2023 ICCA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal @ George Washington University

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 MID-ATLANTIC QUARTERFINAL

George Washington University
Saturday, February 11th, 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

Georgetown Superfood was founded in 1996 and has since become Georgetown’s standard for bold a cappella. By revamping old classics and remixing today’s hits, Superfood’s rebellious arrangements leave no room to doubt their noteworthy and bold musicality. With a set list that includes Rihanna, Hozier, Khalid, Sia, and more, the group has wholeheartedly embraced the alternative music world with hopes of refreshing audiences for years to come.

MSN (formerly Mason Some Noise) is George Mason University’s premier gender-inclusive a cappella group. Founded in 2014, MSN performs at events on campus and in the D.C. area. MSN is an example of GMU’s diversity, one of its best features. This varied group is united by their friendship and love of music. MSN is a group with a history of award-winning and record-setting. In 2018, they became the first a cappella group in GMU history to compete in the ICCA and in 2019, became the first to advance to Semifinals, claiming a total of eight ICCA awards in their first three years of competition. MSN is currently working on their first album.

Noteworthy is George Mason University's premier treble-voiced, traditionally all-women’s a cappella group. They are a diverse and welcoming group with a passion for music and performance and they love sharing that passion with their on and off-campus community.

PandemoniUM is University of Maryland-College Park's oldest all-gender a cappella group, bringing originality and personality since 1993. Currently composed of 15 members (affectionately termed "pandas"), PandemoniUM strives to uphold musicality and create lasting friendships. As a diverse group of students, styles also vary in range from mellow R&B to funky indie to upbeat pop. PandemoniUM takes pride in having all of their arrangements done exclusively by group members. Over the years, the group has performed on and off campus for many private and public events in the D.C.-Baltimore area, including festivals, weddings, and radio shows. In addition to having released four studio albums, PandemoniUM holds two previous ICCA Quarterfinal Champion titles as well as numerous awards for Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Arrangement for the entire set, and Outstanding Vocal Percussion.

Squawkappella is the only a cappella group at Salisbury University. They are a tight-knit group of singers, but are friends first. Historically, Squawkappella has specialized in pop music, but hope to expand into different genres such as R&B and classic rock. Squawkappella prioritizes involvement in campus life and within the community. They perform on local radio stations, collaborate with other clubs and singing groups, and do community outreach. Coming up, Squawkappella is preparing their biggest spring concert to date.

The BluesTones is an award-winning upper-voiced a cappella group from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. The group was founded by Susie Gaskins and Laurie Wright in February 1999. Beyond JMU, The BluesTones have toured extensively on the East Coast and performed alongside other a cappella groups including VT Juxtaposition, UVA Academical Village People, AcoUstiKats, The Vanderbilt Melodores, All-Night Yahtzee, and JMU's very own Exit 245. You can hear the wonderful ladies of The BluesTones on their numerous albums on iTunes and Spotify. Be sure to check out their 10th studio album, Speak On It, released in December 2019 and produced by James Gammon of James Gammon Productions. The BluesTones have been recognized by many artists including Bell Biv Devoe for their version of “Poison.” The BluesTones pride themselves on their love of creating music and building a never-ending sisterhood.

The JMU Overtones is JMU's premier mixed-voice a cappella group. Founded 25 years ago in 1997, "OT" has made it their mission to strive for musical excellence and create an inclusive space for all people to feel welcome. They have accepted several awards and accolades, including placements on the Voices Only and BOCA compilation albums and nominations for the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs). Most recently, they were honored to receive a 1st place trophy at the 2022 CNU Blue Tie Affair and the A Cappella Video Awards’ (AVA) Best Pop Video for their most recent music video, "Fire." They take joy in their rich lineage of 100+ alumni, hundreds of arrangements, and being part of a family that will last a lifetime. They accept members of all backgrounds, musical and non-musical, as they devote themselves to creating incredible music and friendships.

