A Cappella Arranging for Vocal Groups
© Copyright 2011 Christopher Diaz - All Rights Reserved.
how can i help you?
I am obsessed with helping singers reach their full potential.Whether you’re looking for an arranger, a coach, or just a sounding board, I’d love to talk.
You’ve got to check out this group from Centerville High School- they’re called, you guessed it, Forte! A few weekends ago I was lucky enough to fly to Centerville to work with Forte to prepare them for ICHSA. Seems like the hard work and musical dedication paid off, because as of this past weekend, they [...]
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It’s that time of year. 2012 CARA nominations are out on CASA.org, and the list looks pretty awesome. Excited to see arranging clients the UGA Accidentals, JMU Bluestones, and UF No Southern Accent all nominated in their respective categories, and stoked to see my arrangement of “Everything’s Just Wonderful” for UF No Southern Accent is [...]
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I am honored and humbled to announce that I was included on The A Cappella Blog’s “12 A Cappella Power Players to Keep An Eye on in 2012” list! I’ve known the guys over at the ACB for a while, and I’m so thrilled and excited to be included in this list with such talented, [...]
Continue readingHere's some stuff I've done.
Here are some things I can do for you.
ARRANGING.
Whether you need a quick and simple little ditty or an epic, emotional soundscape, I’ll work with you to arrange a song that ‘s fun to sing and tailormade to fit your sound. I’ve arranged for groups of all sizes and voicings, and most recently have had my work featured on NBC’s The Sing Off. I can edit your existing arrangements for live or studio performance, or create unique new works for you. You can also purchase arrangements from my ever-growing arrangement library.
COACHING.
So you’re preparing for a big competition or important event, getting ready to record an album, or just looking for a new perspective on your music making? I’m here to give you outside ears and expertise to help you make the most of your music. As a former ICCA judge/producer and SoJam Collegiate Competition performer-to-producer, I can help you navigate the ins and outs of putting together a great set. As a coach to high school, college, and professional groups all over the country, I can help you sound and perform your best.
PRODUCING.
Let’s make a project of it. Releasing a new single, EP or full-length album? Need a complete ICCA set from top to bottom? Need backup vocals for your new song? Anything is possible. I’ve worked with some of the vocal world’s best, and making music collaboratively is one of my greatest passions.
Hi there. As you probably have guessed, my name is Christopher. I do a cappella arranging and coaching. I’m obsessed with all things musical. Ever since I was a toddler dancing in my diapers to my Sesame Street records (yes, records) with a sippie cup of Diet Dr. Pepper, I have been moved by music. And while I have a love of the more peculiar and engaging sounds we can make, I’m always intrigued by the emotional momentum that makes a song speak to us beyond just what we hear.
I grew up in Newport News, VA and lived in several different states all through middle school. I attended high school in Orlando, FL where I began to truly cultivate my love of music. I learned to play low brass instruments (primarily euphonium), and I performed in choirs and plays. It was there that I found a real passion for theatre and music. I decided to study voice (and Russian Literature) at Florida State University. There, I sang with my university’s top choirs, performed in operas, musicals, and plays and became a member of All-Night Yahtzee, the school’s first mixed a cappella group.
While with the group, I honed my skills as an arranger and performer of a cappella music, arranging dozens of songs for my group while listening to and absorbing the work of other talented groups across the country. Yahtzee competed in the Varsity Vocals ICCA each year, and during my time with the group we became the only group in the history of the competition to appear as finalists three times consecutively. I was honored to be awarded Outstanding Soloist at two of those appearances, and to take 2nd place overall in 2008. (Fun fact: We lost to the incredible SoCal VoCals, whose members included my good friend and fellow Sing Off arranger Ben Bram and Sonos beauty Rachel Bearer. We didn’t know each other at the time, but now we’re great friends. Funny how a cappella connects us!)
During my tenure as music director of Yahtzee, I got the chance to co-produce two albums, Minor Adjustments and 17. CASA shortlisted 17 as a favorite album of 2009, and my arrangement of Ben Fold’s “Missing The War” was nominated for the CARA for Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement of 2009.
But Yahtzee didn’t only inspire my love of performing and arranging, it also awakened in me a profound love of connecting. Our annual tour of schools gave us the chance to sing for young people, many of whom created a cappella groups of their own. We attended musical festivals and invitationals across the Southeast which exposed us to a broader world of vocal music than we had experienced in Tallahassee. I wanted to stay involved with that feeling, so after I graduated, I began volunteering for SoJam and CASA. I have been a CARA nominator and judge since 2009, and have co-produced 5 SoJams since. While holding down day jobs that ranged from bookseller to actor to community center program director to music teacher, I was lucky enough to work alongside some of the most talented minds in a cappella as a Board Member for the AACI and CASA, and have served as an ICCA and ICHSA adjudicator at all levels. In 2009, along with my good friend and fellow a cappella geek Dave Brown I started Mouth Off!, a weekly podcast dedicated to the world of contemporary a cappella. It has been voted Favorite A Cappella Podcast in the 2010 and 2011 A Cappella Community Awards.
More recently, I’ve continued my involvement with the ever-growing world of contemporary a cappella working closely with several a cappella festivals, including SoJam in NC, SingStrong in VA, VoCALnation in NYC, and SMACC in Syracuse. At these festivals I’ve served as judge, producer, coach, lecturer, host or performer. This past summer, I was lucky enough to be asked to join the music staff for Season 3 of NBC’s The Sing-Off as a vocal coach and arranger. You can check out some of my work for the show in my Portfolio. I am working on several new performance projects which will be released for public consumption this Spring and Summer, and am calling Cambridge, MA homebase for now.
I love reality television shows, diet soda and beer (though not together), sushi, and sunshine. I don’t like it when it’s too hot- in an ideal world, every day would be 70 degrees and breezy. I’m a cat person, though I’m warming up to dogs. I love to go to live concerts, and listen largely to bands signed to independent labels. I wear horizontal stripes like it’s my job, love traveling and exploring new cities, and talking- whenever and wherever- about music.
Here’s what Mouth Off has been Tweeting lately…
