2023 ICCA South Quarterfinal @ Miami Arts Charter School

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 SOUTH QUARTERFINAL

Miami Arts Charter School
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

Accent (formerly known as No Southern Accent) is the University of Florida's all-gender premier a cappella group, established in 2001. Accent is excited for this opportunity to compete at the ICCA and are proud to say that their entire set was created by current group members, including arrangements and choreography. Knowing how specific and unique this piece is to them has enhanced their personal connection to this performance. Last year, they released two singles that can be found on all streaming platforms along with their previous albums, competed at ICCA Semifinals in Durham, and attended the National A Cappella Convention (NACC) in Orlando. Recently, Accent went through a substantial shift in image and identity. In addition to changing their name, they are continuing to reroute their group's mission to be more inclusive and supportive of all people and identities, adding to their high standards for themselves as artists and as members of the UF community. They strive to create a second home for everyone involved and are grateful to create a space for performers to foster their creative potential.

BisCaydence is University of Miami's oldest a cappella group. The name "BisCaydence" was inspired by the beautiful Miami landmark, Biscayne Bay, and the musical term cadence. Established in 2011, the group features some of the University of Miami's top vocal talent. BisCaydence is known for their harmonic cohesiveness and the classic visual of BisCaydence blue. The group is proud of their hard work and hopes to share their passion for music with the world.

Gemini Boulevard is an all-gender a cappella group from the University of Central Florida. Founded in 2009 with a mission to bring the UCF extracurricular arts to another level, Gemini Boulevard prides itself on creativity, imagination, and a strong sense of individuality from each member. With two albums (B.Y.O.V. in 2015 and Aftermath in 2021) and an EP (Impact in 2018) under their belt, they love the process of creating recorded music nearly as much as performing live. In addition to performing and creating music, Gemini Boulevard aims to inspire others who are interested to get involved in collegiate a cappella. They recorded a 10-track album during the pandemic and placed 1st at their 2022 ICCA South Quarterfinal. As a musical ensemble, Gemini Boulevard spends rehearsals developing each member's individual sound and nurturing the interpersonal connections among the group, which reflects in performance with their onstage chemistry. Each member brings a unique musicality to this very special group!

HEARTbeats A Cappella is Florida International University's premier all-gender a cappella group. It was founded in 2014 as a part of FIU Honors College's Honors Education in the Arts program (HEARTs). HEARTbeats works to spread their love of the arts around campus, as well as their mission of unity, inclusivity, and equality for all. A fully student-led group, they pride themselves on their unique sound and commitment to evolving as a group with each class of new members. Its members span a wide variety of majors, but share a common passion for music and their amazing group of friends in HEARTbeats.

Phoenyx A Cappella is a co-ed group based at the University of Miami. They pride themselves on their love for music and creating strong bonds within their Phamily. Although their namesake is typically spelled as "Phoenix," they have altered the spelling to include a "y" to represent both the x and y chromosomes which are present in all genders. Phoenyx is distinguished by their black and burgundy performance attire as well as their hand sign, which consists of interlocking your thumbs and facing your palms inward to create a Phoenix. Fueled with fire and furvor, you don't want to miss a Phoenyx performance.

The Sedoctaves is the University of Florida’s premier women’s a cappella group. Founded in 2004, The Sedoctaves is a feminine-inclusive group, as well as a family of hard-working and empowered performers. Coming from a variety of majors, they are united by their love for music and seek to inspire others with their originally crafted pieces, captivating performance, and positive attitude. Since their inception, The Sedoctaves have taken Gainesville by storm. Through both competitive and philanthropic a cappella, The Sedoctaves strive to share their love for music in performance and humanitarianism. The Sedoctaves have been a competitive and driven group since the start, competing in the ICCA nearly every year. They have won many special awards over the years, including Outstanding Soloist in 2014 and 2015 (Kendall Robertson and Ysatis Hernandez) and Outstanding Arrangement in 2016 (Cassidy Kinson). Just last season in 2022, the group won 3rd place overall at Quarterfinals and music director Aliyah McLean won Oustanding Arrangement. They also love connecting with their a cappella community, hosting groups from around the U.S. and showing them around campus. The Sedoctaves take the classic beauty of a women's group and raise it to the next level.

