2023 ICCA Midwest Semifinal @ Washington University in St. Louis

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 MIDWEST SEMIFINAL

Washington University in St. Louis
Saturday, April 1st, 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

Astha A Cappella is Saint Louis University’s premier co-ed fusion a cappella group. “Astha” means faith in Hindi. The group was established in 2006 by six students who came together to sing Indian fusion music, hang out, and jam. They had faith in music and Astha a cappella was born. Astha has evolved from jam sessions to complex musical compositions. The singers come from a variety of backgrounds and share an interest in singing melodies that combine Western and Eastern musical influences. They compete annually in South Asian A Cappella Bid Competitions and recent achievements include placing 1st at their 2022 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal and 3rd at the 2022 ICCA Midwest Semifinals.

The Beartones is Missouri State University’s all male-identifying a cappella group. They’re best known for singing complex arrangements spanning multiple genres, from pop-rock to indie-electronic to soul! More than just their music, The Beartones have a culture of encouragement, authenticity, and friendship. The group members share a genuine bond (forged in the fires of MarioKart) that brings their music to the next level. By encouraging making mistakes and trying new things, they create a family of singers who can grow together without fear of judgment. The Beartones love performing in their hometown, Springfield, Mo., and have traveled to St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York!

Mosaic Whispers is the oldest all-gender a cappella group at Washington University in St. Louis. Whispers compete nationally, most recently winning ICCA Quarterfinals in 2020 where they also won Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Arrangement. Whispers was honored to be the only WashU group invited to the National A Cappella Convention (NACC) in 2019 and to perform at ICCA Finals in 2016. You can check out their award-winning albums on all streaming platforms or by visiting their website: mosaicwhispers.wustl.edu

The Washington University Amateurs was founded in 1991 by a group of friends who shared a love of music. Today, the group is an award-winning, all-gender collegiate a cappella group. In 2020, The Amateurs opened for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular in New York’s Radio City Music Hall. A regular presence in ICCA, The Amateurs won both Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Arrangement at the 2019 ICCA Midwest Semifinals and won 1st place in the 2017 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinals. The Amateurs travel across the country to perform and compete in national a cappella festivals, including Voice Jam, America’s Got Talent, and the docuseries, “Sing it On!” The Amateurs have released nine studio albums to date, and recently released a new single, “Hypotheticals.” Their annual concert, Goin’ Pro, is a highly anticipated campus event where they proudly showcase their hard work and welcome back alumni. No matter what they do, The Amateurs stay true to their motto: “Do it because you love it.” They sing for the sake of singing and see each other as a home away from home.

The Ohio State of Mind is an entirely student-run co-ed a cappella group at The Ohio State University, consisting of students majoring in a variety of studies, from psychology to music education and everything in between. The Ohio State of Mind was named the 2022 ICCA Midwest Semifinal Champion and progressed to compete in the 2022 ICCA Finals in New York City. The group also performs at other competitions and events on and around the Ohio State campus and Columbus, singing a wide variety of music genres. The Ohio State of Mind would like to thank family, friends, and all of its supporters for helping the group become what it is today!

Just Duet is the only co-ed a cappella group on Miami University's campus. They are a close-knit group of 16 talented singers from all years in undergrad and specialize in most genres of music, mostly pop. They competed in last year's ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal and placed 2nd overall. They perform at multiple concerts a year at school and at other universities for invitational concerts. They enjoy taking gigs around the town of Oxford and bringing joy to their auduences. Outside of rehearsal, they love to socialize together during movie nights, trips to the local farm, formal social events, and game nights. They share a passion for music and love teaching themselves new techniques to improve their singing, and especially putting on a good show!

Case In Point, founded in 2001, is Case Western Reserve University's premier all-voice a cappella group. Every song they perform is arranged by a current or former member of the group. They also focus on making the group a family by holding retreats and a big fall break trip each semester. While the faces of Case In Point change over the years, they continue their legacy of creating exciting new a cappella arrangements from a wide variety of musical genres.

Dhamakapella is Case Western Reserve University’s premier, competitive South Asian fusion a cappella team, deriving influences from Indian classical, contemporary Bollywood, and Western musical genres. The group strives to create a single, cohesive sound through fusion arrangements. They enjoy performing on campus and across the country and releasing music each year on platforms such as Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.

