About
Founded in 2018, ZERO TO SIXTY is an cappella group based in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Produced & directed by award-winning arranger and Tiffin University professor BK Riha, ZERO TO SIXTY ranges from 5 to 8 members. Repertoire includes both original music & new interpretations of popular songs from the past 50 years, and each set is carefully crafted to match each event & audience. ZTS has performed at various camps, churches, festivals and events across Ohio. ZERO TO SIXTY has also released two EPs and numerous singles (available on Spotify, Apple Music & Amazon).
Although ZTS is most active during the summer months, the band also books gigs at all times of the year including the winter holidays! For more information on booking, contact BK at [email protected] or (260) 204-1060. |
Meet the Band
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BK RIHA
Co-Founder, Director, Producer, Alto & Vocal Percussion With a Master of Music in Choral Conducting (Kent State University) and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory & Voice Performance (Ashland University), BK Riha is a music educator, producer, vocalist, live looper and arranger with a special interest in building pop a cappella repertoire for treble ensembles and young scholastic groups. Nearing 25,000 copies sold worldwide, BK's 200+ innovative yet accessible arrangements have been performed and recorded by ensembles all of levels and ages in over 27 countries, with notable appearances including the 2018 World Choir Games in South Africa, the 2021 World Choir Games in Belgium and the 2023 National A Cappella Convention in Orlando, FL. BK also adjudicates for the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA), the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs). BK regularly coaches ensembles and leads workshops at festivals like SoJam and the Nordonia A Cappella Festival as well as various Ohio high schools. BK currently teaches Commercial Voice, Music Fundamentals and Second Year Projects at Tiffin University, one of the only schools in the country to offer scholarships for a cappella, beatboxing, live looping and hip hop music. BK also directs a vocal ensemble each year at TU and assists with arts recruitment. In their free time, BK tries new recipes and continues to study the link between psychology and music. bkmakesmusic.com |
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HUNTER KING
Co-Founder, Tenor & Vocal Percussion |
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REBEKAH DOVCI
Soprano 1 Rebekah (Bekky) Dovci is a lover of all music and a passionate educator at heart. In 2018 she earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, and she has taken courses in Music Learning Theory in addition to becoming certified in the Orff-Schulwerk Music Philosophy. Bekky was extremely active in the a cappella scene at Baldwin Wallace University, where she sang in the mixed group SŌL and founded multiple a cappella groups, including the all treble group, Fem Valore; the mixed jazz group, Moondaze; and a barbershop group, the Perfect Fourths. She also served as president of the university's student ACDA (American Choral Director's Association) chapter in which she helped create the first a cappella festival on campus to bring the various groups together. Bekky has now been teaching music to students of all ages and sharing the joy of song with the community for 5 years. She directs choir and music classes for students ages 3 to 16 at Heritage Classical Academy in Bainbridge, Ohio. She also loves working with the littlest ones of the Oberlin Choristers in the K-2 choir, Dulcis Musica. In addition to performing in ZTS since 2021, Bekky enjoys singing hymns each Monday night with dear friends and also sings with the West Shore Chorale in Lakewood. When she's not teaching or singing, Bekky loves spending time with friends and family, exploring delicious food in the area and going swing and folk dancing in this wonderful part of northeast Ohio that she calls home. |
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JESS SAMMARONE
Soprano 2 With a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and an additional emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy and Health from Baldwin Wallace University, Jessica is a choral music educator whose lifelong passion is to help students of all backgrounds and needs gain a sense of belonging through music. In 2022 she also pursued leveling coursework for speech pathology through San Diego State University to broaden her ability to reach students with communication differences. Her hope is to one day pursue a masters degree in speech pathology with special interests in neuro anatomy and cognitive disorders. Currently Jessica is a middle school choir director within the Elyria City School District as well as a private voice, piano and guitar instructor at Willow Arts and Wellness center which are both located in the suburbs of Cleveland, OH. She also directs the musical and multiple middle school a cappella ensembles within the district. After first co-directing a cappella camps in her Pittsburgh hometown along side award winning producer Brianne Holland, co-founding an all treble ensemble called Fem Valore, directing SŌL a cappella at Baldwin Wallace University and assisting with A Cappella Camp directed by Afro Blue’s Reginald Bowens from The Sing Off, a cappella has truly become her “third place.” Jessica has been performing with ZERO TO SIXTY since 2021. Jessica also dabbles in arranging and won best arrangement set for SŌL at the Midwest 2018 International Championship for Collegiate A Cappella. In her free time, she enjoys spending time out by the water reading a book with boba tea. |
