shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com March 8, 2016 • Page 13 Sweet Harmony Acapella Musical Group Tonic Sol-Fa Will Fill The SAC Theatre With Harmony March 11 By Reilly Biel S reilly.biel@yankton.net weet music is coming Yankton’s way. On Friday, March 11, the acapella group Tonic Sol-Fa will perform at Yankton High School (YHS)/Summit Activities Center theatre at 7 p.m. The YHS Acapella and Choraleers choirs will be opening for the group. In addition, Tonic Sol-Fa will work with the choirs in a music workshop the afternoon before the performance. The YHS Choir Booster Parents will also sponsor a meal for Tonic Sol-Fa and the YHS choir students to give the students an opportunity to speak to the singers. “I hope the community supports the event because it’s pretty special to have this professional group come perform and have affordable tickets,” YHS choir director Angela Larson said. The performance is part of Tonic Sol-Fa’s latest tour, which will also include shows in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas and North Dakota in the coming months. Tonic Sol-Fa was created in 1995 by a group of young men attending St. John’s University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. According to member and tenor Greg Bannwarth, one of the members knew a music agent looking for a singing group to promote. The agent liked what the group had to offer and they became an official acapella group under the name Tonic Sol-Fa. Originally from Sioux Falls, Bannwarth became part of the group in 1996 and has been a member ever since. “We’ve had different agents and members over the years, but we’re still here,” Bannwarth remarked. Longevity is impressive in any type of work, particularly if success is involved. With 21 years in the music industry under their belt, Tonic Sol-Fa has managed to do just that. “To get people to continue to buy tickets to see the show, we always need to keep changing it up while staying with the feel of our main idea,” Bannwarth said. “We change up the songs and set to give people a reason to keep coming back.” One of the changing aspects is the number of members. Formerly a quintet, Tonic Sol-Fa became a trio in 2015. “It wasn’t something we originally planned,” Bannwarth said. “But we’ve embraced it and it has helped us grow quite a bit.” Another part of the group’s longevity is due to the friendship between Bannwarth, founding member and tenor Shaun Johnson, and bass Jared Dove. “A big part of deciding who will be part of the group is seeing if we all get along,” Bannwarth said. “You may have amazing talent groups where everyone hates each other because they all want the spotlight. Performing is something we all want to do and we can be friends outside of doing that. We do our best to continue to work as a group for the greater good on our end and that seems to have served us well over the years.” Working with just three people in an acapella group sounds difficult, but Tonic Sol-Fa has made it work. “We have it set up so different voice parts can change and we sing different parts on different songs, except the bass,” Bannwarth said. “It helps with the sound and helps keep our voices healthy.” The group has dabbled in a wide variety of genres, from pop to rock to country to blues, all in acapella. For this year’s tour, Tonic Sol-Fa is trying something new. “We will have a special guest for a couple songs who will play the piano, use handheld percussion instruments and sing with us,” Bannwarth said. “After singing acapella forever, it’s nice to have something new in there.” The songs performed are part of the group’s new album, “Original.” According to Bannwarth, the title is for a few different reasons. “We have often been called some of the originators in the acapella world and we Notice of Annual Meeting & Election of Directors of B-Y Water District TO BE HELD ON MARCH 23, 2016, at the Scotland VFW Building, 531 First Street, Scotland, South Dakota, at 1:30 p.m. for the purpose of electing directors to succeed those whose terms are about to expire. Those directors whose terms are about to expire and the division which they represent are Joe Fillaus, Div. #4; Stacy Frank, Div. #5; Hugh Healy, Div. #8; and Lee Herrboldt, Div. #9. 2010 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer #A75037 12,995 $ 2014 KIA Soul 11,995 $ #714587 were part of one of the first classes of getting acapella out to the masses,” he said. “There are some original songs we’ve written and the music is a mix of holiday and non-holiday songs. And there’s very few acapella trios. “Our show and persona, in general, have been considered by many to be very original, so it fit,” he added. Getting to this point of experimentation took a lot of performing in venues large and small. “Like any group starting out, we had to pay our dues,” Bannwarth said. “So we played a lot of college campuses. Some of the stages were eight feet by eight feet in a room that could only fit 30 people. That can be quite intimate and a lot of fun.” The biggest audience Tonic Sol-Fa performed for consisted of 26,000 people. “It’s a totally different feel,” Bannwarth said, adding that the group prefers an audience in the 1,0002,000 mark. “It’s much more intimate when you can see the people and get to them better than when you are on 19,995 All appeals must be filed before Thursday, March 17th, 2016 605-387-5756 2014 Jeep Compass Sport 4x4 2014 Nissan Path Finder SV 4x4 #662141 17,995 $ #054182 11,995 $ 2008 Ford F150 Ext-Cab 4x4 XLT 2015 Chrysler 200 Limited 13,995 $ 2015 Hyundai Elantra SE 2014 Volkswagen Jetta SE #409321 25,995 $ 2009 Hyundai Genesis 5K Loaded $ Kevin Kirschenman Residence 11,995 #846985 Follow @ReillyBiel on Twitter. Monday, March 21st, 2016 • 7:00 p.m $ #042662 groups, you have to do your own thing. We have always been pushing the envelope on several different things.” Tonic Sol-Fa plans on doing more online vidoes in the coming year. “In the meantime, we write, record and perform to keep gaining a fan base,” he said. Having performed at the South Dakota State Fair multiple times, it’s safe to say that Tonic Sol-Fa’s performance will be palatable for people of all ages. “We want people to know this is a family-friendly show with a party atmosphere,” Bannwarth said. “We want people to forget their issues for a little while and hang out with us.” Tickets can be purchased at State Farm Insurance/ Rhonda Wessein’s office, HyVee, KYNT or online at www. tonicsolfa.com. Jamesville Equalization Meeting 2011 Honda CR-V SE 4WD 2011 Ford Taurus SHO #116682 a grandstand.” The larger crowds are due, in part, to the increased mainstream popularity of acapella-style singing. “The advent of movies like ‘Pitch Perfect’ and TV shows like ‘The Sing-Off’ has done wonders, not to mention the Internet,” Bannwarth said. “You can put videos on YouTube and have your music easier to access through iTunes. All of that has helped get acapella out to the masses.” Acapella’s different sound has also played a part, he added. “It’s interesting to people because it’s something they’re not bombarded with on the radio every day,” he said. “People like hearing that kind of thing. It’s why Pentatonix toured with Kelly Clarkson. 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