THE INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OF COLLEGIATE
A CAPPELLA
DEAR FRIENDS,
Welcome to Varsity Vocals’ 26th season! Our enthusiasm for the art of a cappella is greater than ever after more than a quarter century of presenting the best student groups on stage and in the studio.
Our tournaments have grown from a handful of events to the massive showcase they are today, this year featuring more than 578 groups and 8,772 singers at 77 events across North America and the United Kingdom.
Our original tournament inspired the hit movie Pitch Perfect, based on the nonfiction book documenting the true story of rival groups competing against each other in our very own ICCA. The Pitch Perfect franchise remains the highest-grossing musical series of all time.
Despite the incredible growth and mainstream popularity we’ve enjoyed, our focus remains sharply on the promotion and development of the talent that crosses our stage. We believe competition fosters growth, as groups work together toward a specific goal and cultivate lifelong skills and relationships.
We provide insightful feedback from our highly qualified judges – but more importantly, our singers get to connect with a larger audience from across the country, learning from their peers and finding inspiration in other groups.
Two years ago, our 2020 tournament was sidelined mid-season by the pandemic, and we were unable to crown champions for the first time. In 2021, as a cappella groups were unable to gather to rehearse or perform, we adapted our program by challenging groups to create 4-minute music videos, recorded and edited remotely. The astonishing artistry and skill in these videos is a testament to the adaptability, ingenuity, and determination of our competitors, and we couldn’t be prouder.
This season, we are again challenged by the pandemic, as we attempt to present live events across thousands of miles in an ever-changing COVID landscape. Although some of our events have been postponed or converted to virtual, we are determined to see the season through. Many groups haven’t been able to compete live since 2019 – some students for their entire high school or college career. We are humbled more than ever by the importance of our role in setting the stage for the creation of so much magic.
We have seen a cappella make great strides from where it began on our stage 26 years ago, and we can’t wait to see how our 2022 competitors push the envelope. Committed to promoting our singers and energized by the incredible music they create, we look forward to another memorable season. Thank you for joining us!
Sincerely,
Amanda Newman
Executive Director
ICCA CENTRAL QUARTERFINAL
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Saturday, February 19, 2022
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ABOUT VARSITY VOCALS
Since 1996, we have encouraged students worldwide to sing a cappella throughout their lives. Our programs include the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA), and the International Championship of A Cappella Open (The Open). We also annually produce The Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) and The Best of High School A Cappella (BOHSA) compilation albums.
Our a cappella competitions give top-notch a cappella groups the opportunity to showcase their talents for an international audience and to take home valuable feedback from our qualified judges. This year, competing groups will appear in venues all around the world, offering their energetic musical performances for your enjoyment.
The college tournament takes place from January through April in nine regions across the country and around the world. Each region holds anywhere from four to five Quarterfinals, and the top groups from each Quarterfinal advance to the Semifinal. The winning group at each Semifinal is named Regional Champion and advances to the ICCA Finals at The Town Hall in New York City on Saturday, April 23rd.
The high school tournament is now in its 17th year. The winners of each of seven Semifinal rounds will advance to the ICHSA Finals at The Town Hall in New York City on Saturday, April 22nd.
The Open Tournament celebrated its third year in summer 2019 and featured six Semifinals that lead to the Open Finals featuring those six Regional Champions, two Wild Card Champions, and our 2019 ICHSA and ICCA Champions. Those 10 groups competed in October 2019 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
For a full tournament schedule, visit us at www.varsityvocals.com/events
ABOUT TONIGHT'S SHOW
The performance order was determined by random draw this afternoon and will be announced from stage.
Tonight’s performers will be evaluated on elements of their vocal and visual performance, which carry numerical weight. The highest and lowest score from the individual judges will be dropped for each group. Our judges may recognize exceptional performances with special awards as they see fit.
There will be a 15-minute intermission. After the final group has performed, a guest performer will entertain you while the scores are tabulated.
Because each group only has ten minutes to perform, we ask you to keep your applause to an enthusiastic minimum between songs. Please feel welcome to applaud as much as you want after each group has finished its set.
Videotaping and non-flash photography for personal use is permitted during the concert, so long as you do not disrupt our performers or other patrons. Due to licensing regulations, we do not provide a video or audio recording of this performance.
