2023 ICCA West Quarterfinal @ The Downey Theater

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 WEST QUARTERFINAL

The Downey Theater
Saturday, February 11th, 2023

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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

Acasola is California State University, Northridge’s premier a cappella group. Since its birth in 2006, each successive generation of the group has built upon the foundation laid by those who came before them. Acasola has appeared on TV shows such as FOX’s “Raising Hope,” and ABC’s “Castle,” where they recorded at Capitol Records Studio A. In 2018, Acasola’s single, “24k Magic” by Bruno Mars, was chosen to open the BOCA 2018 album and they won Best Mixed Collegiate Video at the A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs). Since then, the group has continued to record and release music, including their 2020 dual-sided single, “Make Me Feel” and “Good Thing.” Acasola is a diverse group of students who aim to deliver fun and unique musical experiences to its community through the art of a cappella.

Aerodynamix A Cappella is an all-gender group from the University of California Irvine, founded in 2019. They take pride in their in-house arrangements of popular songs by artists like Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and Charlotte Cardin. The group is composed of 18 members who come from many different singing backgrounds, ranging from musical instruments, choir, musical theatre, and more. A true family, they enjoy growing together musically and helping one another improve. They love singing karaoke, experimenting with new arrangements, and putting on performances around campus for their fellow students, friends, and families. When they aren’t singing, they enjoy getting boba, studying together, playing video games and card games, and going out to eat. They love the outdoors and play volleyball, red light green light, take hikes, or hang out together at the park on campus. A unique inside joke in Aerodynamix is that they try putting the sound “aer” into many of the words they say, such as “see you at rehAERsal tonight” or “we love our membAERs.” Aerodynamix is a welcoming group of great friends who are all passionate about singing. They are so excited to be participating in ICCA this year and hope you enjoy their performance!

In 1992, Awaken made history by becoming southern California’s first collegiate co-ed a cappella group! Since then, the group has continued sharing its love for music by performing at events such as The West Coast A Cappella Showcase, UCLA Spring Sing, UCLA Dance Marathon, AIDS Walk Los Angeles, the LEAP Gala, ICCA, and other events both on and off campus. Awaken alumni include Broadway actresses Nicolette Robinson (formerly Jenna in “Waitress”) and Joanna Jones (formerly Peggy Schuyler in “Hamilton”), members of the award-winning group ARORA, and six-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles. This year, they are so excited to continue elevating their skill through more competitive endeavors while retaining their fundamental love for music and the collaborative, enjoyable nature upon which Awaken was founded.

Bruin Harmony is the only all-male a cappella group at UCLA. They sing all types of music, from the classics, to pop, rap, and jazz (and yes, even you, yule-tide Christmas jingles). More importantly, Bruin Harmony takes pride in being a talented, fun-loving group of musicians who genuinely enjoy performing and who work hard to make a cappella an entertaining, sought-after artform at UCLA.

Circle of Fifths A Cappella is UCI's only male-identifying a cappella group on campus. Circle of Fifths was founded in 2005 by its five original members. They prioritize brotherhood and showmanship. This group’s energy and closeness are reflected closely in their performances. Their mission is to provide a space for their singers to compete, perform, and create memorable music together. This year's Circle of Fifths' group is their 18th generation of singers.

Clair de Lune A Cappella (CDL) is the female-identifying a cappella group at the University of California, Irvine. CDL brings together singers from various ethnicities and levels of musical proficiency to perform pieces that promote women empowerment. They challenge their members through arranging music, sight-reading, choreography, and performance, establishing a nurturing environment for individuals to foster leadership, build character and support one another. Their set portrays individual growth and highlights a journey beginning with vulnerability, leading through the passage of self-acceptance, and coming to the conclusion of honest self-expression.

Pitch, Please! at UCLA is an all-gender, competitive a cappella group founded in the winter of 2017. Their music varies from indie ballads to upbeat experimental-pop hits, mostly arranged by their very own members. In 2018, they released their first single, "My Heart With You," by The Rescues. Their passion for a cappella has fueled them to strive for bigger and better things. In 2019, they competed in ICCA, released a music video, and recorded their debut album, Made To Fly, which earned three Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) nominations and was featured on the Voices Only 2020 compilation album! More recent accomplishments include placing 2nd and receiving Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Vocal Percussion at their 2020 ICCA West Quarterfinal and repeating that victory with another set of Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Vocal Percussion awards in their 2022 ICCA West Quarterfinal.

Random Voices, UCLA's premier all-female a cappella group, was founded in 1999. Over the past 20 years, Random Voices has been a prominent symbol of women’s empowerment in the UCLA a cappella community and beyond, performing at events such as Ms. Carol Block’s Women in Power and Leadership Luncheon and the Women’s Empowerment Expo in Burbank, Calif. In addition, RV performs at various UCLA events, including Welcome to Bruin Life, as well as gigs throughout Los Angeles. RV also organizes and hosts the annual California A Cappella Festival (CAF), which attracts dozens of collegiate a cappella groups from across the west coast to perform at UCLA. Among its achievements, RV has participated in and won many competitions and awards, including UCLA's Spring Sing, the CARAs, the ICCA, and BOCA. In 2016, RV was honored to have guest starred alongside Pentatonix on an episode of the FOX TV show, “Bones.” Random Voices released their eighth album, Wings, in 2020.