The Treblemakers is the oldest all-women's a cappella group in College Park. They are a group of dedicated, talented, and incredibly hard-working women. They deeply value the sisterhood of their group and strive to empower and uplift each and every member. The group was founded in 1989 as an all-women's counterpart to their brother group, The Generics. They are proud to continue this legacy and continue growing into a body of strong, diverse women. They rehearse three times a week in preparation for shows, gigs, and competitions. When Covid hit, they adapted by creating a multitude of virtual releases in their own individual spaces, which are available to view on YouTube. They turned these virtual recordings into their latest album, Proximity, which released Septmeber 2021 and is available on all streaming platforms. They are grateful to have created something so memorable out of such a hard yea. In their 33+ years as a group, they have competed in an array of competitions, recorded multiple albums, but most importantly, created a network of strong, talented women who are united by their love of singing.

Three time ICCA Semifinalists, The Vibes is GW’s premier a cappella group. The Vibes enjoy performing for their GW community and beyond, including Christmas carols at the White House and the national anthem at Nats Stadium. Check out the BOCA 2019 album to hear one of their award-winning arrangements, “Cavalier,” and listen to their newly dropped EP, Break From Reality, on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and other major streaming platforms! More than just a bad-ass a cappella group, The Vibes are a big family that always aims to entertain and have a great time doing it.

[UNTITLED] is Towson University competitive a cappella group with a focus on contemporary music. Their mission is to bring forth a competitive, close-knit, and long-term organization on campus.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Aaron Bayne is an alumnus of Towson University and Berklee Online with degrees in economics and music business. He is the award-winning beatboxer of two-time ICCA Finalists turned professional group, The Trills (@thetrills). Over the last few years, The Trills exploded on social media, accumulating over 3.6 million followers across platforms. The group’s social media presence has led to partnerships with several global brands, millions of YouTube views, radio appearances on KIISFM and “Your Morning Show,” a feature on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” an opening slot for Straight No Chaser, a halftime performance at a Baltimore Ravens home game, a performance slot at VidCon 2022, and collaborations with acts like Drew Scott, Jon Cozart, Bryce Xavier, Quinn XCII and Tim McGraw. Aaron is excited to return as a Varsity Vocals judge this season and wishes luck to all the competing groups.

Charnice Frazier has a long-lasting relationship with music, and has been singing since she could speak. In addition to singing in choirs from middle school through college, Charnice was part of a chamber a cappella ensemble in high school called Infinity. Through this ensemble, she realized that she wanted a cappella to always be a part of her life. In the fall of 2012, Charnice joined James Madison University's premier female a cappella group, Note-oriety, and served as business manager and president during her years with them. Along with leading the group, she arranged songs and helped record their award winning album, Note-oriety. Charnice currently resides in Southern Maryland and is the choral director at Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf, Md. Outside of teaching, Charnice sings in D.C.'s newest all-female vocal group, The District, and is one of the group’s assistant music directors.

Abby McNaughton is a D.C.-based vocalist and songwriter with a passion for vocal music. After four years singing with The UNC Tarpeggios, where she led the group to three ICCA Semifinals as music director and worked on several award-winning arrangements, she began pursuing music in the broader community. Though Abby now sings live and recorded music with a variety of local bands and instrumentalists, she has never forgotten her a cappella roots.

Nathan Rusli (he/him/his) is a DMV-based baritone vocalist and arranger, specializing in the a cappella genre. His musicianship blossomed during his time at Virginia Tech, where he was a member of renowned group Juxtaposition. While in the group, he served as president, business manager, and an arranger. Since graduation, he continues to work with groups at VT, as well as outside groups, including Cape Harmony in Cape Cod. After graduating, he founded Inside Voices (2020), a fully virtual a cappella ensemble, leading the group to place at The Open Semifinals in 2021. That same year, he became a founding member of Modality, a semi-professional group, for whom he arranges and acts as treasurer and assistant music director. He is a collaborator centered on creating and maintaining workflow, fairness, and building balance in and out of the 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
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 Mid-Atlantic 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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