2023 ICCA West Quarterfinal @ The Fox Theatre

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 Fox Theatre
Saturday, February 18th, 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

Founded in 1962, The California Golden Overtones is UC Berkeley’s premier female-identifying a cappella group. Frequently performing at University functions, Cal spirit events, charity gatherings, and other private functions across the Bay Area, The Overtones pride themselves on having a diverse repertoire with an emphasis on female songwriting, ranging from pop to rock to R&B. Named one of “The 10 Female Groups Running the A Cappella World'' by College Magazine, The Overtones host the annual West Coast A Cappella showcase every fall and sing every Friday at 1p.m. under Berkeley's Sather Gate. Their most recent EP, Out of Line, is available on all streaming platforms. You can follow The Overtones on Instagram @californiagoldenovertones.

Cloud 9 is UC Santa Cruz's original and longest running a cappella group. They are a diverse group of students who come together from different backgrounds to create beautiful music. All of their music is arranged or created by members of the group and they are up to performing any musical genre. Despite their status as the oldest group on campus, they love to have fun in and out of performance. They hope you enjoy their performance as much as they enjoy singing for you.

Drawn to Scale (casually known as DtS) is the slayest co-ed a cappella group at UC Berkeley, founded in 2008. They are dedicated to making good music, as well as giving every group member a chance to let their individual musicality shine through. They perform a very diverse repertoire of student-arranged music in genres ranging from punk rock to R&B and they have appeared at various showcases and performances across the country! They're super excited to be competing at the ICCA. Check them out at drawntoscale.berkeley.edu or @drawntoscaleberkeley on Instagram!

Lounge Lizards A Cappella originally began in 1995 with a group of freshmen in the Tercero dorms of UC Davis. Magic happened in the dorm lounge and Davis's first a cappella group was born. Over 25 years later, The Lizards are still taking the stage and showing off the style and sass that makes them unique among their UC Davis peers. As the oldest a cappella group on campus, they are often seen at on-campus and local Davis events, where they love to perform their favorite tunes, from artists ranging from Conan Gray to Adele. They are also a competitive group with a successful track record, notably as three-time ICCA Semifinalists and 2021 Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF) Finalists. Like the original group in 1995, each current member of Lounge Lizards A Cappella brings more than just their voices to the group. Offstage, they can be found getting boba together after rehearsals or singing in parking garages and plazas. They weave that friendship into every song they perform and look forward to every opportunity to share that with new audiences.

Stanford Mixed Company, Stanford University's oldest all-gender a cappella group, has been singing pop, rock, and everything in between for over 30 years. Every year, they put on two major concerts, an anti-Valentine’s Day show called Love Sucks in February and their spring show in May. They also perform throughout the year at other gigs on campus and around the Bay Area. Mixed Company has been featured on several college a cappella compilation albums, including BOCA and Voices Only 2012. In 2019, Mixed Company completed their 16th studio album, All Things Go, which is available on every major digital music listening service! After a hiatus from competition, Mixed Company competed in the 2022 ICCA, placing 1st in their West Quarterfinal. Mixed Company always brings their perfect blend of fun and professionalism to every occasion.

The Afterglow A Cappella from the University of California, Davis is the only tenor/bass a cappella group on campus. Named after the party following a barbershop concert, Afterglow's foundation is in barbershop music. After a hiatus, The Afterglow is resuming their regular competitive ambitions for this 2023 ICCA season! They most recently competed at the 2019 ICCA West Quarterfinals and placed 2nd, which advanced them to West Semifinals, ultimately placing 4th. The Afterglow aims to share a repertoire of music not typically showcased in a cappella, from their barbershop roots to rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and swing, among others. Whatever they perform, The Afterglow brings high energy and fun to their performances. At their annual self-hosted showcase, Lights Low, they bring together the best local a cappella groups for one amazing night of fun. They also are the co-hosts of UC Davis's campuswide a cappella showcase, Localtones, which features every group on our campus and intergroup collaborations among them! They hope tonight’s audience enjoys their set as much as they do!

The Cleftomaniacs is an a cappella group hailing from UC Davis, Calif. They started back in 2014 as a small group of girls who loved to sing and have since expanded to include all genders! Their repertoire covers songs from Bruno Mars to Stevie Wonder and they have a special place in their hearts for R&B. At a school with six a cappella groups, it's hard to stand out, especially as the youngest, but they’ve come a long way! They first performed at ICCA in 2020, came back virtually in 2021, and are ready to return to the stage!

The Liquid Hotplates is the hottest all-gender a cappella group at UC Davis! Named from MTV’s “Liquid Television” and the now-banned dorm essential hotplate, these two-time ICCA Semifinalists perform student-arranged pieces, influenced by genres ranging from soul and R&B to pop and alternative. LHP makes appearances in competitions, school happenings, and other events, so keep your eyes peeled for what they might do next! No matter where they go or what they do, the members of LHP put their hearts and souls into their music and do so as a family.

