THE INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OF HIGH SCHOOL
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
ICHSA SOUTH SEMIFINAL
University High School
Saturday, March 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
Bella Voce is the all-female a cappella group at New Manchester High School in Douglasville, Ga. All of the singers in Bella Voce are part of the school's Fine Arts Magnet Education (FAME) program. They are also involved in school activities such as class office, the award-winning marching band, musical theatre, community outreach programs, and much more. Although the Bellas have been around for some years now, this year's group is entirely new except for one member! They are extremely excited to strut across this stage in their signature gold heels and share their hard work with tonight’s audience. Bella Voce is led by Mr. Patrick Berry, vocal music instructor at NMHS, and assisted by student captains Crystal Jones and Mikayla Perkins.
Patatonics is White House Heritage’s contemporary a cappella group. This is an advanced auditioned ensemble that performs only a cappella music. Founded in 2017, they perform a variety of pop and rock contemporary arrangements. This ensemble presents several concerts throughout the year in conjunction with the choral department.
Tonal Spectrum is an a cappella ensemble at Crest High School, located in Shelby, N.C. This student-led performance group is classified as an honors music group within the choral department. The singers of Tonal Spectrum not only perform together, but are also a family that love and support one another. They have released two albums within the last four years and are in the process of releasing another in 2022.
Acapocalypse is Pine Ridge High School's a cappella ensemble, established in 2015. Their repertoire focuses on telling stories that audiences can relate to, tackling personal and social issues through their music. This is Acapocalypse's sixth year participating in ICHSA, having progressed to Semifinals in 2017 and 2019. Follow them on Instagram @prhsacapocalypse.
The After School Specials is a co-ed a cappella group of auditioned students from the performing arts program at Palm Harbor University High School. The group was founded by the original chorus teacher, Mr. Justin Havard, and they continue to perform many of his arrangements at concerts, community gigs, and competitions each year.
HyperOctave is the auditioned mixed choir at Heritage High School.
Rhapsody is the auditioned treble show choir at Heritage High School.
The Sharkappellas is a student-run a cappella group at Ponte Vedra High School. They love to perform before school in the courtyard for their fellow students and go caroling during the holidays. They are so excited to be back this year representing the Ponte Vedra Sharks. Fins up!
Boone High School's Vocality was founded in 2018, and has been stunning audiences ever since. Vocality is known for the group members’ shared passion for music, along with being a loving aca-family. When they aren't singing, you can catch members of Vocality in the school band, theatre, sports, clubs, and sleeping. They aim to serve up some sweet harmonies, while inspiring their audience to feel the music and tap into their emotions.
The A Cappella Group is a mixed group from Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Founded in 2003, TAG is recognized as one of the elite groups in the nation. They have released 13 full-length studio albums. Their 2018 album, 11:11, was honored at the April 2019 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs), winning Best High School Album and Best Scholastic Original Song. Overall, their albums have received 11 CARAs and 51 CARA nominations, holding the record for most nominations for any high school group. They have earned an appearance at ICHSA Finals in New York City three times, placing 3rd in 2007 and 4th in 2016. In April of 2018, the group won the high school championship at the National A Cappella Convention (NACC) in Memphis, besting 10 groups from around the country. Their 12th and 13th studio albums, Reality Lately and Six Feet Apart, received perfect scores from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB). The group is excited to be competing again for the first time since their ICHSA Semifinal appearance in 2020, four days before the world shut down.
TONIGHT'S JUDGES
Julian David Bryson is Director of Choral Activities at Jacksonville University (Jacksonville, Fla.) where his ensembles present a wide array of repertoire, including historic, avant garde, and popular music. He has taught elementary, middle, and high school music, led church music programs, and conducted operas and musical theatre. He holds a D.M.A. in choral conducting from the University of Kentucky, where he wrote his dissertation on choral collectives. As a composer, recent national awards and commissions include ACDA, the American Prize, Yale Glee Club, the Florida All-State Men's Choir, and San Jacinto College. His work is published at MusicSpoke.com, SheetMusicPlus.com, and more.
Christina Carter holds a master’s degree in music education from the University of Central Florida and a bachelor’s degree in music from Belmont University. She is celebrating her 26th year of teaching in private vocal, musical theatre, and choral performance settings. No stranger to the stage, Christina began competing as a vocalist at age nine and has led ensembles to success in show choir and a cappella competitions since 1995. She has taught at all levels from pre-K to collegiate education, and currently directs a high school a cappella group that has successfully competed in ICHSA Quarterfinals and Semifinals since 2017. Christina is the Florida Ambassador for the National A Cappella Association and an adjudicator for solo, show choir, concert choir, and a cappella events. She stays active as a performer in the Bach Festival Choir of Winter Park. In addition to all things music and singing, Christina loves to travel, arrange choral pieces, and spend time with her daughter, Kylee, and her husband, Chance.
Dan Dade, a music professional from Lansing, Mich., strives to be a multifaceted asset for any organization with which he is involved. Dan is currently an educator with Grand Ledge Public Schools, serving as one of the high school and middle school choir directors, as well as percussion director at Walled Lake Northern High School. He also works as a freelance composer and arranger, receiving commissions and performances from all over the United States, for ensembles such as the University of Georgia Symphonic Band, the Oakland University Chorale, and military bands like the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band. Dan has produced and published his own a cappella music on all streaming platforms and currently sings and beatboxes for TBD A Cappella. Dan worked as an arranger for Voices Only and has been a clinician for many high school and collegiate a cappella groups. He is committed to musical excellence and versatility and hopes to help others grow in these areas as well. As a former member of The Michigan State University Accafellas, Dan has a love for Varsity Vocals competitions and is honored to be one of the judges for this event. Best of luck to everyone competing tonight!
Jordy Parnell has been a beatboxer for 14 years, beginning at the Somerset Arts Conservatory. While studying music education at the University of Central Florida, he sang, did vocal percussion, and music-directed the competitive group, The Crescendudes, leading them to multiple appearances at festivals and ICCA. At UCF, he was the President of the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) on campus, spearheading the first collegiate chapter of the organization. He arranged and choreographed for both his group and others and continues to arrange and coach. After university, Jordy sang with the semi-professional group REMIX, and currently serves as the bass and vocal percussionist for Euphoria A Cappella, a virtual a cappella group primarily based in Pittsburgh, Pa. He also does covers, beatbox dubs, and arrangements for TikTok.
Kevin Trapasso has spent the last 10 years preparing, competing, and judging for ICCA and ICHSA. While majoring in choral music education at Arizona State University, he helped found the school’s first all-male a cappella group, created an annual statewide a cappella festival, and eventually led this group to a Quarterfinal win in his senior year. Since then, he moved to Florida and earned a master’s degree in choral conducting. He currently teaches chorus for grades 6-12 in Polk County, and is a member of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. He is so pleased to judge the very competition that helped him grow tremendously as a musician and educator and looks forward to a great night of 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 placing group will advance to 2022 ICHSA 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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