For Daniel Hand’s VIBE Show Choir, The Hits Just Keep On Coming

MADISON, CT — Another Saturday, another bus ride into Massachusetts, another Grand Champion win for VIBE. On Saturday, Feb. 9, the 72-member student music ensemble swept all categories as they competed against New England’s best at the Tantasqua Show Choir Spectacular in Fiskdale, MA.

For those keeping score, it’s easy: VIBE has sung, danced, instrumentalized and set designed its way to win 3 out of 3 regional competitions on their winter tour this year, for their musical interpretation of the Netflix hit series “Stranger Things.”

“Pushing students to perform better than they knew they could is my biggest challenge,” says Hand’s musical director Ron Soja. “The student leadership and the chemistry is all there. We just have to maintain it. I hold the kids to high expectations and I spot check them if necessary.”

Clearly Soja’s method of “tough love,” with the emphasis on “love,” is working. Not only is the VIBE ensemble performing at peak capacity, but the Tantasqua competition also yielded VIBE the accolades of Platinum Award, Best Band, Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Show Concept and Best Male Soloist (Marco Natarelli, his third time earning this award), and Best Female Soloist went to senior Julia Rumberger.

Daniel Hand Senior Julia Rumberger wins Best Female Vocalist at Tantasqua Show Choir competition Feb 9, 2019

“The award was a huge honor, and it was all thanks to the incredible support of my fellow students and Soj,” says Julia Rumberger, as she and the cast go through their last rehearsals before hitting nationals in NYC this weekend.

“The competition will be extremely tough,” continues Rumberger. “But I know if we go in there with the right mindset and leave it all out there on stage, we have a chance of bringing home the hardware!”

Can VIBE’s winning streak continue on the Great White Way? We’ll find out February 23, when VIBE’s cast, crew and band head to New York for the National Heart of America Show Choir competition in Times Square. Could they win? “Stranger Things” have happened.

PHOTOS: Lyn Lunn