6th Annual Golden Lips Competition A Major Success

Millbrook School is the epicenter of the Upstate New York and New England boarding school singing world when the Golden Lips a cappella competition rolls around each spring. Fanfare is intense, with caped faculty, epic poems, walls of noise, and golden gum balls.

The caped faculty member—Art Department Chair Joe Raciti—opened the ceremony by welcoming this year’s judges, A Minor, an a cappella group from the University of Connecticut. Raciti then took back the Golden Lips trophy from last year’s winners, Kingswood Oxford’s all-boys group Crimson 7.

Back to attempt a repeat, Crimson 7 was joined in the competition by Kingswood Oxford’s girls group the Oxfordians, The 1794s from Cheshire Academy, the Kentones & Kentettes from Kent School, and Singers from Millbrook School.

It was a hard-fought battle of gorgeous harmonies, with each group singing two numbers to a packed Chelsea Morrison Theater. The fully engaged audience was treated to a cappella versions of classics like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Build Me Up Buttercup” alongside more modern hits including “Disturbia” and “Skyfall.”

VIEW ALL GOLDEN LIPS PHOTOS

Millbrook’s own Singers came in strong with beautiful renditions of Niall Horan’s “This Town” and Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing.” The visiting groups also sang their hearts out, but in the end, only one group could win. And the trophy went to the Crimson 7 yet again, for their performances of “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “My Shot.”

Congratulations to the Crimson 7 for their back-to-back victories! You can watch the entire 2025 Golden Lips competition—including an amazing performance by A Minor—below:

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