Tin Pan Alley Quartet Contest (TPA) is Voices of Gotham's annual novice quartet contest, which brings new quartets to compete in front of both an audience and a panel using the Barbershop Harmony Society's adjudication standards. TPA fosters choral excellence by:
- Encouraging barbershop quartetting
- Developing quality quartet singers
- Educating our contestants and spectators about the history of barbershop in New York City
- Mobilizing VoG's Arrangers' Lab.
History of Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley draws its name from the historic New York City alley where popular musicians and music publishers largely worked from the late 19th century into the early 20th century. Barbershop draws many of its songs from music produced in this area on 28th street between 5th and 6th ave during this era.
History of Tin Pan Alley Quartet Contest
The contest was started in 2010 and has been held annually with the exception of 2013 and 2017 for calendar shifts and to align better with Mid-Atlantic District Division schedule. As the contest developed, a few changes have been implemented:
- Starting in 2014, VoG partnered with Sirens of Gotham (the New York chapter of Sweet Adelines, Intl) on the contest and removed any gender requirements allowing mixed and non-male quartets to compete
- Originally started as a "novice" contest only, an "open" division was added in 2015 to encourage more individuals and quartets to compete without the more stringent requirements around being "novice". Called the Flat Foot Four Award, this award was named in recognition of the quartet that won the 1940 BHS International Competition held at the World's Fair in New York City that year
- Starting in 2016, an award category was created for the top Mixed Quartet (featuring more than one gender identity) - the Grand Central Red Caps Award. This award is named after the winners of the 7th Annual NYC Parks Barbershop Quartet Contest in 1941. Featuring four black railway workers, this quartet was barred from competing at the SPEBSQSA Contest in St. Louis later that year due to their race despite the NYC Parks Contest winner being guaranteed a spot. This snub and blatant racism resulted in NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses and former New York State Governor Al Smith resigning their vice presidencies of SPEBSQSA.[1] In 2023, this award was repositioned as the Collaboration Award to better reflect the intent of encouraging quartets featuring members from both Voices and Sirens of Gotham.
Champions
| Year |
Quartet |
Tenor, Lead, Bari, Bass |
Remarks
|
| 2024 |
Smokelynaires |
Becca Eckes, Steph Taglianetti, BJ Hillinck, Adam Bock |
|
| 2023 |
Smoke Ring |
Becca Eckes, Steph Taglianetti, Alexander Ronneburg, Gabriel Spector |
|
| 2022 |
BQ |
Ian Wolfe, Katie Macdonald, Rafi Hasib, Michael Cawley |
|
| 2021 |
Everybody Loves My Gabey |
Max Mellman, Alexander Ronneburg, Spencer Wight, Gabriel Spector |
|
| 2020 |
Madhattan |
Max Mellman, Alexander Ronneburg, Spencer Wight, Richard Townsend |
|
| 2019 |
The Brooklynaires |
BJ Hillinck, Alex McCoy, Adam Bock, Jared Graveley |
|
| 2018 |
Park Slope Four |
BJ Hillinck, Alex McCoy, Rafi Hasib, Braden Lynk |
|
| 2016 |
Pitching Staff |
Alex McCoy, Rob Weber, John Maderazo, Jeremy Weissmann |
|
| 2015 |
The Creepers |
Rafi Hasib, Gus Curry, Ben Hokamp, Dylan Lupo |
|
|
Tin Pan Award - Novice Quartet Champion
In order to be considered a "novice" quartet, no more than two members may have done any of the following:
- Competed in ANY quartet at a BHS District-level (fall) contest and only one of those two may have advanced to or sung at the International level, whether by the route of Prelims or District-level contests. Collegiate Internationals is not considered “International Level”.