The Voices is an elite performing group at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss. They serve as representatives of PRCC, singing at campus, community, and recruiting events throughout the year. In recent years, the group has performed at the Louisiana ACDA Conference, the Briarcrest Invitational, and the 2022 ACDA Southern Division Conference in Raleigh, N.C. The group also hosts the Mississippi Aca-Fest, an ACDA event for up and coming a cappella groups in Mississippi. The Voices perform an average of 25 concerts each year for campus and community events in South Mississippi. The Voices’ mission is to demonstrate the “Wildcat Way” (Pride, Respect, Class, and Character) through meaningful performances and student leadership.

Tones of Gold hails from the Tampa Campus of the University of South Florida. Tones of Gold is a mixed a cappella group consisting of students from a variety of backgrounds and majors that share a love of performing. In fact, Tones of Gold only includes one music major and otherwise covers a broad spectrum of studies, from accounting to political science to mechanical engineering. Tones is the first and only group from the University of South Florida to have placed at an ICCA competition and earned awards for Outstanding Vocal Percussion in 2020 and Outstanding Soloist 2022. In 2019, the group shifted to being completely student-run and has since built a repertoire of all in-house arrangements. Specializing in pop and R&B, Tones of Gold travels throughout central Florida to perform and share their love of a cappella music. Tones of Gold is thrilled to share their ICCA set with you tonight!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Cindy Ellis has performed in a variety of venues, ranging from local restaurants and bars to large performing arts centers. She has been a frequent guest performer for notable recording artists such as Wendy Pedersen, Jim Gasior, and Lisanne Lyons. Recently, she performed in Miami's Gusman Center alongside a who's who of Latin recording artists for producer Tony Succar's "Unity: a Tribute to Michael Jackson" event. Cindy received her Bachelor of Music from Florida International University. Currently, Cindy is a full-time vocal director and teaches eight classes at Miami Arts Studio 6-12 at Zelda Glazer, including two a cappella ensembles. Her top ensemble, SoFlo Harmony, was a featured ensemble at Carnegie Hall.

Andrew Richardson is a recent graduate from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he received a bachelor's degree in music education, specializing in choral and general music. During his time at Potsdam, Andrew was a member of The Potsdam Pitches and served as music director for two years, leading The Pitches to one of their most successful seasons since their inception. Besides directing, Andrew is also a skilled arranger who has been recognized by Varsity Vocals, the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA), and the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB) for his exemplary creative works. Andrew arranges for a variety of groups outside of the collegiate scene as well, including middle school, high school, and semi-professional groups. Currently, Andrew is a master’s student at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami where he studies music education and works with the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program to enrich the education of underserved communities within Miami-Dade County.

Kyle Yampiro is a Doctor of Musical Arts from James Madison University and has served on faculty at University of Memphis and Eastern Mennonite University, teaching musical theatre voice and music history, respectively. A native of Long Island, N.Y., he is a nomadic actor who has performed with numerous opera and musical theatre companies across the country and is currently preparing to perform “Hairspray” on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas in 2023. He music-directed University of Delaware’s Vocal Point as an undergraduate and JMU's Exit 245 while earning his master's degree. With Exit 245, he contributed to the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA)-winning album, Boyfriend Material, from which his solo track, "Cinema," was featured on the compilation albums BOCA 2013, Voices Only 2013, and SING 10. He spent a year singing with Memphis-based Contemporary A Cappella League (CAL) group, DeltaCappella, has been a clinician at festivals, and currently serves as an editor and reviewer for RARB and as the nominations manager for the A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs).

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 South 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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