Prior Engagement

Hi friends! Been a minute! We’re here with an important update on this holiday weekend:

Our spectacular lead Daniel Carsello has made the decision to step down from Prior Engagement. We fully support his decision and wish him all the best in his future barbershop endeavors! ❤️

With Daniel’s departure, Prior Engagement will be on the lookout for a new lead. We’re already making some moves and hope to update you all very soon with some exciting news 💈

We want to take this opportunity to say thank you to Daniel for his incredible contributions to the quartet, and to express our sincere excitement to see where he goes next! If you’ve got a favorite Daniel story, please share in the comments as we celebrate a truly special person!

With tons of love,

Prior Engagement ❤️💈

Howdy friends! You know him, you love him, and today is his birthday! Everyone please wish a Happy 30th Birthday to our tremendously talented, incredibly kind, and wickedly smart superstar lead, Daniel Carsello!!
Daniel, we love every moment we get to spend with you, and now we get to do it with you in a new decade of your life! May the next ten years bring us more songs, more memories, and more special moments!

Much love,
Prior Engagement ❤️

Wow! We had such a great time performing at West Philly PorchFest earlier today. Wearing the shirts of some of our favorite quartets, we wound up singing 10 songs, teaching passersby some tags, and enjoying some great food and even greater company. Special thanks to Esaul Sanchez and Maria Benedetto for their hospitality and to Dawn Haggerty and Leila Naitove for capturing photos from the day.

Happy summer, friends! ☀️

UPDATE: We’ll be singing closer to 2:30, we hope to see you there!

Hi, friends! Come see us perform at this Saturday at 2 PM! DM us for the location, or check out the PorchFest website for more information (link in our bio) 💈

Hi, friends! Come see us perform at this Saturday at 2 PM! DM us for the location, or check out the PorchFest website for more information (link in our bio) 💈

We just finished our first rehearsal post-MAD Division, and we’re still feeling grateful to have shared lots of music and memories with our friends a few weeks ago. We had the privilege to mic test the Quartet Finals, check the link in our bio to see our set! We’ve got a few more things coming up before preparing for District in the Fall, so keep your eyes peeled for some exciting announcements down the road (did someone say merch? 👀)

On this , we want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the amazing people who have helped us on our journey over the last few months!
To our friends, our families, and our amazing coaches, thank you for all the support you’ve given us and for being there to help us grow! Making music together makes the four of us happier than we could ever say, but doing it for and with all of you is what drives us to keep pushing our art further with each and every rehearsal. Sincerest thanks from the bottoms of our hearts ❤️
Interested in seeing what all these folks have helped us to craft? Come check out Prior Engagement at the Mid-Atlantic District Barbershop Northern Division and Prelims Convention tomorrow night at Nazareth Area Middle School in Nazareth, PA!

Happy Friday, everybody! It’s time for our last member spotlight, featuring our rehearsal-hosting, arranging, punny baritone, Jeffrey Schwartz.

P: How long have you been singing barbershop and when did you start?
J: I have been singing barbershop since 2017; I sang with the Philadelphia chapter from April 2017 until March 2020. I began quartetting around this time as well, briefly singing tenor in Spruce Street & Logan Square. I first competed with Logan Square’s successor, Always Sunny. My first exposure to the barbershop style was watching The Buffalo Bills in "The Music Man," and my barbershop knowledge was greatly expanded when I was college roommates with my friend and barbershop person of note, Steve Notovitz. My barbershop debut on INSTAGRAM did not occur until my time with Always Sunny, though since joining Prior Engagement, there's been a considerable upswing.

P: What is your preferred
a. Snack/Candy?
b. Pet?
c. Sport?
J: I especially like dark chocolate. My favorite popular candies are Reese’s Cups and Baby Ruths. My favorite snack would be those peanut butter-filled pretzels; however, I can't keep them at home, lest I eat them all in one sitting.

All of them, though I believe that I love dogs the most. If I had a dog, it would be named Johann Sebastian Bark.

My favorite sport to watch is American football (GO BIRDS!!!) and my favorite sport to play is tennis.

P: If you were stuck on an island with only one movie/show/book for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be?
J: The logical choice would be “Once on This Island”; however, it would be too ironic to watch the show a second time, lest it become “Twice on This Island.” Therefore, I would probably pick “Hadestown.” If by “show” you mean “television series,” then the choice would probably be “Star Trek,” of which the best iteration is “The Next Generation,” though “Strange New Worlds” may give it a run for its money.

With that, we've given you all of the clues you need to say the winning phrase! Comment the phrase on either Facebook or Instagram, and the first person who says so on each platform wins the prize. Be sure to expand on the Jeff lore in the comments, too. Happy sleuthing!

Ha! You thought we forgot! (We did)
Welcome back to our member spotlight series! Today we are putting the spotlight on our 2nd-octave-loving critter-seeking pirate bass Sebi Santiago-Rivas😊

P: How long have you been singing barbershop and when did you start?
S: I started singing barbershop in 2013! I attended the inaugural year of Acappellooza Summer, a program hosted by the Ambassadors of Harmony. It was a life-changing week that got me hooked forever onto this amazing art form. I also do a lot of contemporary a ca****la, so I’ve done my best to live in both worlds as much as possible! It’s been AN incredible adventure!

P: What is your preferred
a. Snack/Candy?
b. Pet?
c. Sport?

S: I will always go in on a Chex Mix. Specifically the corn Chex. Corn check? Singular form of corn Chex. Also, snickers!
I’m a lover of all fluffy animals, but I’m also big on fish and reptiles! I’m looking to get a hognose snake soon; they are the derpiest.
I’m a recent follower of sports, to be frank, but I’m Philly teams through and through. That said, always been a fan of fútbol!

P: If you were stuck on an island with only one movie/show/book for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be?
S: The entire Godzilla franchise (and sure, add in the legendary monsterverse too, but priority to the Japanese films).

With just one more spotlight to go, make sure to catch us here next Sunday as we celebrate our baritone, Jeff! And don’t forget the special challenge and mystery prize! 👀
Feel free to expand on the Sebi canon in the comments, and have a great week! 💈