirituals Ensemble, St. Johnsbury Academy Hilltones, South Avenue from Plymouth South High School, Harmonix from Dartmouth High School, Accent A Cappella from Lincoln-Sudbury High School, Lexington High School Madrigal Singers, Strawberry Fields from Bristol Eastern High School, Starving Artists from Brandeis University, MIT Chorallaries, The New Hampshire Notables from University of New Hampshire, Zumbyes from Amherst College, The Colby Eight from Colby College, Pitch, Please! from Northeastern University, Univoz Vocal Ensemble, Joyful Anyway, Labyrinth Choir, Tonehenge and Saengerfest Men’s Chorus.

“One of the most exciting aspects of vocal music is each group’s ability to put its distinctive stamp on a song. This season, you’ll hear familiar classics given new life and innovative interpretations on contemporary hits.” said co-executive producer Patricia Alvarado Núñez. “You won’t want to miss a single note – or the sharp and informative commentary from coaches Anthony, Annette and Jared, who bring decades of experience from the music and arts worlds.

Sing That Thing! will air on WGBH 2, WGBX 44, WGBY (Springfield, MA,) Maine Public, New Hampshire PBS, Vermont PBS, CPTV - Connecticut Public Television and in Rhode Island on WGBH 2 and WGBX 44. More information about the series is available at SingThatThing.org or on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with #SingThatThing.

Sing That Thing! is sponsored by Emerson College, Eastern Bank and The Voice and Speech Lab at Mass Eye and Ear, with additional funding from Eran and Yukiko Egozy. The series is produced by public media producer WGBH, in partnership with Emerson College and with WGBY (Springfield, MA,) Maine Public, New Hampshire Public Television, Vermont PBS and CPTV - Connecticut Public Television. Sing That Thing! will be seen in every state in New England thanks to these partner stations.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur and more than a dozen other primetime, lifestyle and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels WORLD and Create. WGBH TV productions focusing on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black and High School Quiz Show and Stories from the Stage. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s Local NPR®; 99.5 WCRB Classical Radio Boston; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also is a major source of programs for public radio (among them, PRI’s The World®), a leader in educational multimedia (including PBS LearningMedia™, providing the nation’s educators with free, curriculum-based digital content), and a pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired audiences. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. Find more information at wgbh.org.
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