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 SOUTH SEMIFINAL
Carolina Theatre
Saturday, March 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
Prismatics, made with love in 2015, is an all-gender a cappella group from Belmont University committed to making meaningful music. Prismatics made waves at the 2021 ICCA, scoring a spot at Finals and winning Outstanding Video, as well as Outstanding Vocal Mix and Outstanding Arrangement in earlier rounds. This year, The Prismatics are ready to rock the boat once more and share their passion and energy with a live audience on the ICCA stage.
Pitchmen is the premier student-run men’s a cappella group from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Selected through an audition process that takes place each semester, the group members range in majors from commercial voice to audio engineering to music business and more. All music performed by Pitchmen is selected and arranged by members of the group and comes from a wide range of musical genres. Pitchmen strives to provide its audiences with a fun, yet classy, a cappella experience and to develop musical men of the highest quality.
Gemini Boulevard is an all-gender a cappella group out of the University of Central Florida. Founded in 2009 with the idea of bringing the UCF extracurricular arts to another level, Gemini Boulevard prides itself on creativity, imagination, and a strong sense of individuality. With two albums (B.Y.O.V. in 2015 and Aftermath in 2021) and an EP (Impact in 2018) under their belt, they have grown to love the process of creating recorded music nearly as much as performing live. During the pandemic, they recorded a 10-track album and couldn't be more excited to compete in person for the first time since ICCA 2020! Gemini Boulevard spends rehearsals developing each member's individual sound, as well as nurturing interpersonal connections among group members, resulting in dynamic onstage chemistry and an offstage familial bond. Always eager to expand their horizons, Gemini Boulevard will be singing in a different language on their upcoming album in order to represent the diverse cultures represented in their membership. This group seeks to create a safe rehearsal environment for group members to develop their craft. After a year off and a total rebrand, Gemini Boulevard is proud to perform alongside such gifted colleagues and friends!
BisCaydence is an award-winning co-ed a cappella group from the University of Miami. Established in 2011, the group features some of UM's top vocal talent both in and outside of the Frost School of Music. They embody the spirit of harmonic cohesiveness and school pride through a cappella music. BisCaydence sings a variety of repertoire, all arranged by members, including top 40s pop, rock, and R&B. They have had many impressive ICCA showings, notably placing 2nd in the 2019 ICCA Finals. They went on to record their competition set and release their first EP, Blue Horizon, which was nominated for three Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) and earned a featured track on the BOCA 2019 compilation album. Most recently, the group has been adapting to COVID life by working on recorded music and music videos. Last year, they placed 1st in ICCA Quarterfinals, where Gabe Schonman’s arrangement of “Break My Heart” took home the award for Outstanding Arrangement. BisCaydence is thrilled to be back to singing and competing in person this season!
Founded in 2010, The Tarpeggios, affectionately known around campus as The Tarps, is a mixed-voice a cappella group at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Though still a relatively new group, The Tarps have developed their own unique music style and become a distinct part of the Carolina a cappella community. They enjoy singing around campus, the surrounding community, and throughout North Carolina at UNC events, weddings, arts festivals, sporting events, and more. The Tarps pride themselves on their collaborative and creative musicianship and work to create a space where individuals from all backgrounds can come together and truly find a family, through music and beyond. In the past Two years, the Tarps have placed 2nd at the 2020 and 2021 ICCA South Semifinals and they are so excited to be returning for the 2022 season! They've also recently released a single of their 2021 ICCA set, as well as singles such as “G Train” and “Before He Cheats,” which can be found on Spotify. Learn more about The Tarps on their website, unctarpeggios.com, or on Instagram @thetarpeggios!
Vital Signs is a co-ed a cappella group founded in 2011. They regularly perform on campus at Elon and in the greater Burlington community. This musical family includes singers with all different interests, majors, and backgrounds who share a common love for performance and music. Vital Signs has three concerts a year, including a charity concert to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They have sung at Carnegie Hall in New York and placed 3rd in the ICCA Quarterfinals twice.
Accent A Cappella is the University of Florida’s premier all-gender a cappella group, established in 2001. Over the years, Accent's music has evolved, but they have always strived to meet a standard of excellence as artists and members of the UF community. Accent competed under the name No Southern Accent for 20 years until going through a substantial shift in image and identity. In addition to changing their name, they have been working to reroute the group's mission to be more inclusive and supportive of all people and identities. An important part of their mission statement is to create a second home for everyone involved and they seek to establish a space for people to foster their creative potential as performers and inspire every audience.
