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 MIDWEST QUARTERFINAL

 

Case Western University
Saturday, February 12, 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

 

Ten40 Acappella is an all-male-identifying a cappella group affiliated with Bowling Green State University. As musicians and performers, they hope to spread the joy and knowledge that music can bring. They generally perform at events on campus, for charity, schools, and for private events. Their music crosses many genres, such as current popular music, hits from past decades, barbershop, and choral works. Each year ends with a tour during which they visit schools and communities around the state to teach and entertain. 

Tonal Eclipse A Cappella is a student-led, co-ed a cappella group and student organization based on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. They strive for great musicianship and teamwork so that they may come together to make amazing music. They are a family first; always have been, always will be. Over the current school year, Tonal Eclipse has aided in the creation of a new a cappella group on Bowling Green's Campus, Retrograde. They hope Retrograde will join them at competitions in future years. Although they have a challenging musical repertoire and are proud to master these challenges with ease, only a small portion of the group’s roster actually goes to school for music. They are proud to boast a wide variety of educational backgrounds, from nursing, education, business, film studies, and social work! 

Case In Point, founded in 2001, is Case Western Reserve University's premier all-voice-part a cappella group. Every song they perform is arranged by a current or former member of the group. They also focus on making the group a family, having retreats and a big fall break trip each semester. While the faces of Case In Point change over the years, they continue to create exciting new a cappella arrangements of a wide variety of musical genres. 

Based out of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Dhamakapella is a South Asian fusion a cappella group. They derive their influences from Indian classical, contemporary Bollywood, pop, dubstep, and electronic genres. Since they began competing in 2011, they have accrued 17 national titles and 20 individual awards at competitions across the United States. 

Scarlet and Grace Notes was founded in 2011 as Ohio State University's first and only all-female a cappella group. They love performing empowering music at events on campus and in the Columbus area, and are honored to have been competing in the ICCA for the past six years. Music is just one of the many things that brings them together. Outside of rehearsal, you can find them having picnics on the Oval, going to Jeni’s Ice-Cream, or laughing at photoshoots in the apple orchard. Each of the ladies of SAGN are unique in their own way, but their bond together cannot be ignored. You won't find a closer group of girls at Ohio State! 

Rhythm and Roos is The University of Akron's only co-ed  a cappella group. Composed of 14 members across all majors, they love to have fun onstage and make connections together and with their audience. Their mission is to tell a story, share a connection, and grow together as a family, all while making great music. 

The UC Vocaholics was founded in 2014 at the University of Cincinnati and is UC's gender-inclusive, competitive pop a cappella group. They are a self-run machine, putting together their own choreography, arranging their own music, and producing their own videos. Most of all, they are a tight-knit family who enjoys doing what they love with people that they love. They are so excited to be back performing at ICCA and to be giving you the dynamic, united performance of a lifetime. 

SŌL A Cappella, an organization founded by TikTok star Paige Zilba, includes students from all different majors and interests, but they’re  brought together by one thing: the love of nachos. Nah, just kidding - singing! SŌL A Cappella was founded in 2015 at Baldwin Wallace University and quickly became the university’s most renowned and beloved a cappella group, performing at multiple gigs on and off campus. The group currently has two singles, “River” and “Bad Romance,” both of which are available on all streaming platforms. After months of virtual rehearsals and creating several recordings on TikTok, they are so thankful to be back making music and performing together. They are excited to show you what they have been working on!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

 

Christopher Andres attended The Ohio State University and studied music education and music performance. He also was a member of The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club and University Chorus. Chris has been singing and playing the piano since he was five years old and also plays flute, tenor saxophone, baritone and trombone. Chris has performed on numerous stages around the world as both an instrumentalist and vocalist, which motivated him to arrange and compose music. He currently serves as the music director at 1st United Methodist Church of Greenville and is currently in his fourth year at Greenville Senior High School in Greenville, Ohio as the assistant vocal music director, accompanist, and assistant band director. 

Eric Neuenschwander is a choral director at Eastmoor Academy, a high school with Columbus City Schools. A proud 2011 graduate of The Ohio State University, Eric co-founded and music directed the group Majors & Minors and created an organization to help other a cappella groups form. Since graduating, Eric stays connected with Ohio State a cappella by helping the various groups prepare for competition season. In college, Eric performed with The Ohio State Men's Glee Club, The Statesmen, and The Ohio State Chorale. He developed a passion for musical theatre through his work with a student-led group, Off The Lake Productions, which went on to shape him as a performer. Eric continues to perform onstage and in the pit for various community theatre productions, and performs in improvised musicals with TDB: The Musical in Columbus and The Black Box Improv Theatre in Dayton. 

Sophie Shah is a lifelong music lover who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a minor in music in 2020. During her time in college, she participated in four years of competitive collegiate a cappella, serving as president of her group and earning ICCA awards for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Arrangement. In addition to her eight years of cappella experience, she also has a strong theoretical, choral, and compositional musical background, and writes her own music. 

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 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 Midwest 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!

VIEW ALBUMS

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