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 MID-ATLANTIC QUARTERFINAL

West Chester University
Saturday, February 19, 2022

WE'RE SOCIAL

We're talking about this event, and all of our events around the world!

varsityvocals

@varsityvocals

@varsityvocals

Follow us @varsityvocals on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, and join the conversation using #ICCA and #ICHSA.

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

The MelUDees, an all-gender a cappella group at the University of Delaware, was founded in 2006. The founders shared a passion for a cappella singing and agreed that it was time for more great singers on campus to have a chance to showcase their talents. The group prides itself on having fun and working hard. They have worked tirelessly to create a reputation of creativity and musical excellence while also forming strong lifelong friendships. Today The MelUDees perform all over campus and the East Coast. They tour, host visiting a cappella groups, compete in the ICCA, and have a blast together no matter what they are doing. 

Chromatic, from Millersville University & the Tell School of Music, is a 100% student-led group. As the only a cappella group on campus, Chromatic is open to all majors, genders, and walks of life. Previously a jazz group, they turned a cappella in 2016 and never looked back. They perform in events, concerts, and showcases on and off campus.This will be their fourth year competing in the ICCA. Last year, they took home the title of Quarterfinal Champions! Since that win, they have released music on Spotify and Apple Music (under MU Chromatic) and even went viral on TikTok! They are so glad to be back in person! 

The Lehigh Echoes is the premier all-female a cappella group at Lehigh University. They are a close-knit group of singers who love to perform classic throwbacks and pop hits with a twist. They are excited to have the opportunity to take the ICCA stage for the first time live since 2019. They hope you love their set and don't be afraid to sing along! 

Off The Record is Lehigh University’s youngest a cappella group. This past summer, Off The Record went Off Mute with their new album, which was released on July 3, 2021 and includes repertoire from the 2020-2021 academic year! Prior to Covid, Off The Record celebrated their 10th anniversary in a concert with over 50 of their previous members! They love to sing anything from Queen to Panic! At The Disco to Kanye West. Overall, Off The Record is excited to be back in person on Lehigh’s campus and is excited of what is to come in the near future! 

Under A Rest is a gender-inclusive a cappella group from West Chester University. Established in 2014, the group consists of undergraduate students from all majors and years. UAR has released three studio albums and a few music videos too! While UAR loves to make great music, the group is truly one big family. With six new members this year, UAR is so excited to be back competing, sharing the stage, and singing together in person!

The Supernovas is Villanova’s oldest co-ed a cappella group. Villanova does not have a music major, so the group members come from a wide variety of undergraduate focuses including nursing, military science, engineering, neuroscience, and more, while also being dedicated to music. Since being founded in 1999, The Supernovas have grown in size and sound, developing a truly unique style of a cappella. Singing music from artists such as Yebba, MUNA, Sam Smith, Florence and the Machine, Whitney Houston, and Ariana Grande, The Supernovas honor the truth of each artist's original sound while incorporating their Supernova style in every arrangement. Throughout the year, The Supernovas perform at a variety of events on and off Villanova’s campus, from basketball games to Villanova’s Special Olympics Fall Festival. In the past, The Supernovas have performed at benefit concerts, toured the Northeast with other a cappella groups, and were invited to audition for NBC's “The Sing-Off.” The Supernovas have been performing competitively in the ICCA for the past six years. 

YCP Rhapsody A Cappella is an elite vocal group that has been performing and competing for over a decade. Throughout the challenges of COVID, the group had to persevere through many cold nights outside, but they were ultimately able to come together and make music. Rhapsody has performed in and placed highly in plenty of competitions, including the 2019 ICCA, Carlisle Glee competitions, Elizabethtown A Cappella Showcases, and Yorvoice. They primarily specialize in pop songs but have been known to deviate into rock and R&B with songs from artists like Queen and Frank Ocean. Some of their more recent arrangements include songs by modern icons like Pink Sweat$, Dan and Shay, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Khalid, and Justin Timberlake. Rhapsody benefits from being a smaller tight-knit group, as this creates many more opportunities to bond, and help each singer quickly evolve from group member to friend to family. Rhapsody prioritizes quality over quantity in its group makeup and has always succeeded and thrived because of it. Each member is hand-chosen for their immense vocal skills and luckily, each personality has always fit right in. Rhapsody is honored for every opportunity to sing together.

GUEST PERFORMER

OneManJamz is a Virginia-bred singer, rapper, beatboxer, and loop artist. Blending the solo style of Bobby McFerrin with the contemporary a cappella sounds of Pentatonix, his band consists of just his voice making drum beats, bass grooves, and harmonic layers to create full, one-of-a-kind tracks. His songs are genuine and human, discussing topics of love, loneliness, struggle, and success. His covers seek to take the listener to a different place than the original song would, either amping up the energy to tell a new story or chilling out for a more introspective, vulnerable vibe.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Neil Aaronson is a professor of physics and acoustics at Stockton College. A founding member of The TCNJ Trentones, Neil continued working with a cappella ensembles in graduate school at Michigan State University. Since 2008, he has helped the a cappella community grow from one ensemble with 10 members to three ensembles with over 45 singers, all working together to foster musical growth at their campus. He is the executive director of the ASTA/NJ Chamber Music Institute, assistant conductor of the Stockton Oratorio Society, and vice president of the Board of Directors for the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey. 

Michael Brisentine graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2015 with degrees in vocal performance and music education. During his time there, he was a member of the internationally acclaimed group, Faux Paz. He led them to Finals in 2015 and led production for two Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) nominations for Best Co-ed Album. Since then, he assisted Faux with their 2016 season, helping with arrangements and early directorship. He also began teaching at Chesapeake Senior High School in Pasadena, Md., and started its first contemporary a cappella group, Evolve. 

Joshua Singer served as music director and arranger for two-time ICCA Finalists, University of Maryland Faux Paz. In 2016, he was awarded Outstanding Arrangement for the Mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, Josh arranged the winning 2017 BOSS Scholastic Competition set for Faux. His work has been nominated for multiple CARAs, including a 2016 nomination for Best Electronic Song for his arrangement of "Our Own House" by Misterwives. Josh won the CARA for "Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement" for Faux Paz's single, "Where Are Ü Now" by Justin Bieber, Skrillex, and Diplo. Josh was a featured director on the second season of Pop Network's “Sing It On," which followed his group's ICCA journey to Finals. Josh continues to engage with the a cappella community through his arrangements, collaborations, and workshops, and actively works to inspire groups across the country to take their music and performance to the next level. 

Ian Wolfe is a Pennsylvania State University graduate and self-proclaimed a cappella nerd. At Penn State, he spent four years singing in a co-ed a cappella group, The Coda Conduct. He served as music director for Coda and helped them release an EP, Out of the Dark, and a full album, SPECTRUM. Ian competed in ICCA twice with The Coda Conduct, winning several Outstanding Arrangement awards. He also competed in the 2018 BOSS Scholastic Competition in Boston, Mass. Ian currently sings with the international 3rd place medalist barbershop chorus, Parkside Harmony, is a percussionist, and works with the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) as a nominator and judge for the CARAs.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank High Street Harmonix; 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 Director
ICHSA Great Lakes Producer
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 Mid-Atlantic 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!

varsityvocals