Kansas City Kansas Community College will be the site of a November virtual music festival featuring the Los Angeles based pop-jazz vocal group, m-pact.
The m-pact Virtual Vocal Festival is Nov. 19 and 20 and can be seen through the festival’s website at https://www.m-pact.com/vocal-festival.
In addition to online master classes, there will be virtual clinics, video performances and a variety of other presentations and educational opportunities. The festival, which is a collaboration between KCKCC’s Music and Media Services departments, is free and open to anyone who would like to participate, however, donations are being accepted to help offset the cost of presenting the festival.
The festival will feature vocal ensembles from 10 states and three countries. KCKCC’s “Fusion,” “Funk Band” and “The Standard” are also scheduled to perform. Each night of the festival closes with a virtual concert by m-pact. To see the full schedule, visit www.m-pact.com/vocal-festival.
Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “one of the best pop-jazz vocal groups in the world” m-pact is known for its sophisticated sound that has won the group Vocal Group of the Year at the L.A. Music Awards and an Indie nomination from the Independent Grammys.
The group has been named Grand National Champs of the Harmony Sweepstakes competition and has performed with artists such as Boyz II Men, Sheryl Crow, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Maynard Ferguson Big Band and Natalie Cole, among many others. Their “signature sound” can also be heard in television theme songs as well as Disney feature films and on radio stations throughout the world.
Started in 1995, m-pact has made five full-length albums, three EP’s and several single releases and continue to receive rave reviews and multiple awards. Billboard Magazine named them the “Best Unsigned Band” and in 2014, the group joined with New York a cappella powerhouse Duwende to produce “I Wish for All Time,” an a cappella tribute to Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. M-pact continues to thrill audiences with their innovative orchestrations and stage presence as well as their vocals as they work to stay true to the music they are performing.
- From Kelly Rogge, KCKCC public relations officer