2023 ICCA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal @ West Chester 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

West Chester University
Saturday, February 25th, 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

Originated in 2013, High Street Harmonix is a competitive, gender-inclusive a cappella group, composed of all voice parts, from West Chester University in West Chester, Pa. The group consists of undergraduate students from all years and majors and they strive to create a sense of community and spread joy through music. They perform a cappella music from various genres on campus and throughout the local community. Over the years, they have sung Christmas carols around the Chester County area (including West Chester University President Christopher Fiorentino’s home), performed at West Chester University’s annual Ramboree festival, and sung at Lincoln Financial Field for Team Foster’s Ruff Ride Philly Event. High Street Harmonix is also involved in philanthropic work on campus, hosting two benefit concerts a year! In October, they hold their annual Halloween “AHHH! Cappella” concert, which raises money for their University Theatre’s organization called the AIDS Benefit which fundraises for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Last spring, they created a new benefit concert alongside their university’s dance company to raise money for Creative Action, a nonprofit, arts-based youth development organization. They have competed in the ICCA since 2005 and it remains a special part of their journey as a group!

Echoes is the premier female-identifying a cappella group on Lehigh’s campus. Formed in the fall of 2003, they are a group of super-strong and amazing women from different backgrounds who sing a variety of musical styles. They love making music together and have so much fun sharing it! If you enjoy, feel free to check them out on Instagram and Youtube and be sure to listen to their EPs on Spotify under @lehighechoes.

The Lehigh Melismatics is the oldest co-ed a cappella group at Lehigh University. The Melismatics have already released four albums and an EP, most of which can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud, and they’re getting ready to release their fifth album. They perform two concerts every year, made up of songs arranged by students in the group. They have been completely student-run for 21 years now and are thrilled to be back at the ICCA!

The MelUDees is an all-gender a cappella group from the University of Delaware. Established in 2006, The MelUDees strive to create strong relationships by sharing music with their community. Each year, the group hosts several concerts, performs throughout the Delaware area, and fosters friendship above all else. The MelUDees have released several EPs and albums, available on all streaming platforms, and regularly compete in the ICCA. The group learns new songs every semester, always arranged by current and former members of The MelUDees. From pop to country to indie, The MelUDees will sing anything and everything. They love to try new styles and are always looking for musical inspiration. You might catch them around the UD campus, singing outside the dorms, or performing with other groups at nearby universities. Above all else, The MelUDees love to "have fun while working hard!"

Off The Record is coming to you live from Lehigh University! They are one of Lehigh's all-gender a cappella groups on campus and the newest group to join the University. OTR will jump at any opportunity to perform. Favorite annual performances include their fall and spring concerts, various charity events, and banquets for Lehigh. In the summer of 2021, OTR released an album called Off Mute which can be found on all major streaming platforms. Off The Record loves singing everything from Beyoncé to Frank Sinatra. Most important of all are the friendships they make along the way!

Soulfege A Cappella is one of Lafayette College's all-voice a cappella groups. Made up of 16 students brought together by a shared love of singing, Soulfege is known for its high energy and smooth harmonies. They specialize in pop music, covering artists ranging from Amy Winehouse to Pentatonix. Throughout the year, they perform at various events on campus, including Lafayette’s annual Evening of A Cappella, their holiday concert, and a spring concert with the other groups on campus. When they’re not working hard on their songs, you can catch them painting pumpkins together, making TikToks, or having a proper cup of coffee in a proper coffee pot (their favorite vocal warmup). They are so excited to perform here tonight and hope you enjoy their set!

The Chorduroys is Lafayette College's premier all-male a cappella group. This fun group of guys shares a love for a cappella music and performing for live audiences. Founded in 1992, they sing all different types of music, from rock songs to pop, R&B, and even some country. Apart from performing onstage, they love performing and serenading in group settings for other organizations on Lafayette’s campus, like at family weekend or their annual sorority tour in the spring. The group members hail from all different musical backgrounds, from contemporary to musicals to classical opera, and are involved in various aspects of campus life, including theatre and sports teams such as rowing and equestrian. This adds to the group's melting pot of experiences and enhances their culture. The group consistently strives for improvement, musically and personally. In this vein, they plan to partner with other a cappella groups on Lafayette’s campus to run fundraisers for the surrounding community. They also hope to partner with events hosted in the Easton area in order to support different programs and spread a cappella beyond Lafayette.

The Lafayette Mar-Keys is an ambitious and fun-loving all-voice a cappella group from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. Established on campus in 2015, they have been growing in group size and talent for the past seven years. They sing a wide variety of music, spanning across many decades and genres, but have been leaning more towards R&B over the past year.

Under A Rest is a gender-inclusive a cappella group and one of the four a cappella groups at West Chester University. Established in 2014, these two-time ICCA Quarterfinal Champions perform contemporary music around their campus and community. Over the past eight years, Under A Rest has produced three studio albums, award-winning music videos, and has even performed at Radio City Music Hall.

VilleHarmonics is Millersville University’s newest a cappella group! The group was initially started by a small number of students who did not want to miss out on singing a cappella music together. Until now, Millersville has only had one a cappella group that did not satisfy the high demand for a cappella on campus. In less than 48 hours, a three-person group grew into a group of 18 passionate and dedicated performers, driven to work together as a team to succeed in competition. They are so excited for their debut in the a cappella performing community!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Neil Aaronson is a professor of physics and acoustics at Stockton College. A founding member of The TCNJ Trentones, Neil continued working with a cappella ensembles in graduate school at Michigan State University. Since 2008, he has helped the a cappella community grow from one ensemble with 10 members to three ensembles with over 45 singers, all working together to foster musical growth at their campus. He is the executive director of the ASTA/NJ Chamber Music Institute, assistant conductor of the Stockton Oratorio Society, and vice president of the Board of Directors for the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey.

Jenna Camacho is a passionate music educator in the School District of Philadelphia, with a specialization in a cappella and vocal performance. Jenna graduated from Temple in the spring of 2022 with a B.M. in music education and a minor in American Sign Language. She continues to share her love of a cappella and vocal music with her students. She has an expansive musical background, most recently serving as the music director of Cape Harmony, Cape Cod’s professional female a cappella group from 2020-2022. Jenna is excited to give back to Varsity Vocals, since this organization helped inspire her love for a cappella. She has competed in the ICCA with Singchronize, Temple University’s female a cappella group, as well as the mixed group, LEGEND which placed 3rd in the Open Semifinal. Jenna is a known arranger in the Mid-Atlantic region for high school and collegiate level a cappella groups. She also participated in the Varsity Vocals production assistant program where she had the chance to experience the Mid-Atlantic ICHSA from a different perspective.

Gregory Davis is a singer, vocal arranger, and choreographer from Philadelphia, Pa. Although he is a product of the performing arts, his passion for singing and music sparked while traveling the world with the Keystone State Boychoir. In 2017, Greg joined Temple University's OwlCappella and served as one of their primary arrangers and choreographers from 2018 to 2019. In 2020, he became music director and under his direction, both Greg and OwlCappella received many accolades for their music including several Contemporaray A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) nominations, a CARA win for Best Hip-Hop Song for his arrangement of "Scottie Pippen" by Bren Joy, and a feature on BOCA 2022 with their version of Rina Sawayama's "XS.” He is currently a band leader and arranger for EBE Talent’s a cappella ensemble. He is excited to hear all of the groups tonight and wishes everyone the best of luck!

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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