DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to Varsity Vocals’ 27th 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 610 groups and over 9,100 singers at 85 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 cinematic 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.  

We have seen a cappella make great strides from where it began on our stage 27 years ago, and we can’t wait to see how our 2023 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 CENTRAL QUARTERFINAL

University of Pittsburgh
Saturday, February 18th, 2023

WE'RE SOCIAL

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

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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 29th.

The high school tournament is now in its 18th 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 28th.

 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

C Flat Run is an SATB a cappella group founded in 2009 at the University of Pittsburgh, also known as the “sex-C-est” group on campus. They are two-time ICCA Semifinalists and were voted “Best in the 'Burgh" for entertainment by Pittsburgh Magazine. Their performances range from on-campus concerts to singing for then-Vice President Joe Biden. Above all else, this group of 14 students loves making music together!

The C# singers is a close-knit group of friends with an appetite for all sorts of songs, from billboard chart-toppers to nerdy video game tunes. They are constantly striving to improve their musicality, technical abilities, and performance skills, both as individuals and within the larger musical community at CMU. They foster a culture that takes joy in performance and shares it with their community. 

Counterpoint was founded in 2000 by Carolyn Weger as Carnegie Mellon’s first all female and nonbinary a cappella group. Since then, they have worked hard to redefine the limits of a treble-voiced a cappella group's potential. In 2008, they founded the AcaPittsburgh benefit concert and have been holding concerts to benefit local causes and nonprofits every year since. They also annually compete in the ICCA, notably placing 2nd at 2020 ICCA Central Quarterfinals and qualifying for Semifinals, which was sadly canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of their other concerts at CMU include No Instruments Aloud, the Carnival A Cappella Concert, Spark the Movement, and Almost Midnight A Cappella! 

Crimson Chords is Indiana University of Pennsylvania's only a cappella group. Originally formed as a jazz choir, Chords has evolved to include a variety of genres and styles. Composed of students from many different majors, Crimson Chords strives to provide an inclusive setting for all people who enjoy making strange mouth noises. This will be IUP's first time participating in ICCA and they can't wait to show you what they've got. 

Mic Drop A Cappella is an all-gender, student-led a cappella group from Duquesne University. This is the first time in three years that Mic Drop is competing in the ICCA, now with a completely new roster. Mic Drop's nine members represent eight different majors, from music education to biomedical engineering. They can't wait to show you what they've been working on and hope you enjoy the show! 

Pitches & Tones is a co-ed a cappella group from the University of Pittsburgh. As a group, they balance a serious work ethic with a fun-loving attitude towards learning and performing live music. Every semester, their setlist includes a wide variety of musical genres and artists, with both songs that everyone will recognize and others that they hope to introduce to their audiences. All of their music is arranged within the group, showcasing different moods and styles from different group members. This year, they aim to grow as a group and share a cappella with as many people as they can reach. 

Sounds Like Treble is Pitt's only all-treble a cappella group! Typically 14-18 members strong, SLT is focused on creating great music while providing a fun and close-knit community on campus. They arrange a variety of songs and embrace selections across different artists, decades, and genres. They are known to challenge themselves with fun and ambitious medleys of their favorite songs and artists. At an SLT performance, you are sure to see dedication, enthusiasm and talent, from each individual and as a team. 

The Pendulums is the oldest all-voice a cappella group at the University of Pittsburgh! They are both a fun-loving and competitive group. They love any chance to perform, whether at their own concerts, group invitationals, or private events. Members of The Pendulums arrange all music performed by the group. They love choosing songs from a diverse repertoire, from rock to pop to indie to doo-wop! They have performed at ICCA in the past, but are overwhelmingly excited to be back this year with many brand-new group members. 

The Songburghs is one of University of Pittsburgh's premier all-gender a capella groups. Established in 2015, they perform an expansive and authentic repertoire that covers a wide variety of styles. They are entirely student-run and work to put together performances for various events throughout the city of Pittsburgh. The Songburghs have also competed at the ICCA, earning 1st place in the 2019 and 2020 Quarterfinals and most recently 3rd place in the 2022 Quarterfinals. Outside of rehearsal, they can be found performing the latest Tik Tok dances, studying together in Hillman Library, or getting entirely too competitive playing card games. Previously, The Songburghs have released two EPs on Spotify and continue to release sets via social media. With bonds forged from the intense flames of "Never Have I Ever" and "Hot Seat," one could describe The Songburghs as a family as much as they are an a cappella group. 

The Treblemakers is an award-winning co-ed a cappella group at Carnegie Mellon. Founded in 2010, they have quickly grown into a musical force to be reckoned with. They host CMU’s Almost Midnight A Cappella Concert every spring and regularly compete in the ICCA. They pride themselves on being one of the most fun-loving groups on campus and push themselves to be their best. At heart, they’re a close-knit group of friends who love to share their passion for music with their community. The Treblemakers is a group for all kinds of singers and musical styles and they are excited to bring their visions to life in performance. 

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Roman Baiocco’s experience with vocal music began in high school, where he performed in many of his school’s musicals, was in the choir, did the sound design for shows, and sang in a lower-voiced a cappella group. After matriculating to Carnegie Mellon to study music composition, he performed regularly in bands and small groups. Therel, he also sang and performed with The Originals, for whom he served as president and managed concerts and performances. During his tenure, The Originals progressed all the way to ICCA Finals twice, placing 2nd and 4th. 

Aldrich Ronquillo is a former member of The Carnegie Mellon Originals. While in the group, he served as vice president and arranger, acted as lead vocalist, and provided feedback on competition sets for fellow groups. Nowadays, he regularly performs around Seattle as a solo artist and is working on releasing original music in the near future. He also continues to study vocal music outside of the academic setting. Aldrich is super excited to be back in the Pittsburgh a cappella scene, this time on the judging panel, and cannot wait to hear all the amazing performances tonight! 

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Bryce McKracken, Chelsea Perticone, Katie West, Amber McBride, Angela Tomlin, and Acaproducers; 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
PA/MA Program Coordinator

Lucy Jacobs
The Open Director
 ICCA West Producer

Emily Flanders
Director of Adjudication
 ICCA Great Lakes Producer

Andrew Poole
 Director of Digital Media

Erica Tackett
 Director of Marketing
& Social Strategy

Emily Sucher
 Director of Publications

Sara Yood
Senior Producer

Holli Kitching
ICCA Mid-Atlantic Producer

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
 ICCA South Producer

Arvin Zabalerio
ICCA Central 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

Jillian Kimberlin
 ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Producer

Danielle Sutherland
 ICHSA Midwest Producer

Jake McVey
 ICHSA Northeast Producer

Cameron Clemens
 ICHSA West Producer

Ben Garza
 ICHSA Southwest Producer

Luke Thomas
 ICHSA South Producer

Adam McNeil
ICHSA Great Lakes Producer

Nicole Kholweiss
 ICCA Central Day-Of Producer

Courtney Jenson
 Associate Producer
Emcee Extraordinaire

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 at this event will advance to the 2023 ICCA Central 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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