Northeastern University’s Pitch, Please!, Univoz and the Lexington High School Madrigal Singers take home category wins on Season 5 finale

BOSTON (June 3, 2019) - WGBH’s televised live music competition, Sing That Thing!, has announced its Season 5 champion. From among the hundreds of singers in 18 singing groups from across New England that were chosen to compete this season, the Lexington High School Madrigal Singers won the championship, impressing the three expert coaches with their precision, dynamic contrast, nuance and energy during the season finale which aired Friday, May 31.

The Lexington High School Madrigal Singers are a select honors chorus with a diverse repertoire that ranges from Renaissance pieces to 21st century hits. The group has built a reputation over the past 46 years as one of New England's premier high school chamber choruses.

“Now in our fifth year, Sing That Thing! remains an inspiring showcase for the best vocal ensembles in New England.” said Liz Cheng, WGBH’s general manager for television and co-executive producer of Sing That Thing! “Each group is on a journey of discovery, learning techniques from the coaches and experiencing the uniqueness of competing on public media. I hope viewers have taken home a new appreciation for the joy, creativity and challenges of choral singing.”

Category winners were also named for Season 5, acknowledging excellence in the show’s high school, college and adult divisions. The winners are:

  • High School: The Lexington High School Madrigal Singers took the high school title with their performance of “Be for Me the Earth” by Nathan Jones and Sara Teasdale.
  • College: Northeastern University’s Pitch, Please! took the college title with their performance of “My Mind” by YEBBA.
  • Adult: Univoz took the adult title with their performance of “Rosanna” by David Paich, arranged by Antonio Pulido.

Coaches Anthony Trecek-King, Annette Philip and Jared Bowen evaluated groups over the course of the season based on intonation and rhythm, as well as the complexity, versatility, stagecraft and audience appeal of their performances. Two finalists were chosen from each division to perform on the season finale.

“Congratulations to the Lexington High School Madrigal Singers! This young ensemble impressed us with their mastery and poise in both of their performances this season,” said co-executive producer Patricia Alvarado Núñez. “And bravo to all of the diverse participants from across New England, who demonstrated how singing can cross divides and bring people together.”

Participating groups in Season 5 included 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.

More information about the series is available at SingThatThing.org and 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 Boston public broadcaster 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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