Forte is the premier contemporary a cappella group at Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio.
In 2016 Forte won first place in the Midwest Semifinals of the ICHSA (International Championships of High School A Cappella) to advance to finals in New York City, where they placed first in the nation. Their vocal percussionist, senior Justin Crichfield, won for best vocal percussionist in the nation, his second consecutive time to win that award. Ryan Nichols, also a senior, won best overall soloist at both the quarterfinal and Midwest semifinal competitions.
Forte has recorded seven albums and is the first-ever high school a cappella group to release a CD of all-original songs written by its members. Forte’s second all-original CD, Uncharted Heart, was nominated for five Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) and won for Best High School Song and was runner-up for Best High School Album and Best Pop/Rock Album after Grammy-winning group Pentatonix. In 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, Forte’s recordings were featured on the national compilation Best of High School A Cappella (BOHSA) albums as well as on the prestigious Sing 9 and Sing 11 compilations. Forte’s music can be purchased on iTunes, Amazon Digital Music, and LOUDR.
Forte has performed for or with artists such as Andy Grammer, Kirstin Maldonado, Pentatonix, Arora (formerly Sonos), Delilah, Overboard, Voice Play, The Exchange, Eliot Sloan of Blessid Union of Souls, and Deke Sharon (musical director of NBC’s The Sing-Off and the box office hit movie Pitch Perfect). In addition, Forte opened for the world-renowned a cappella group The House Jacks and the national tour of The Sing-Off in 2015.
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Hear what they are saying… about Forte
“Ben Spalding is one of a select number of high school directors teaching contemporary a cappella at the collegiate level and beyond”
– Deke Sharon, Music Producer of The Sing-Off, Pitch Perfect; Godfather of Contemporary A Cappella“Forte is one of the best high school a cappella groups we’ve ever heard.”
– Tonic Sol Fa“It’s almost unthinkable that a High School a cappella group could be termed ‘pioneering’ and yet that’s exactly what Forte is”
– Deke Sharon, Music Producer of The Sing-Off, Pitch Perfect; Godfather of Contemporary A Cappella“Year after year, Forte is one of a handful of groups who are on a whole different level from the rest of high school a cappella…and the vast majority of college a cappella for that matter.”
– Ed Boyer, Sound Production for Pentatonix, Glee, The Sing-Off, Pitch Perfect and more“Forte is one of the most consistently talented, well-rehearsed, and genuine groups out there – and note I didn’t say “high school groups.” How they keep this up from year to year is beyond me, but it’s really impressive.”
– Alex Green and Alex Koutzoukis, Owners of Plaid Productions“Ben Spalding has created an a cappella dynasty in Forte – a consistently high performing, inspiring, and viciously talented high school group who outsing most collegiate groups. I always feel confident sending my arrangements to Forte, knowing that they’ll be performed incredibly well.”
– Ben Bram, Grammy Winner, arranger: Pentatonix, Pitch Perfect, and The Sing-Off“Forte is everything great artistry should be: original, evocative, inspirational… Ben Spalding has done an exemplary job leading Forte to heights usually reserved only for professional groups.”
– Dave Sperandio, Producer, diovoce and Vocal Mastering
Forte Director
Kelly Korpusik is the head choral director at Centerville High School. At Centerville, Kelly directs all of the choirs and the a cappella group, Forte. She is also involved with the after school a cappella groups Novae & Prime, along with the fall and spring musicals at CHS. She received her Bachelor’s degree in vocal music education from Miami University in 1999. She started her music career teaching general music for grades 1-6 at Beechwoods Elementary in the Winton Woods School District. She has also been one of the directors for the Cincinnati Children’s Choir at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Kelly has taught private voice and piano lessons for over 20 years and has performed with the Cincinnati Camerata, a professional vocal ensemble.
Kelly currently lives in the Centerville School District with her husband, two children, 2 dogs and 3 cats. Her children attend CHS and are both in the Centerville Choir Program. Music has always been such a huge part of her life and she loves that she gets to share that love with her students.
Contact: [email protected]