Coming from Pleasant Hill, Calif., The pH Scale is Diablo Valley College’s newest a cappella group! They may be a group of 14, but BASIC is the last thing they are! This “Special” group of people is ready to get “In Your Bones” with their “Silky” voices and “Sonic” beat that will be just your “Style.”

The Spokes is the premier female-identifying a cappella group at UC Davis! Founded in January 2004 by Camaron Ochs and Jaclyn Fromer, this all-female, all-awesome group inspires and empowers women and girls all over the West Coast. Just as a bicycle wheel relies on the support of all its spokes, this group depends on the dedication of every member to achieve their goals and remains one of Northern California's most unique and talented music groups!

The Mendicants is a group of singers devoted to performing the best songs of today, yesterday, and several decades ago. They pride themselves on their wide range of styles, from gospel and barbershop to original compositions, jazz standards, and contemporary pop. The Mendicants is Stanford University's oldest a cappella group, founded in 1963. They are known for their bright red jackets and you can often spot them biking in a gigantic red horde to and from performances. They hire themselves out for romantic serenades on campus and on Valentine’s day, they skip classes to perform 50-60 serenades in one day. It's always fun when someone hires them to sing “Let’s Get it On” to their math professor. Also a competitive group, they have participated in ICCA since 1998 and have won the West Quarterfinals several times. Any Mendicant would name ICCA as one of their favorite memories with the group. Originally, the group rehearsed only one song that they performed at lunchtime in Branner Hall. When they finished, there was an explosion of applause as undergrads threw themselves at the stunned Mendicants, clamoring for more. The rest is history.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Greg Casper is a professional singer/actor/director/teacher/coach with over 40 years of experience. His musical background ranges from fronting rock bands to singing in classical chorales, in genres from opera to country, from The Messiah to musical theatre. He has performed as a vocalist on television, radio, stage, and several independent albums, as an actor in hundreds of productions throughout the Bay Area, as a director with several theatre companies, as a singer/musician in a number of bands, and as a solo performer, both with instruments and a cappella. He is a recording engineer from his home studio, and is a co-owner (with his wife Debbie) and Director of Music Education at the California Institute of Music & Art (CIMA). He recently created an eight-person Christian a cappella group, Ransom Notes, for whom he also does the arrangements. As a performance coach, Greg coached the nine-woman a cappella group, Noteworthy (BYU), to a 1st place finish in the 2007 ICCA. He has been a nationally certified adjudicator for the ICCA for over 25 years.

Cassandra “Cassie” Greene Chamoun is an arranger, director, choreographer, and founding member of award-winning a cappella group Business Casual. Business Casual's accolades include winning the titles of 2018 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions, 2019 VoiceJam Champions, and two-time Varsity Vocals Open Finalists, as well as numerous A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs) and Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs).

Dr. Daniel Fister (he/him) began singing a cappella at age 15 and has been enthusiastically involved ever since. He is a proud original member of Wilsonville High School’s Soul’d Out and alumnus of Chapman University’s SoundCheck. In both groups, he sang bass, arranged, served as music director, and competed regularly in Varsity Vocals events, including the 2010 ICHSA Finals and 2011 and 2013 ICCA West Semifinals. Daniel remains actively involved in a cappella as a judge for Varsity Vocals and other competitions, a reviewer for the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB), and a masterclass leader at events such as Boston Sings (BOSS). His time singing and judging a cappella inspired him to pursue a doctoral degree in musicology and his dissertation explored community formation and race in contemporary scholastic a cappella. After graduating, Daniel returned to the West Coast where he is an adjunct professor at various Bay Area colleges. He is thrilled to judge for his ninth year with Varsity Vocals and wishes the best to all the competing groups!

Like most a cappella performers, Kali Smith Monma grew up in jazz, concert, and show choirs before graduating to collegiate a cappella. In her first year at the University of Arizona, Kali started an a cappella group called CatCall, but was only able to sing with them one semester when she transferred to the University of Southern California. At USC, she joined the female-identifying group, The USC Sirens, with whom she competed in ICCA and was the group’s choreographer and arranger for two years. With The Sirens, she also recorded three albums, toured the East Coast twice, and served as group manager and music director for two years. Her first arrangement, "Time Is Running Out," was included on the 2005 BOCA and she was nominated for a 2006 CARA for Best Female Collegiate Solo. Kali graduated from USC in 2007 with a degree in theatre and minor in dance. Kali lived in Los Angeles for several years working as an actress, but has since relocated to the Bay Area with her wonderful two kids and husband.

Richman Neumann has been directing, arranging, and performing a cappella for nearly a decade. A classically trained pianist, Richman currently directs a cappella septet, Side Note, and 31-member pop choir, Scales of the City, both based in San Francisco. Richman competed in the ICCA for four years with The Carnegie Mellon Originals and received Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Arrangement awards for his work. He believes that pop music, a genre which draws influences from R&B, rock, theatre, cinema, and beyond, can make wonderful emotional statements to its listeners.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank tonight's sound engineer, Greg St Germain; emcee, Chris Rishel; tabulators, Grace Rowe and Jordan Fraboni; timekeeper, Debra Casper; all the staff at the Fox Theatre, especially Ernie and Perry; 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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