TONIGHT'S COMPETITORS
A Sharp Arrangement, SUNY Potsdam’s student-run treble a cappella group, loves performing in schools and other venues. The group takes pride in connecting with students and members of the community through their performances. A Sharp Arrangement has come together to explore the area of women’s a cappella music through a variety of musical styles. The group fully supports music education in the schools and wants to more actively engage students in music. A Sharp Arrangement is committed to learning healthy, supported, and energized singing that can be enjoyed by all of their audiences. It is A Sharp Arrangement’s mission to perform and entertain the public through a cappella music.
Stay Tuned is one of SUNY Potsdam's official co-ed, gender-neutral a cappella groups. They are a close-knit family of music lovers, bringing their take on a cappella music to the public. The group was formed in October of 2012 by a small group of SUNY Potsdam students who hoped to bring together musicians to create a totally new group on campus. Since then, Stay Tuned’s goal has been to redefine a cappella music through their original arrangements, broad repertoire (including many genres that aren't largely represented), and the group members’ individuality, creating a unique a cappella experience.
The Potsdam Pitches is SUNY Potsdam’s oldest mixed-voice a cappella group. The Pitches was founded in 2007 by just four students and over 100 Pitches have been part of the group since! The founding four members first bonded over their shared love of Disney movies and would frequently get together to watch them in their free time. As such, Disney movies and music play important roles in the group's traditions. For example, instead of giving goofy nicknames to new members, they are each gifted with a Disney character that they embody. They then get that character printed on the back of their sweatshirts and wear them to various performances. The Pitches love to spread their love of a cappella by touring various schools and throughout New York! They love performing all over the state and giving masterclasses to students of all ages, teaching everything from Disney classics to current pop songs! Outside of singing, the group loves to get together and go to Dunkin', the mall, apple picking, or even just to hang out and watch Disney movies like the original Pitches before them.
The Potsdam Pointercounts, SUNY Potsdam’s student-run co-ed, all-basso a cappella group,is dedicated to educating students of all ages about a cappella music and bringing their love of the arts into schools. The Pointercounts perform a variety of styles of music to engage the creativity and imaginations of students and adults alike. The Pointercounts fully support music and the arts in schools because music is an integral part of the creative mind and spirit. The Pointercounts want students to experience a cappella choral singing through educational workshops and performances. A cappella music holds historical and cultural significance and The Pointercounts strive to make students aware of one of the oldest forms of choral singing. It is the mission of The Potsdam Pointercounts to create an atmosphere conducive to the students’ ability to create and enjoy music.
Pitch Please is UAlbany’s premier co-ed a cappella group. Since being founded in 2013, Pitch Please strives to deliver talented vocals, incredible arrangements, and award-winning performances. With over half of the group members being new, they are excited for a fresh start and hope to continue to Semifinals once again.
The Class Notes is Cornell's oldest existing all-gender a cappella group. Though they were originally founded in 1983 as a jazz group, they’ve since grown to sing everything from Beyoncé to Ariana Grande to James Arthur. They perform on campus, throughout the greater New York area, and also tour every year to various parts of the world. Previous tours have included Jamaica, Canada, Miami, Boston, Virginia, and more. Over the years, their crazy concert themes, sharp choreography, and love for Tostitos Hint of Lime chips have given them a place in the hearts of both past and present Cornellians. The Class Notes have been featured on best-of-a cappella compilation albums, progressed to ICCA Semifinals, and won multiple awards at ICCA, including Outstanding Arrangement at their 2019 Quarterfinal for “Japanese Denim” by Daniel Caesar. They recently released their 12th studio album, Here, and it’s available to stream on Spotify!
TONIGHT'S JUDGES
Diana Galeano is a graduate of Florida State University, where she studied music education with an emphasis in secondary choral education. At FSU, she sang with 2009 ICCA Southern champions, The AcaBelles. Since graduating, she has worked as a high school chorus teacher, served as director at FSU's summer music camps, sang with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and is currently the assistant director and proud camp mom at A Cappella Academy in Los Angeles, Calif. When she's not teaching or taking care of her aca-children, Diana teaches at a cappella festivals, arranges, offers masterclasses to groups in the greater Boston area, and sings with semi-professional groups Sound Off and Blacklight.
