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 SOUTHWEST QUARTERFINAL

Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts
Saturday, February 26, 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

Amplified is a 17-member, mixed-voice, student-led a cappella ensemble from the University of Arizona. They don their signature ampli-colors in every performance: black and La Fonda turquoise. The group was founded in 2012 to create a fun, close-knit community of people who love to sing, create, and perform. Together, they and their sound are Amplified. 

Established in 1992, The ASU Pitchforks are proud to celebrate their 30th year. They are not only the first group established at Arizona State University, but in all of Arizona! This girl gang stands for female empowerment and diversity, consisting of a wide variety of majors and ladies from all walks of life. The Pitchforks are involved in a variety of different activities, such as recording EPs, performing on Arizona Midday, winning ASU Got Talent, and various philanthropic events. As an all-female group, these ladies span all voice parts, ranging from soprano to lady bass. This allows members to explore their full ranges as they grow and flourish in the group, all while developing that unique angelic blend. Furthermore, The ASU Pitchforks stand for female empowerment and show just how powerful women can be. These ladies rehearse for three hours on Tuesday and Thursday nights, learning original arrangements by their very own group members. Beyond that, however, The ASU Pitchforks are proud to nurture an environment for forming lifelong friendships, all while pushing one another to grow in their musical and personal lives. Although the group members come from all different majors, they all love coming together to sing. 

CatCall A Cappella is the University of Arizona’s premier all-male a cappella ensemble. Founded in 2008, CatCall is a student-led group of various majors, ages, and musical interests with a diverse musical repertoire and close-knit bond. All of CatCall’s arrangements are completed by current or graduated members of the ensemble and they traditionally end every set with their rendition of the University of Arizona's fight song, "Bear Down, Arizona!" 

Law Cappella is a co-ed a cappella group at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. The group was founded in fall 2017 and each member is pursuing a juris doctor. You may be wondering how a bunch of law students have time to do school and a cappella. All they have to say is, "What, like it's hard?" While not all of them are Gemini vegetarians, they do all feel comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life. You'll never catch them in last season's Prada shoes, but they always make sure to be nicely scented. It gives them a little something extra, don't you think? They hope their performance will give the judges endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't give bad scores. They just don't. But if for some reason they get a bad score, they object! 

The Northern Arizona University Axecidentals is an all-treble a cappella group established in 2013 and they’ve been rocking black and gold ever since! They sing music from artists ranging from Radiohead to Little Mix to Katy Perry. They are all-gender-inclusive and cater to all voices on the treble clef! In past years, they have placed 1st in ICCA at Quarterfinals, advanced to Semifinals, and won special awards, including Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Soloist. Former group members have gone on to develop their own groups, such as Unaccompanied and Red Letter Daze, who you can find on Spotify and Apple Music. The Axecidentals sing at events such as holiday fundraisers, student commencement ceremonies, and sometimes even professional sporting events at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. They also tour high schools throughout the Southwest to spread their love for the a cappella community! For the first time ever, they will be showcasing their new talent at the 2022 NAU Jazz/Madrigal Festival, which hosts over 3,000 high school students every year. You can find The Axecidentals' first-ever EP on Spotify, titled 2020. Once you go Axee, you NEVER go baxee! 

Noteriety is a group of 14 dedicated, unique individuals who share a passion for singing and making music. Founded in 2009, Noteriety is University of Arizona’s original all-gender a cappella group. 

Priority Male is ASU's premier all-male a cappella group! The group is composed of Arizona State University students and includes a wide variety of majors. They enjoy singing many different genres of music, from ‘80s to modern pop! During the year, they perform at many different venues, such as weddings, parties, benefits at ASU, and much more! In addition to ICCA, they hold at least two concerts a year to show what they work on all year outside of their ICCA set. As a group, they learn and memorize about 30 arrangements every year! Each of their arrangements are made by current members of Priority Male and they encourage one another to arrange all kinds of music. They strive to bring a fun and exciting performance each and every time they step onstage! 