- Placed in the top 5 of an SAI Regional Quartet Competition in any region or qualified for SAI International Quartet Competition as a Wild Card
- Won a Harmony Inc quartet competition at any level or qualified for international level competition
| Year |
Quartet |
Tenor, Lead, Bari, Bass |
Remarks
|
| 2024 |
Our Dads Might Know Each Other |
Brett Watanabe, Nick Taber, Patricia Norcross, Dan Krackhardt |
|
| 2023 |
Smoke Ring |
Becca Eckes, Steph Taglianetti, Alexander Ronneburg, Gabriel Spector |
|
| 2022 |
Nick Sings Bass (again) |
Elizabeth Culbertson, Stephanie Taglianetti, Becca Eckes, Nick Taber |
|
| 2021 |
Not Second |
Nick Taber, Alex McCoy, Eric Blum, Gabriel Spector |
|
| 2020 |
Four Bang Boys of New York |
Matthew Wells, Tyler Indyck, Jonathan Riviere, Leo Wiggins |
|
| 2019 |
Skittles |
Haley Cole, Mira Taferner, Robbie Weber, Richard Townsend |
|
| 2018 |
Spicy Special |
Elizabeth Culbertson, Anna Chelak, BJ Hillinck, Braden Lynk |
1st Mixed Quartet to Win Tin Pan
|
| 2016 |
Lung Candy |
Max Mellman, Bern Tan, Spencer Wight, Richard Townsend |
1st New Voice Quartet to Win Tin Pan; Later renamed "Madhattan"
|
| 2015 |
The Creepers |
Rafi Hasib, Gus Curry, Ben Hokamp, Dylan Lupo |
|
| 2014 |
Will and the Brown Men |
Rafi Hasib, Will Downey, Doug Brown, Ryan Brown |
|
| 2012 |
Come On, Braden |
Jeremy Weissmann, Rafi Hasib, Chris Granger, Braden Lynk |
|
| 2011 |
Bad Apples |
Will McCain, Chris Granger, Matt Beals, Braden Lynk |
|
| 2010 |
Tiddlies and Beer |
Dan Scott, Will McCain, Alex Lorimer, Braden Lynk |
|
|
Grand Central Red Caps Award - Collaboration Quartet Champion
In order to be considered a Collaboration Quartet, the quartet must be comprised of members from both Voices and Sirens of Gotham.
| Year |
Quartet |
Tenor, Lead, Bari, Bass |
Remarks
|
| 2024 |
Smokelynaires |
Becca Eckes, Steph Taglianetti, BJ Hillinck, Adam Bock |
|
| 2023 |
Smoke Ring |
Becca Eckes, Steph Taglianetti, Alexander Ronneburg, Gabriel Spector |
|
| 2022 |
BQ |
Ian Wolfe, Katie Macdonald, Rafi Hasib, Michael Cawley |
|
| 2021 |
The Pfishters |
Erin Fish, Alexandra Finger, Tyler Fish, Don Pflaster |
|
| 2020 |
Deez Notes |
Mika Nagashima, Nina Riffaud, Alex McCoy, Eric Blum |
|
| 2019 |
Skittles |
Haley Cole, Mira Taferner, Robbie Weber, Richard Townsend |
|
| 2018 |
Spicy Special |
Elizabeth Culbertson, Anna Chelak, BJ Hillinck, Braden Lynk |
|
| 2016 |
Do-Si-Do |
Emily Whicheloe, Alex McCoy, Bridget McCoy, Ryan Brown |
|
| 2015 |
Sharp 4 |
Artemisz Polonyi, Celia Smith, Adam Bock, Steve Severinghaus |
|
|
New Voice Award
In order to be considered a "New Voice" quartet, there must be at least two members who newly joined either Voices of Gotham or Sirens of Gotham since the last Tin Pan Alley contest was held
| Year |
Quartet |
Tenor, Lead, Bari, Bass |
Remarks
|
| 2024 |
Our Dads Might Know Each Other |
Brett Watanabe, Nick Taber, Patricia Norcross, Dan Krackhardt |
|
| 2023 |
No Quartet Eligible |
N/A |
|
| 2022 |
Triboro |
Brett Watanabe, Nick Roberto, Chris Granger, Braden Lynk |
|
| 2021 |
No Quartet Eligible |
Sammy Lai |
Awarded to an individual
|
| 2020 |
Four Bang Boys of New York |
Matthew Wells, Tyler Indyck, Jonathan Riviere, Leo Wiggins |
|
| 2019 |
Too Much Pressure |
Alexander Ronneburg, Nick Taber, Alan Dai, Gabriel Spector |
|
| 2018 |
Men of Manchego |
Alex McCoy, Emmett Ingram, Phil Cheasebro, Richard Townsend |
|
| 2016 |
Lung Candy |
Max Mellman, Bern Tan, Spencer Wight, Richard Townsend |
Later renamed "Madhattan"
|
| 2015 |
Ringing Belles |
Hannah Gordon, Rachel Livingston, Helen Brew, Debbie Chen |
|
| 2014 |
For the Times |
Kofi Mills, Rob Weber, Gus Curry, Dylan Lupo |
|
| 2012 |
Step It Up |
Rafi Hasib, Will McCain, Jeremy Weissmann, John Maderazo |
|
|
References