Founded in 1996, The SoCal VoCals is USC’s premier a cappella group, composed of students whose majors range from music performance to environmental studies. Previous generations of VoCals have made their mark at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, the Staples Center, Carnegie Hall, and most recently the Rose Bowl, where audiences have included Chris Martin, Taylor Swift, Chaka Khan, Jason Derulo, Sara Bareilles, and more! VoCal alumni have been featured on NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” made it to Broadway, and gone on to win multiple Grammy awards. In recent years, the group has sung for President Obama and First Lady, toured in Hong Kong and London, played roles on television shows “The Affair” and “Brooklyn 99,” released their 10th studio album, V, and claimed their fifth ICCA championship title. Above all, The VoCals are about making music and having a good time!

Vermillion Vocalists (VEVO) is an all-inclusive a cappella group at the University of California, Irvine dedicated to musical excellence. Established in 2009, they are a diverse and talented group, united with a shared passion for making music. They have similarly diverse tastes in repertoire, ranging from classic hits to today’s chart-toppers in genres such as pop, hip hop, and R&B. VEVO spreads love, joy, and empowering messages through their music by performing on the UCI campus and around their community. They value connections outside of UCI and love collaborating with other a cappella groups on and off the UCI campus. Each rehearsal is dedicated to understanding the message and emotions behind the songs they sing, so that they can move their audiences in positive ways.

VocaLotus is an all-gender a cappella group at the University of California, Irvine. Originating as a choir for the Vietnamese Student Association, VocaLotus became an official organization in 2020, welcoming an inclusive and diverse student population. Their goal is to create a collaborative and uplifting environment for members through vocal performance. With bonding events, rehearsals, and live singing opportunities, they offer students a home to highlight and foster their artistic passion and to be a part of a familial community.

GUEST PERFORMER

Somebody's Favorite is composed of Rachel Bearer and Christopher Given Harrison, two L.A.-based singer-songwriters who work in every corner of the music industry where vocals are involved. Rachel has sung extensively on projects by Mattel, Disney, and Nickelodeon, and Chris has produced music for musical artist Avi Kaplan, ABC’s “Modern Family,” and Apple TV’s “Helpsters.” Both have had the wonderful opportunity of collaborating with a number of artists, including Pentatonix, Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and The Pet Shop Boys. Follow them on SoundCloud and Instagram (https://linktr.ee/somebodysfavorite)!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

A multifaceted musician, Isaiah Carter had already been proficient in various styles on the drum set, melodic and auxiliary percussion, piano, organ, and keyboard when he fell in love with vocal music. Hailing from Kansas City, Mo., Isaiah was twice selected as a high school student to participate in the Grammy Foundation’s exclusive signature music industry camp and in 2014, the inaugural A Cappella Academy, both sparking his love for contemporary vocal music. He joined Berklee’s internationally-acclaimed a cappella group, Pitch Slapped in 2016, becoming a primary arranger for the group and creating a majority of the charts for their two most recent full-length award-winning albums, Complexion and Sincerely. Recently, Isaiah was featured on the Vadé song "Christmas Wish," featuring multi-platinum producer Blu2th and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men.

Kayla Pichichero is a music producer and songwriter from Long Island, N.Y., currently living in Los Angeles. Kayla has extensive experience in the a cappella world, teaching at various festivals across the country, writing and recording music with her band Birdland Avenue, and interviewing over 100 guests on her podcast “Head/Voice.” Kayla regularly writes and produces indie pop, alternative, and singer-songwriter music with and for artists across the country.

Avery Roberts (she/they/he) is a songwriter, composer, and arranger based in Los Angeles, Calif. She’s been working as a professional choral singer as long as she can remember, and has performed with directors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, and Grant Gershon. During her time at Chapman University, she served as artistic director and lead arranger for The ChapTones for three years, seeing the group through a booming period of competitive success and recording, as well as co-founding the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Queercappella. In her last year at Chapman, she founded the semi-professional group Aperture, and within their first year of existence, they had their public debut in Varsity Vocals' Aca Open, earning Avery an Outstanding Arrangement award at the 2019 Open Finals, and performed as featured guests at the 2020 Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF). Avery can be heard performing with and arranging for Aperture and continues her work as a solo artist under the name Avo.

Besides taking pride in being able to spell it, David Sager has experience in all aspects of a cappella, including singing, arranging, beatboxing, judging, workshops, and producing. David got his start in high school a cappella and continued into college where he competed in the ICCA. Post college, he was a performer in the Downtown Disney and Parks group WestBeat. David has also taught classes and given masterclasses at many of the a cappella conventions and festivals including the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF), where he also served on the board. He has been a judge for other a cappella competitions and is excited to add ICCA to that list.

Selame Scarlett hails from Okemos, Mich. and is extremely thankful for this California weather. As an undergraduate at Michigan State University, she was the music director, arranger, and vocal percussionist for the mixed group, Capital Green A Cappella. Post-college, she served as a percussionist and vocalist for the CARA-winning, all-female sextet, Lady Jaye, and the all-female gospel powerhouse group, Traces, which was featured on Season 5 of NBC's “The Sing-Off.” She is a sought-after clinician for high school and collegiate groups in the Great Lakes region and beyond. In the summertime, Selame is an instructor and counselor at A Cappella Academy, a Los Angeles-based vocal camp for young adults (ages 13 to 17). Selame has been fortunate enough to record alongside groups such as Naturally 7, The Boxettes, Pentatonix, Duwende, and Traces of Blue (formerly Afro-Blue)! She has led percussion workshops and masterclasses, individually and with her beatboxing colleagues. She is excited to see and hear some great music tonight!

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank emcees Rachel Bearer and Christopher Harrison of Somebody's Favorite, engineer Jeff Eames, all of the staff at the Downey Theatre, especially Kimmi, Steven, Brandy, and Elizabeth, volunteers Bri Decerio, Kawika Chun, Ian Policarpio, and Valentyna Simon, and Martyn Claes of Auntie M; 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 West 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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