The TEMPEtations is a co-ed a cappella group at ASU. Their goal is to promote a cappella music throughout the Tempe community and to advance musically at both the individual and group levels. 

From Provo, Utah, Beyond Measure is an award-winning, independent, collegiate a cappella group. They aim to use music to spread good in the world. The Beyond Measure family is made of volunteer young professionals and full-time college students that come from a variety of backgrounds from all over the United States. Even with their difference, all of the group members share at least two things in common: a love for music and a love for Jesus Christ. While Beyond Measure does not primarily perform Christian music, the Beyond Measure family strives to create experiences that lift audiences through impressive musicianship, service, and love.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Fabián Rodríguez Castro is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. Their performance career has taken them throughout the United States and abroad in concert tours and recording projects, including performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Dolby Theatre, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. They have enjoyed working as a clinician and adjudicator for various groups in the ICCA, workshops with Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA), and more. A leader in diversity and inclusion, Fabián was nominated as co-chair for the Life Gets Better Together Conference at Syracuse University in 2013 and 2014. Since graduating in 2015, Fabián has worked as a primary and assistant conductor to educational and professional ensembles in Los Angeles and New York. They have also served as an educator at K-12 schools, while also providing lessons for voice, instruments, arranging, composition, orchestration, and production. Their performing credits include Volta Vocals, Top Shelf Vocal, Metropolitan Master Chorale, and the Sterling Ensemble. Fabián completed their Master of Music in conducting at Azusa Pacific University, where they performed with various ensembles, including the Choral Scholars, University Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Gospel Choir, Masterworks Chorale, Jazz Band, and the Chamber Singers. Since 2015, Fabián has continued studying at Northeastern Conservatory of Music’s Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop, the National Center for Voice and Speech Summer Vocology Institute, John Henny’s Contemporary Voice Teacher Academy, Kodály Association of Southern California’s Level III Certification, and earned certification in therapeutic crisis intervention. Fabián continues to work as an artistic and creative consultant in the fields of audio engineering and production, visual graphics and web design, and music education. They are currently in their Doctor of Musical Arts program with Dr. Elizabeth Schauer at the University of Arizona and reside in Tucson, Ariz. with their puppy and kitten. 

Julie Cisneros has a Bachelor of Music in vocal music education from Michigan State University where she sang with the a cappella group Wicked Kiwi. She has been a junior high and high school music educator and choral director for the last 17 years and has taught private voice and piano lessons. Julie's students regularly achieve top scores at festivals and competitions. She currently teaches elementary music at American Leadership Academy for grades K-6. 

Sague Molina is a singer, teacher, and arranger born and raised in Arizona. Sague graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in music education with a choral emphasis, where he had the privilege of music-directing and singing with the tenor-bass a cappella group, The Highlanders, while also producing and arranging their first studio EP. Sague has sung with the Shrine of the Ages choir under Dr. Edith Copley, High Altitude Vocal Jazz ensemble, Chamber Singers, Men’s Chorale, and student-conducted the University Singers at NAU. Onstage, he has performed in a handful of operas and oratorios, in roles such as the bass soloist in Handel’s “Messiah” and Carrisimi’s “Jephte.” Currently, Sague is a first-year teacher and director of choirs at Camelback High School, as well as a singer in the Canto Vivo Chorale.

Nason Werth has been known to travel the country for a good a cappella show, and currently resides in Phoenix, Ariz. Originally from the great state of Michigan, Nason studied vocal performance at Michigan State University, where he served as music director and bass with MSU’s first co-ed a cappella group and ICCA fixture, Capital Green. He gained broad ensemble experience as a student with the university chorale, chamber choir, jazz octet, and section leader in the Okemos Presbyterian Church. Nason relocated to the Mid-Atlantic after college and has performed with the Handel Choir of Baltimore and the Bach in Baltimore ensembles. He currently serves as a nominator and judge for the A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs) and Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) and is looking forward to a great show!

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 placing groups will advance to the 2022 ICCA Southwest 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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