(JTA) — A group from Queens College won the inaugural Jewish collegiate a cappella competition and its $1,500 prize.
Tizmoret was named the best of the nine groups from seven U.S. campuses competing last weekend in the Kol HaOlam National Jewish Collegiate A Capella Competition in Washington, D.C. Along with the monetary prize, the New York group won a consultation with JDub Records.
Kol Sasson of the University of Maryland finished second. The third-place finisher, the Shabbatones of the University of Pennsylvania, received the audience favorite award that was determined by text voting immediately after the performances.
Other groups that performed were Chutzpah of Georgetown University; Jewish Fella A Capella of Brandeis University; Staam of Washington University in St. Louis; Kaskeset of Binghamton University; and Kol Sasson, Rak Shalom and Mezumenet, all from the University of Maryland’s College Park campus.
The judges included Jordan Gorfinkel, founder of the Jewish a capella group Beat’achon; Jason Diamond, editor in chief of Jewcy.com; Wayne Firestone, president of Hillel International; Cantor Jeffrey Weber of Adas Israel, the host synagogue; and Mike Boxer, also the master of ceremonies, who hosts KolCast, the monthly podcast dedicated to Jewish a cappella.
