The Filipino-American a cappella group, The Filharmonic, have tunes a plenty and will be bringing their talents here to Ellensburg, as they wind down their 60-plus city nationwide tour.

“Being able to travel across the nation and meet everyone has been amazing,” said Niko Del Rey, the lone beatboxer of the group. “Constantly adding to our Filharmaniac family makes my heart so happy.”

What started as friendly chance encounters at singing competitions in college, turned into one cohesive group as the six banded their love for music together to compete on NBC’s “The Sing-Off.”

“The Sing-Off was an incredible experience for us,” bass vocalist Jules Cruz said. “It was our very first time performing as a group.”

As a group, they bring many different pieces to the table, combining performing arts, pop, a capella, jazz, opera, theater, classic and more to honor their Filipino heritage.

The Filharmonic’s work on television and the big screen didn’t stop with “The Sing-Off,” as the group was selected to be part of the cast for the movie “Pitch Perfect 2.”

Producers of “The Sing-Off,” Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman, who were also the producers for both Pitch Perfect movies, reached out to the group when the movie was in search of a talented group to represent the Philippines.

“To be on a movie set with all of these stars was surreal,” Cruz said. “Seeing how professional and down to earth all of them are was incredibly inspiring.”

Other major artists the group has been fortunate to share the stage with include Pentatonix, Linkin Park and the Black Eyed Peas.

“Each performance has been unforgettable. It’s cool seeing how each band or musician operates.” Cruz said.

According to Cruz, being around other groups, singers and judges has helped them hone and better refine their sound.

As an a capella group, each group member’s sound is just as important as the next, and one of the most key sounds of the group is that of beat boxer Niko Del Rey.

“I’ve been beat boxing since about 2009,” Del Rey said. “But I started taking it more seriously and started practicing harder when we competed on “The Sing-Off” in 2013.”

Del Rey said the hardest part about being the group’s lone beatboxer is trying to sound like a full drum or electronic dance music (EDM) beat by himself.

“If we have to be a guitar or piano as a group, the background parts can take different parts to fill it out. If I wanted to do kick drums and snares, with effects in the background, all at the same time, I need to find a way to cheat it so it sounds like I’m doing all three at the same time, even though that may not be physically possible,” Del Rey said. “I mean, a drummer gets to use all his limbs and I only get to use my mouth.”

It’s been a long, grueling trip for the group. Whether it is time spent on a plane or traveling on the road—the tour has certainly taken a toll on the group’s health.

“The lack of sleep from waking up early to catch our flights really strains us physically and mentally,” Del Rey said.

The group is very much invested in what they do, and no matter how hard the trials and tribulations of what a tour may bring, the group still manages to find a way to put a great product on the table.

As the The Filharmonic’s close out the last 11 cities of their tour, they will be at Central this Friday, May 6 as part of Central’s Family Weekend.

General admission to the public is $7 and admission for CWU students is $3. Don’t miss out on this performance which blends serenading sounds and head-bobbing beat boxes.