THE HISTORY
As students at Lexington High School, Ester Zhao and Daniel Hoffman had the privilege of participating in the strong music department the school has become known for. They loved their experience, but they wished that they had come into high school with preparation for what to expect musically, particularly in the a cappella groups. A cappella as an art form has seen tremendous growth in popularity due to the rise of groups such as Pentatonix and the Pitch Perfect movies, and yet most students won’t have a chance to experience it themselves until at least high school. So Ester and Daniel asked themselves: why not sooner?
And so The A Cappella Workshop was born! Ester and Daniel taught the first class of seven students during the summer of 2015. Each year since then, tweaks have been made to the program to improve the student experience. The summer of 2018 was a huge milestone for the Workshop—we introduced a new full-day schedule, a new location, four new teachers, and greater customizability for students to shape their own experience. The program has expanded from that first summer to the now dozens of alums participating in a cappella groups and choruses, but the commitment to fun, the passion for making music, and the feeling of community developed over the course of the week has remained true to the Workshop's initial goals.
In 2019, we welcomed a new era of the A Cappella Workshop as Ester and Daniel passed the torch along to Molly Zeytoonian, Adam Bernstein, Angela Houh, and Harris Erdman. In 2020, COVID unfortunately got the better of the Workshop. In place of our typical program, we taught some private vocal lessons over Zoom to keep up our goal of educating students and fostering excitement and passion for music! Then, in 2021, we returned to our classic program structure and haven't looked back since! In 2023, Harris and Adam transferred their titles over to Co-Presidents Anika Ahuja, Janya Utkarsh, Rohan Seth, and Jessica Dai.
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This year, Anika, Janya, Rohan, and Jessica pass the 'Shop down to new management: Co-Presidents Arjun Kumar, Shuntavi Schuman-Olivier, and Yash Mathur. We are holding 4 exciting weeks of the 'Shop and hope to spark and cultivate a greater passion for vocal music and a cappella this summer. Most importantly, we can't wait to meet all the new faces coming up to Lexington's music program!
Our goal is to give students an introduction to student-led small-group singing by working on a number of skills that will serve them for the rest of their musical careers. Students have the flexibility to gear their experience to their own interests, while being encouraged to branch out into new and exciting areas. We’re always amazed by the progress that our students make by the end of the week, and we’re sure you will be too. We can’t wait to work with another group of talented students this summer!
If you've read this far, we commend you. Hopefully the rich history of the 'Shop will inspire you to sign up for one of our four weeks this summer. To contact us directly with questions about the Workshop, minor seventh chords, music at LHS, or anything at all, please don't hesitate to shoot us an email or a message on Facebook/Instagram.
DANIEL HOFFMAN
Co-founder
Daniel is a recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. While at Lexington High School, he acted as leader and head arranger for the all-male a cappella group, Rock Paper Scissors, and participated in Concert Choir and the Madrigal Singers. He is a recipient of the Lexington Music School’s award for Leadership in the LHS Music Department for his work in the choral and a cappella programs. In college, he was the Assistant Music Director of the Washington University Amateurs, a competitive mixed a cappella group that performs around St. Louis and across the country. A few years ago, they released on album, "Infrared" (which is available now on Spotify and Apple Music). Although he has stepped away from the workshop, Daniel's enthusiasm for music made The A Cappella Workshop what it is, and we are so grateful he put such time and dedication into the workshop.
ESTER ZHAO
Co-founder
Ester is a recent graduate of Smith College. She is a proud alum of the LHS music program, where she was a leader and head arranger for the all-female a cappella group, Euphoria. While at LHS, she served as President of Women’s Chorus, and as a member of the Madrigal Singers. In college she continued to sing as a member of the Chamber Singers, who toured South America in the spring. She also served as Assistant Music Director of the Smith College Smithereens: a traditionally all-female a cappella group that is currently working on releasing their new album (Check out their EP, Stop and Hear, on Spotify now!). Ester has lots of experience in vocal coaching and audition preparation. Her passion for singing and sharing what she has learned with others has contributed greatly to the success of the A Cappella Workshop, and we miss her presence dearly.