The Wyvern Invitational A Cappella Festival was founded in 2009 by KO music directors Marcos Carreras and David Baker '04 with the help of Emmett Drake (Hall High School). The original plan was to create a local a Cappella festival that would be competitive but also a celebration of high school singing. Most importantly though, the WIAF was founded in partnership with Team Tobati to help raise money for improving the lives of disadvantaged youth in Tobati, Paraguay.
The first festival included 3 ensembles from Kingswood Oxford (Crimson 7) and Hall High School (Voce di Coeli and a Capella. Still to this day, Crimson 7 and a Capella continue to participate and compete in the festival! Since then, the WIAF has grown into New England’s largest high school a cappella festival with groups coming from CT, MA, and RI annually.
The WIAF also brings a wide array of professionals in the a cappella, choral, and music business to adjudicate and provide critical feedback for the groups involved. Currently, the WIAF is organized and ran by a committee made up of KO Faculty led by WIAF Committee Director Todd Millen and partnered with the Team Tobati Director Ron Garcia.