Formed in 1998, All-Night Yahtzee is the premier all-inclusive a cappella group at Florida State University. Throughout their history, All-Night Yahtzee has competed and placed in various competitions such as the ICCA, SoJam, the National A Cappella Convention (NACC), and Boston Sings (BOSS). Their latest album, Forever, was released in February 2021 and received six CARA nominations. This album can be found on all streaming platforms along with their two other albums. All-Night Yahtzee is constantly evolving and they strive to elevate and grow stronger each year. Although Yahtzee's members come from different places and musical backgrounds, all of them continue to promote the multiple facets that make up All-Night Yahtzee: confidence, fearlessness, and power. All-Night Yahtzee's message is simple. "Always be unapologetically yourself and love and feel every bit of yourself in the process."
Cockappella is the premier a cappella group at the University of South Carolina. They were formed in 2008 as an all-gender a cappella group on campus specializing in all types of music, especially pop. This fun, music-loving group of people loves to share their talents and perform. They perform in many on-campus events such as convocation, official ceremonies, and concerts, as well as off-campus events throughout South Carolina.
Tar Heel Voices, established in 1988, is UNC’s oldest co-ed a cappella group. Since its founding, the group has played a pivotal role in Carolina’s music scene. They performed at “Late Night with Roy” as the 2017 National Championship banner and have competed annually in the ICCA since 2018, earning various awards along the way. They strive to spread their passion for music everywhere they go!
TONIGHT'S JUDGES
Valerie Davidson was raised in Chapel Hill, N.C. and was an active participant in chorus and a cappella at East Chapel Hill High School. She holds a master's degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she also received her bachelor's degree in choral music education with a piano and voice focus in 2012. She was a member of The UNCG Sapphires for one year before founding and directing the first co-ed a cappella group at UNCG, The UNCG Chariots. She currently teaches chorus at Atkins High School in Winston Salem, N.C. and is completing her 10th year of teaching. Atkins’ a cappella groups have grown substantially under her direction and have even won multiple state championships. She has judged for both ICHSA and ICCA in the past and is excited to be a part of tonight’s competition.
Lauren France has been a multifaceted fixture in the a cappella community for the past 12 years, serving as a performer, arranger, choreographer, master class clinician, and taking on various leadership roles. She is passionate about giving back, especially by working with and supporting students and other newcomers to the a cappella world. As a student at Elon University, Lauren sang with Sweet Signatures, went on to sing with the Contemporary A Cappella League’s (CAL) Empire A Cappella in New York City for four years, and currently sings with the semi-professional group VXN. Over the years, Lauren has been exposed to a wide range of a cappella groups, styles, and competitive formats, by attending and assisting with more festivals and competitions that she can count. She believes that these opportunities not only reinforce the realms of what's possible in a cappella, but also helps a cappella experts and super-fans appreciate the dual challenge of creating an innovative set while executing a clean and polished performance. She is excited for tonight’s competitors to rise to this challenge and is thrilled for the opportunity to contribute to the ICCA!
Matt Hodge is an award-winning composer, bestselling author, musician, and professor who has worked with hundreds of clients throughout all 50 states and 31 countries spanning six continents. His credits include award-winning films, international television shows, professional theatre, commercials, radio, and video games. Matt has worked with numerous Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winners, as well as performers seen on NBC’s "The Sing-Off," FOX’s "American Idol," and in several Broadway shows. Performances of his a cappella arrangements have earned over 50 million YouTube views. He has judged numerous national and international competitions, taught at several universities (including his current professorship at William Peace University), published multiple books, and been an invited speaker at dozens of conferences and institutions. He has earned a B.A., M.A., and M.F.A. (all music-related) and his official website is WWW.MATTHODGE.COM.
A triangle area native, Freddy Perkins’ love for music emerged at a young age. He began his musical career as a saxophonist, and attended Appalachian State University to study classical saxophone and music therapy. There, Freddy co-founded Enharmonix, a co-ed a cappella group , where he served as the group's president and arranger for three years. In addition to his a cappella background, Freddy has performed in jazz vocal ensembles, musical theatre productions, community choirs, and voice recitals. Since graduating, Freddy has stayed involved in a cappella, recently co-founding Spectrum Vocals, a semi-professional a cappella group, based in the triangle. Freddy is a board-certified music therapist, and uses music to improve socialization, emotional expression, and speech/language with children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Kristin LoBiondo is no stranger to the a cappella community. She has worked as the assistant director of events for the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA), and performed with professional groups, Snowday, Vox Pop, and Jaded. She earned her B.A. in vocal music at Elon University, and has judged the ICCA in North Carolina and Maryland. Kristin is super excited to be judging again, and can't wait to see how the aca-bop has transformed over the years.
SPECIAL THANKS
Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Blake McClure; 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 Jensen
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 placing group will advance to the 2022 ICCA Finals.
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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