Ethel Walker School
April 15, 2019
Walker’s a cappella group, the Grapes, participated in the largest scholastic a cappella competition in New England, the Wyvern Invitational a Cappella Festival (WIAF), at Kingswood-Oxford School on Saturday, April 6.
For the second time in Walker’s history, the Grapes were awarded the Gold Citation – Best in Show for their performances. The group also received the Best Student Directors award, and senior Liz Helmin ’19 was the first female in the competition’s history to advance to the beatboxing finals.
The Grapes performed Breaking it Down and Middle. The performances, arranged by Music Department Chair Laurie MacAlpine and directed by Grapes Co-Heads Mari D’Alessandro ’19, Katherine Dunn ’19 and Bella Manganello ’19, featured complex harmonies, choreography, vocal percussion and strong solos.