Taryn Miller is an alumna of the University of Massachusetts' only all-female a cappella group, S#arp Attitude, where she performed as a bass from 2013-2016 and served as music director from 2015-2016. During her time with the group, she performed in three ICCA tournaments and performed at various showcases and competitions within the Northeast. She also arranged for and was featured on S#arp Attitude's debut album Deja Vu and was featured on season 2 of "Sing It On" by PopTV network, a docu-reality series following groups competing in the ICCA. Prior to UMass, Taryn studied vocal studies while attending Marietta College and performing with the vocal jazz and a cappella ensemble, Flood Stage.
Ilana Morris is a pop/R&B/soul vocalist based in Western Massachusetts. While earning her Bachelor of Arts in jazz vocal performance at UMass Amherst, she sang with multiple vocal groups, including contemporary a cappella group S#arp Attitude. She currently teaches private voice lessons and is the Program Director for the music nonprofit, Music & Poetry Synchronized. Ilana got her start singing background for various Western Massachusetts bands and eventually went on to become lead vocalist of the Albany pop group, Wurliday. Last month, she released her first single as a solo artist, "Just Gotta Know." Ilana has opened up for iconic groups such as En Vogue and Third World and has shared the stage with members of Snarky Puppy, Lettuce, the Trey Anastasio Band, and more!
Toria Rainey is an independent singer and songwriter, and has been singing a cappella for over half of her life! For 15 years, she has been an a cappella singer, arranger, and group member, serving in various positions throughout high school and college. At Boston University, Toria sang with The Treblemakers, making two appearances at ICCA and landing a place on the competitive BOSS a cappella festival stage. Post-college, Toria was a founding member of Boston-based a cappella collective Birdland Avenue, whose album, Come Around, was awarded Best Debut Album in the 2019 Independent Music Awards. She has also served as a nominator for the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs). Toria’s personal projects have been featured on the Fresh Finds Pop Spotify Playlist and she continues to actively make solo and collaborative music in New York City.
SPECIAL THANKS
Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank our judges, hosts, competitors, volunteers, partners, and producers; and you, the audience, for supporting Varsity Vocals programming.
Amanda Newman
Executive Director
Dave Rabizadeh
ICCA Director
Elise Hackl-Blumstein
ICHSA Co-Director
PA/MA Program Coordinator
Andrea Poole
ICHSA Co-Director
Lucy Jacobs
The Open Director
ICCA West Producer
Andrew Poole
Director of Digital Media
Erica Tackett
Director of Marketing & Social Strategy
Emily Flanders
Director of Adjudication
ICCA Great Lakes Producer
Emily Sucher
Director of Publications
Patty Floyd
Accountant
Virginia DeMoss
Album Production Coordinator
Sara Yood
Senior Producer
Holli Kitching
ICCA Mid-Atlantic Producer
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
ICCA South Producer
Leah Alrutz
ICCA Midwest Producer
Bronwyn Jensen
ICCA Southwest Producer
Gemma Davies
ICCA United Kingdom Producer
Christopher Witham
ICCA United Kingdom Producer
Emily Benjamin
ICCA Northeast Producer
Arvin Zabalerio
ICCA Central Producer
Jillian Kimberlin
ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Producer
Danielle Sutherland
ICHSA Midwest Producer
Jake McVey
ICHSA Northeast Producer
Donald Paradis
ICHSA South Producer
Cameron Clemens
ICHSA West Producer
Courtney Jenson
Associate Producer/Emcee
Ben Garza
ICHSA Southwest Producer
Katherine Mosher
ICHSA South Day-Of Producer
Bri Decerio
ICHSA West Day-Of Producer
Jake Yoakum
ICHSA West Day-Of Producer
OUR TEAM
We have an amazing team of people who work tirelessly to make our programs so valuable for our singers and audiences alike — and they all do it while holding down full-time day jobs, too!
The top two finishing groups will advance to the 2022 ICCA Central Semifinal.
BRING THE HARMONY HOME
Find your favorite groups on The Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) and The Best of High School A Cappella (BOHSA), available for purchase on Apple Music and Amazon Music!
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