ALL THINGS MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 5
Naturally 7 hosts Salute to Bend A Cappella Festival
BY BRIAN MCELHINEY
The Bulletin
T
he Tower Theatre hosted the fifth an-
nual Bend A Cappella Festival last
February. Roughly three weeks later,
venues around the state shuttered due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
“We were very lucky; we got in right under
the wire,” festival director Nancy Phillips said.
Since then, the festival has weighed dif-
ferent ideas for its sixth year in the midst of
COVID-19. At one point, vocal group Six Ap-
peal was going to headline a smaller, socially
distanced event limited to 100 people.
“At one point, we did say that we wanted
to do that,” Phillips said, “and then we
thought, this is just not going to work be-
cause we don’t want to ask people to travel
and put themselves at risk.”
Eventually, the festival decided on a vir-
tual event. The Salute to Bend A Cappella
Festival will be available to stream starting at
7 p.m. Saturday, with additional screenings
every night through Feb. 27.
If You Go
What: Salute to Bend A Cappella Festival
hosted by Naturally 7
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, with screenings at
the same time every day through Feb. 27
Where: Virtual show
Cost: $20
Contact: towertheatre.org or 541-317-0700
Hosted by vocal septet Naturally 7, which
headlined the festival in 2017 and 2019, the
one-hour salute will feature memorable mo-
ments from previous years’ festivals as well
as updates from previous champions such as
Verdant and Sound Check.
“(We) always look forward to seeing what
other up-and-coming groups are up to,”
Naturally 7 musical director, baritone and
rapper Roger Thomas wrote via email. “You
never stop learning!”
Past headliners who will be featured in-
clude Peter Hollens, Deke Sharon
and Six Appeal. Zimbabwean
group Focus Acapella, which
has not performed at the fes-
tival yet, also recorded a per-
formance for the salute.
“One of them is pretty
cool too because it was
filmed inside the Tower The-
atre, and that’s the Peter Hol-
lens (version of) ‘You Raise Me
Up’ by Josh Groban,” Phillips said.
Naturally 7, which celebrated its 20th
anniversary in 2019 with the release of its
11th studio album, “20/20,” made for a natu-
ral choice to host the event (no pun intended).
Since COVID-19 hit, the band has hosted a
number of virtual concerts, including most
recently a Christmas special and a 2020 year-
in-review show in December.
Fans can look forward to a new virtual
show, “Naturally 7 Goes to the Movies,” as
well as a second volume of the mashup mix-
tape the group released last year.
Naturally 7 headlines the 2017
Bend A Cappella Festival.
Lisa L. Bell/Submitted photo
“Many of us have friends
and/or family members who
have been impacted in the
hardest way (by COVID),”
Thomas said. “This is by far
the longest we have ever been
off the road in our career. On the
flip side, it has forced us to be quite
innovative with our virtual concerts.”
While used to performing without instru-
ments, Naturally 7 and the other a cappella
performers involved with the festival have had
to adjust to performing without audiences.
“The biggest challenge is no automatic
feedback while performing, which often up-
lifts the energy level and takes us as artists
down a different road,” Thomas said. “On
the other hand, it’s been a lot of fun getting
creative in the virtual world.”
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7814, bmcelhiney@bendbulletin.com
Naturally 7
“Salute to Bend
A Cappella Festival”
The two-time headliners
relive musical moments from
past Festivals with stories,
interviews, and videos. PLUS,
we’ll meet Zimbabwe’s
Focus Acappella!
February 20 • 7 PM
Streaming tickets and info at