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KAT PELLINGTON
Alto 1 Kat graduated with her Bachelor of Music Education (BME) from Otterbein University where she co-founded the university's first student-led pop a cappella group, Ottertuned. She earned her Master’s in Music from Bowling Green State University with a concentration in Teaching Artistry. Kat is excited to begin her 6th year of teaching at Nordonia Hills City Schools, serving as the primary director for the middle school choirs. At Nordonia, she also directs the middle school a cappella group Knight Rhythm and the high school group Momentum. Under her direction, the a cappella groups have performed for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Monsters; and they have opened for professional a cappella groups Duwende, Nomadic, Rockapella and many others. Kat has directed ICHSA championship-ranked a cappella groups, currently sings in composer Stacey V. Gibbs’ touring a cappella choir and works for Pitch Perfect’s Deke Sharon at Camp A Cappella. |
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MARVI LALVANI
Alto 2 Originally a classical violinist by training, Marvi fell in love with music from a young age. Marvi played for the Miami University Orchestra and then sang Miami University Collegiate Chorale during her undergraduate education. In graduate school, she co-founded an a cappella group, the Spark Notes, where she sang and operated as the Business Manager. After graduate school, she joined Project Philly, a non-profit a cappella group with the goal of raising scholarship funds in the arts. After her move to Cleveland two years ago, she has continued playing the violin and singing in her free time and is now thrilled to have joined Zero to Sixty. Marvi currently works in transformation and strategy at Sherwin Williams. In her free time she volunteers at NAMI Cleveland, takes frequent trips to Edgewater Beach and enjoys listening to Afrobeats / anything rhythmic. |
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COREY THUR
Baritone Joining ZERO TO SIXTY in 2023, Corey brings 11 years of a cappella experience as both a performer and arranger. He has also served as an adjudicator for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). Corey’s a cappella journey began with The Kent Clarks, based at Kent State University, where he obtained his degree in Media Production. Beyond a cappella, Corey can also be found on stage at local theaters. Over the past year, he was a member of the cast in "Spring Awakening" at Aurora Community Theatre, "Flames" at Clague Playhouse, and "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf" at Twin Masks. Corey couples his passion for performance and community service with his role as Show Director and Chairman of the Board for a non-profit organization called People International Inc (PII). Each summer, PII holds a week-long conference filled with rehearsals, workshops and community service, culminating in a benefit concert where all proceeds go to a local charity. This year’s conference will take place in St. Louis, MO, with L’Arche St Louis as the charity. Professionally, Corey is a Corporate Recruiter with Leaf Home. He is currently studying for his Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certification, which he hopes to use to continue his development in the field of Human Resources. Outside of his artistic and professional pursuits, you can likely find Corey at the movie theater, out on a walk, or cooking a meal at home for his loved ones. |
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TRISTEN G. JOHNSON
Bass Tristen G. Johnson is a singer/songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio. With a focus in pop, he describes his struggles with mental health and love in his album, Little Autumn Confession, which was released in the fall of 2022. Tristen has performed all over the country as a member of the vocal jazz group Up in the Air, including venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City. In the summer of 2022 he was an intern at Starsound Studios in North Royalton, where he helped build the only Dolby Atmos recording studio in Ohio. Tristen received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Commercial Music and Marketing from Tiffin University and now works as a stagehand for Rhino Staging, the company in charge of setting up the Superbowl halftime show. linktr.ee/TristenGJohnson |
2023 Photography by Jordan Neel
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