Ten40 Acappella is the premier tenor-bass a cappella group at Bowling Green State University. They have been performing as an independent group since 2010. Although known for their performances within the pop and rock genres, they also sing in a variety of other styles, such as folk, barbershop, hip-hop, country, and traditional choral music. The group prides itself in brotherhood, musicality, and entertainment. Ten40 regularly performs for service and charity events on campus and in the community, including Dance Marathon for Children’s Miracle Network, Relay for Life, and St. Baldrick’s. Each year, Ten40 competes in the ICCA, where it has won several individual and group awards over the past eight years. Ten40 also goes on an annual spring tour, spreading the joy of singing to schools and communities throughout Ohio and the Midwest.

AcousChicks A Cappella of Bowling Green State University was founded in 2015 in response to campus a cappella scene’s lack of an all-female presence (not because of the release of “Pitch Perfect.” They promise). Since then, they’ve expanded the group to include any non-male singers (no boys allowed!). They appeal to a wide variety of audiences and love to get out into the community, singing for audiences ranging from nursing homes to Rocky Horror shows. In the spring of 2022, they put together a huge event on campus called A Cappella for Equality where they brought together all of the BGSU a cappella groups to raise money for a local nonprofit working to eliminate discrimination for those within the LGBTQIA+ community, Equality Toledo. What can they say? These geese love to sing (long story...)!

GUEST PERFORMER

Viva Voce is a treble-voice a cappella group at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Mo. Founded in 2016, Viva Voce is an extracurricular group of highly dedicated students who come together to share their love of a cappella music with their peers and community.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Jaylen Davis-Vaughn is the Director of Choral Activities at Webster Groves High School. He received his Bachelor of Music Education with an emphasis in vocal music education and K-12 licensure from Millikin University, where he also sang with Dissonance A Cappella. Professional highlights include serving as Director of Millikin BluBop Vocal Jazz, conducting multiple festival choirs, and singing background for Josh Groban in his 2022 summer tour series. During Jaylen's free time, he teaches private voice and piano lessons to 30+ students ages 5-27 online and in-person through his voice studio, Vaughn Music Studios. Through this experience, Jaylen has been able to help vocal/instrumental musicians of all skill levels reach their goals and potential to continue music in their professional careers.

Taylor Hawkins is a lifelong vocalist and has worked with a cappella groups in academic settings across Missouri. He was a part of The True Men at Truman State University, where he received both a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in education. He is currently in One Too Many A Cappella here in St Louis. He is an elementary music teacher at Parkway South, where he leads multiple choirs.

Jennifer Williamson grew up in Peoria, Ill. and has been involved in music her whole life. After years involved in singing and choirs, she matriculated to Milikin University where she graduated with a degree in commercial music. During her time there, she was involved in University Choir, vocal jazz, and was a member of Dissonance A Cappella. She was also the lead recording and mix engineer for Dissonance's first full-length album. Currently, she spends her time working as an audio production and voice instructor, producing her own music, and singing with the Peoria Area Civic Chorale.

St. Louis native Benjamin Worley, baritone, has been lauded for his dynamic dramatic range on stage. As an apprentice artist at the internationally accredited Sarasota Opera, he performed scenes from Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena,” Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” Verdi’s “La forza del destino,” and covered the role of Gran Sacerdote di Belo in their mainstage production of “Nabucco.” Splitting his time equally between dramatic and comedic roles, Benjamin’s performance credits include Fiorello in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” with Union Avenue Opera, Dr. Grenvil in “La Traviata,” Simone in “Gianni Schicchi,” Reverend Hale in Robert Ward’s “The Crucible,” and the titular role in “Le nozze di Figaro.” In addition to his opera career, Benjamin was a member of Add9, Mizzou's premier men's a cappella group, and served as director for the 2013-2014 season. Not only an accomplished singer, Benjamin was published in the September 2018 issue of Journal of Singing, the periodical published in affiliation with NATS, for his paper “Harry Lawrence Freeman: Pioneering the African-American Grand Opera.”

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Emily Kennebeck, 560 Music Center Staff, Danielle Sutherland, Ovya Diwakaran, Rory Lustberg, Our wonderful hosts Viva Voce, and Alex from Audiomax; 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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