Award-Winning a Cappella Groups From Nationwide to Perform at Lesher Center for the Arts in March

College Notes will return to the Lesher Center for the Arts for its fifth year of breathtaking a cappella performances, featuring talented groups from top universities from across the country. Presented by Kaiser Permanente, the performances will be emceed by "godfather of a cappella" Deke Sharon (Pitch Perfect) and Emmy Award-winning NBC Bay Area anchor Marcus Washington. Sold out year after year, this year's event will feature four acclaimed college groups: the UCLA ScatterTones, USC SoCal VoCals, Northeastern Nor'easters, and Michigan G-Men. College Notes will be presented 7:30pm, Friday, March 10 and 7:30pm, Saturday, March 11 at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek. For tickets ($32-$64) and more information, the public may visit lesherartscenter.org or call the box office at (925) 943-7469 (open Wed-Sun, 12-6pm).

College Notes at the Lesher Center will be hosted by Deke Sharon and Marcus Washington. Sharon is renowned for his role as arranger, on-site music director, and vocal producer for Universal's hit film, Pitch Perfect, including its second and third sequels. He is also the producer of NBC's "The Sing-Off," a singing contest featuring a cappella groups competing for a recording contract. Washington, a staunch supporter of the Lesher Center who has emceed previous gala events for the East Bay venue, is an Emmy Award-winning anchor who hosts "Today in the Bay" and NBC News at 11 on NBC Bay Area.

Four award-winning a cappella groups are set to delight audiences at the Lesher Center for this year's edition of College Notes. The UCLA ScatterTones are a seven-time international award-winning group, most recently placing third at the 2022 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. The ScatterTones have also opened for Pentatonix in concert, sung backup for Taylor Swift, and had the honor of singing in the White House. Meanwhile, the USC SoCal VoCals have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the BMI Music Awards. Its alumni have gone on to tour worldwide and start acclaimed bands such as Pentatonix and Citizen Queen. The acclaimed Northeastern Nor'easters are a multiple-award-winning group (champions of the 2019 National A Cappella Convention, as well as the 2013 and 2017 champions of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella) who performed at the White House Christmas Gala in 2013. The Nor'easters were also the featured group on the first season of PopTV's docuseries, "Sing It On," and performed with John Legend on ABC's "The View." Finally, the Michigan G-Men are an all-male a cappella group at the University of Michigan, whose repertoire consists of songs ranging from '80s tunes to today's top 40 hits. Throughout its 25-year history, the group has enjoyed milestone moments such as performing for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as singing the national anthem for the Detroit Pistons and Tigers.

The Lesher Center will also host several events as part of its Arts Access initiative, which presents inclusive educational and outreach programs to teachers, students of all ages, and families from all areas and income levels. Programming during March 8-10 will include school visits for workshops at local Title 1 high schools conducted by the four featured college groups. These workshops will aim to entertain and inspire, promoting arts participation as a means of emotional well-being during the transition to college and during the rigors of college life.

About the Diablo Regional Arts Association

The Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) is the non-profit partner of the Lesher Center for the Arts and acts as the designated curator for its programming and audience outreach. The organization aims to achieve artistic excellence by providing exceptional arts programming through quality live theatre, visual arts, and youth education at the Lesher Center for the Arts, while providing avenues of accessibility for everyone to enjoy the arts.

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