2023 ICCA Mid-Atlantic Semifinal @ the Grand Opera House

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 SEMIFINAL

Grand Opera House
Saturday, March 25th, 2023

WE'RE SOCIAL

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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

Founded in 2002, Rutgers Asian A Cappella Group (RAAG) is one of the first competitive co-ed South Asian fusion a cappella groups in the nation. They specialize in combining the styles of Bollywood and Indian classical music with pop, R&B, and western classical music. The team takes pride in its members' diverse musical backgrounds! RAAG has developed an environment in which its singers and audiences get to experience a melting pot of musicality. Throughout the year, the team travels across the nation to compete and perform, professionally records music, and hosts shows at their home campus, Rutgers University.

Vocal Point is the University of Delaware's most decorated competitive a cappella group! They have competed in the ICCA competition many times, making it to Semifinals eight times, and placing 3rd overall in Finals back in 2014! Vocal Point is a group of fun-loving friends who enjoy singing together and hanging out! Check out their music on Apple Music, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. Vocal Point loves to travel to the campuses of neighboring a cappella groups to perform and build their aca-family (shoutout to UMD's Faux Paz). This year marks 25 wonderful years of Vocal Point! They hope you enjoy their set! #VPOD

OwlCappella is Temple University's first co-ed a cappella group. Established in 2010, OwlCappella has competed in ICCA and participated in the National A Cappella Convention (NACC). They lean into R&B and pop with a jazz influence. OwlCappella is so excited to sing for you tonight. Follow them @OwlCappella on all the socials!

The Supernovas is Villanova’s oldest all-gender a cappella group. Villanova does not have a music major, so the group members come from a wide range of undergraduate studies, including neuroscience, nursing, finance, and more. Despite their various academic backgrounds, The Supernovas come together to arrange, produce, and perform their own music all year long. The Supernovas perform at a variety of events on and off Villanova’s campus, from basketball games to Villanova’s Special Olympics Fall Festival. In the past, The Supernovas have performed at benefit concerts, toured the Northeast with other a cappella groups, and were invited to audition for NBC's “The Sing-Off.” The Supernovas have been performing competitively in the ICCA for the past seven years. Last year, The Supernovas made Villanova history by becoming Mid-Atlantic Champions and advancing to the ICCA Finals. You can hear their latest works by searching “The Supernovas” wherever you stream your music.

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.

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.

Founded in 1989, The Octopodes is Johns Hopkins University’s premier all-gender a cappella group. For over 30 years, The Octopodes have found success both on-stage and in the studio, with multiple appearances in ICCA Semifinals, critically acclaimed studio albums out on major streaming services, as well as numerous virtual performances released on social media. Along with competing and recording, The Octopodes take time to perform concerts on the JHU campus, collaborate with nearby groups, attend a cappella festivals, and excite outside audiences at off-campus gigs and performances.

DaCadence is an elite all-gender a cappella group from the University of Maryland. Founded in 2010, DaCadence has created a precedent of singing tunes with darker tones and meaning and they are excited to continue this tradition into this year's ICCA. They hope to make music that incites emotion and excitement and aim to leave audiences with a tune stuck in their heads. From belting to intense swells and dynamics, DaCadence loves pushing the limit and finding a creative way to tell a story. DaCadence is not only a group that loves performing together, but also DaFam. Participating in the ICCA has helped the group bond and come closer through collaboration and artistic insight. They are thrilled to be in a competition of this magnitude and look forward to future performances! Make sure to check out their latest album, Sanctum, on all streaming platforms. Now, join them as they enter the Red Dessert.

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.

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!"

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

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.

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.

Aldon Knolls attended the University of Michigan, where he studied vocal percussion and linguistics. While there, he served as the assistant music director for Amazin' Blue, helping lead the group to ICCA Finals in 2017 with the set "Chasing Love," and winning several Outstanding Vocal Percussion awards along the way Aldon now serves as the vocal percussionist for New York-based group Concrete, as well as New York-based group Black to Gold. The group became 2021 Open Finalists for Black to Gold's "Minefields." Aldon is an a cappella clinician across the country for full groups and vocal percussionists and also happens to be a sea shanty and barbershop specialist.

Joshua Singer served as music director and arranger for two-time ICCA Finalists, University of Maryland Faux Paz. In 2016, he was awarded Outstanding Arrangement for the Mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, Josh arranged the winning 2017 BOSS Scholastic Competition set for Faux. His work has been nominated for multiple CARAs, including a 2016 nomination for Best Electronic Song for his arrangement of "Our Own House" by Misterwives. Josh won the CARA for "Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement" for Faux Paz's single, "Where Are Ü Now" by Justin Bieber, Skrillex, and Diplo. Josh was a featured director on the second season of Pop Network's “Sing It On," which followed his group's ICCA journey to Finals. Josh continues to engage with the a cappella community through his arrangements, collaborations, and workshops, and actively works to inspire groups across the country to take their music and performance to the next level.

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 placing group at this event will advance to the 2023 ICCA Final.

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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