We got the chance to catch up with The Filharmonic ! The talented a cappella group is comprised of Joe, VJ, Niko, Trace, Barry, and Jules. These guys have been so busy since they won NBC’s “The Sing Off”. From a national tour, to being a part of the film, Pitch Perfect, to recording a Christmas album, these guys have so many exciting things happening.
Check out our interview below!
Photo Credit: Ben Miller
upfrontNY: You recently had a special performance as part of Filipino American History Month. What was it like being a part of this special night?
Jules: It was an amazing experience to hit the stage in honor of Filipino-American History. Our culture is an integral part of our group and our identity, so we love any opportunity to celebrate Fil-Am history.
upfrontNY: We hear you have a Christmas Album! Can you tell us more about that?
VJ: Yes. We do have a Christmas Album. It’s called “With Love, The Filharmonic” and it’s an EP that consists of 6 songs that we arranged for the Season. They’re our favorite holiday songs. We’re working on adding a new, additional track!
upfrontNY: How did the group decide to make a Christmas album?
Trace: Christmas already has such a tradition with choral music, it just makes sense for us to take it a little further with a cappella! So many classic Christmas songs are already a cappella, it was easy to take some of our favorites and add our Filharmonic spin on them.
upfrontNY: What is your favorite Christmas song?
BARRY: Christmas music is one of my favorite genres of music so there are a lot of favorites, but to narrow it down, two that really stand out are All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey and Last Christmas by Wham.
upfrontNY: The group has been touring to so many great places. What has been one of the best places you have visited?
NIKO – Texas has been surprisingly overwhelming. We didn’t think we would be so well received. Not to mention the Tex-Mex food and the queso, we couldn’t get enough of it while we were there!!
upfrontNY: What has been one of the best touring memories for the group?
Joe: Best memories I’ve had touring was when we sang in Austin, Texas. We performed for a sold out crowd and performed our cover of Flashlight by Jessie J. Half way through the song, the audience start to pull out their phones flash their flashlights at us, the room was filled with this light and I remember looking at the rest of the group and they all had the biggest smiles on their faces.
upfrontNY: Do you have any funny memories from the road?
NIKO: Of course, being on the road with your brothers for months is bound to give you a few funny memories. One particular memory that makes me laugh and cringe at the same time was this show we did in Waubonsee, Illinois. Long story short, it was like a bad Southwest Airlines commercial and I was talking to the crowd over the mic but I didn’t remember how to pronounce their name and said “THANK YOU WASABI-NAY!!” Or something along those lines. No one understood what I said until someone in the audience replied “Do you mean Wah-Bon-Zee” which was the correct pronunciation. It was so awkward and everyone laughed at my error. That moment still haunts me in my sleep.
upfrontNY: What is next for you?
Jules: We’re still currently on our nationwide college tour and we’re always hard at work making new videos and working on some new, original music!
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