Virtual LAAF 2021 Wrap-Up!

CASA’s second virtual festival took place in late February from the 27th-28th and, like SoJam, was a whirlwind of a cappella magic! Hopin, the online events platform that our virtual festivals are hosted on, served us well once again. Hopin provides us with spaces to host classes, performance showcases, networking opportunities, masterclasses, and an expo booth all in one place.

A Weekend Recap:

• There were 27 classes throughout the weekend covering three general categories: Vocals & Body, Arranging & Production, and General & Business.
• One on one masterclass sessions ran during lunch time, providing groups and individuals the opportunity to receive valuable face time with a cappella experts
• Social rooms were a new addition to LAAF. During lunch, rooms were open to all featuring topics like ‘ LAAF and chill’, ‘Group Business/Dynamics’, ‘Social Media/ Marketing, and ‘Audio/Video Production’. These Social Rooms provided attendees with the space to chat about each topic and connect with others in a non-class environment
• The Professional showcase featured Just 6 from South Africa, Pipeline Vocal Project from Alaska, Rebel Bit from Italy, and MiCappella from Singapore (anyone else’s mind blown by all of the international representation?! Four continents!)
• On Sunday, there was a scholastic competition combined with a post-collegiate showcase. This provided groups with an opportunity to share their music in a non-competitive setting that is a rarity for post-collegiate groups in the a cappella world

Summary:

LAAF once again blew my expectations away, just like SoJam did! I was continuously impressed with how connected I felt to other attendees despite us all being behind our own screens. The chat and networking features provided us all with a chance to share our excitement with others. I have to say one of my favorite parts, just like at SoJam, was watching the showcase and chatting with everyone during it. I also truly loved seeing all of the post-scholastic groups in the showcase. I walked away with a list of groups to check out after the festival wrapped!

Save the date!

LAAF left me feeling so excited and hopeful for the future of our community. How cool is it that we are able to have these virtual festivals and connect with each other during a global pandemic! This is certainly not lost on me. I don’t know about you, but I’m counting the days until BOSS 2021! CASA’s last virtual festival of the season is going to feature an exciting new format for ‘’Community Original Shorts.’ Curious about it? Me too!! Check out the info here and snag a ticket. I’ll see you there on April 30th- May 2nd!