"We told them we don't do a lot of a cappella singing," says Tim Hauser, a founding member of the group. "We work with a band. But they said that was OK. And we do have one a cappella song in our repertoire called `The Duke of Dubuque.' We found it on an early recording by the Four Vagabonds from the early '40s. And maybe we'll do some doo-wop stuff a cappella. We've been known to do that."
Even when not adhering to a strict genre definition, the festival will keep the focus tightly on the remarkable, ages-old art of deftly blending voices in song.
tim.smith@baltsun.com
A cappella performances
"A Cappella: Singing Solo" opens with a concert by Sweet Honey in the Rock at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the Millennium Stage in the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., Northwest. Free admission.
Other free concerts in the festival include Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver on Thursday; Paschall Brothers and the Persuasions on Friday; Four Bettys and Max Q on Saturday; Jitro Czech Girls Choir on June 1; Suspicious Cheeselords on June 2; Aqsarniit and Cherokee National Youth Choir on June 5; and Manhattan Transfer on June 6.
I Fagiolini performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. Tickets are $38. Call 202-467-4600, 800-444-1324 or go to kennedy-center.org.
