2023 ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal @ Northern Highlands Regional High 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

ICHSA MID-ATLANTIC QUARTERFINAL

Northern Highlands Regional High School
Sunday, January 29th, 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 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.

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.

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

Bumper to bumper! BergenSound hails from Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, N.J. and is fully student-run with a side of bundt cake at every rehearsal. They have been delivering the most delightful pop/soul/rock/smooth/romantic/miscellaneous a capella in Bergen County for over 10 years, but are relatively new to competition. This is only BergenSound’s second time competing in the ICHSA, but they have already won several Outstanding Arrangement and Outstanding Soloist awards. As the Bergen County Academies’ only competitive a cappella group, BergenSound is open to students from over 70 towns, so they draw the best talent. Usually, BergenSound has been found performing at A Song and A Dance Concert and frenzying around the Academies doing live singing-grams, with pop-up serenades for Valentine’s Day and Prom proposals upon audience request. As always, BergenSound hopes to sweep you all off your feet!

Fermata is Cherry Hill High School West’s soprano/alto pop a cappella group. Their goal is to spread positivity and tell meaningful, relatable stories through music, both in and out of school.

Highlands Harmonics is a mixed a cappella group from Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, N.J. They have placed 3rd at the SingStrong N.Y. competition held at Adelphi University and have been ICHSA Semifinalists. The group has performed at the National A Cappella Convention (NACC) in Memphis, Tenn., and the Highlands A Cappella Festival. Highlands Harmonics is excited to participate in this year's ICHSA and to make new friends who share their love of a cappella. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Men of Note is Cherry Hill High School West’s tenor/bass pop a cappella group. Their goal is to spread happiness and laughter through music, both in and out of school.

Rebel Remix is the varsity a cappella group at Howell High school and rehearses once per week. Their unique arrangement of the national anthem is requested by various events throughout New Jersey, often more than 50 times each year. They join their junior varsity and freshman teams during the winter season to spread holiday cheer on and off campus. Although their main goals are to further space exploration and the development of fruit loops as a main source of automotive fuel, they maintain a side interest of giving back to people who serve their community and to those in need. Rebel Remix forever!

Rebelation? More like Rebel-SLAY-tion!! These talented individuals are from Howell High School in Farmingdale, N.J. The group consists of people from the humanities program, the marching band, and the performing arts magnet program. Some of them are even athletes! They are a very diverse group and are here to rock your socks off. Please help them begin that process now by removing one of your socks. Enjoy the show!

Reverb is Howell High School's "freshman" team, led by two upper class captains! These rookies practice once per week learning how to be a team and sing their hearts out. They are looking forward to their first Howell High School Aca-Holiday Season and are thrilled to be sharing the stage with so many talented groups! Reverb's most important mission (and they have chosen to accept it) is to show the world that the future of a cappella is very bright!

The Nocktaves is a mixed-gender, contemporary a cappella group from Pequannock Township High School, in northern New Jersey. They have been Mid-Atlantic Semifinalists for the past two years and are excited to compete again this year! Most recently, they had the privilege of singing the national anthem at a Yankees game.

The Ram Jams hail from Ramsey High School where they represent one of the two extracurricular competitive a cappella groups in the RHS Choral program. Although they were only formed in 2016, the group has enjoyed a lot of success over the past few years and can often be found performing at a variety of events in the North Jersey area. Most recent accomplishments include the release of their first EP at the end of 2022! The Ram Jams have been ICHSA National Finalists and Mid-Atlantic Champions in 2021 and 2022.

The Ramsey Blues represents one of the two competitive extracurricular a cappella groups at Ramsey High School. The group is new for the 2022 season and they’re excited to be participating in their first competition!

GUEST PERFORMERS

The Highlands Belles is an all-female group from Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, N.J. On February 4th they will be competing in the ICHSA Quarterfinals in Cherry Hill. The group has been an ICHSA Finalist where they finished 4th and received the Outstanding Vocal Percussion award. The Belles have performed at the NACC and they have sung the national anthem at a New York Jets game. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Highlands Voices is from Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, N.J. The “Voices” are two-time ICHSA Champions and have made the ICHSA Finals as Mid-Atlantic Champions seven times. You can see them performing in the movie "Marry Me" starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson and on the Lifetime TV show, "Pitch Slapped.: They have performed workshops for NAfME, NJMEA, AEA, ACDA, Bergen Teen Arts, and host the annual Highlands A Cappella Festival, which attracts some of the biggest a cappella coaches in the world as instructors. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube @highlandsvoices.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Neil Aaronson is a professor of physics and acoustics at Stockton College. A founding member of The TCNJ Trentones, Neil continued working with a cappella ensembles in graduate school at Michigan State University. Since 2008, he has helped the a cappella community grow from one ensemble with 10 members to three ensembles with over 45 singers, all working together to foster musical growth at their campus. He is the executive director of the ASTA/NJ Chamber Music Institute, assistant conductor of the Stockton Oratorio Society, and vice president of the Board of Directors for the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey.

An instrumentalist for most of his early life, Christopher Hoffman found his calling in vocal music as a member (and eventual president) of Hofstra University's Sigma'cappella. He helped bring the group to ICCA Semifinals twice in its first three years of competition, and earned individual awards on the way for Outstanding Arrangement. During this time, he began arranging for and collaborating with various professional, collegiate, and high school groups, and has continued in this work since graduation. Christopher helped SingStrong coordinate collegiate talent for its inaugural New York festival, and has worked with The Vocal Company’s marketing team. He currently lives on Long Island where he spends his free time working with high school a cappella groups.

Leon Hua is a vocal percussionist, arranger, performer, and music educator living in New York City. Leon is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California, where he was a part of the five-time ICCA-winning SoCal VoCals as a vocal percussionist, singer, and arranger. Notably, he has performed with a cappella groups like Pentatonix, The Nor’easters, and Pitch Slapped. Leon began his a cappella journey in high school when he attended A Cappella Academy, a summer camp co-founded by Ben Bram, Rob Dietz, and Avi Kaplan. Since then, Leon's performances and arrangements have appeared on BOHSA, Voices Only, the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs), and the A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs).

Ashley Mathews is the Director of Choral Activities at Hillsborough High School, conducting the select Treble Chorale, select Mixed Chorale, and the 30-voice Concert Choir. In addition to the curricular program, Ashley founded the 30-member extracurricular ensemble, Cardinal Voices, and the 12-voice select Chamber Ensemble. Her ensembles have placed in Superior and Gold ratings at festivals and choral competitions throughout the country and her students have received individual recognition at the Region and All State levels. Aside from choral singing and conducting, Ashley has been a featured soloist and vocal percussionist on five studio albums, as well as BOCA, Voices Only, and Voices Only Forte, and performed for Massachusetts Congress, the NYC Pride Parade, and at Carnegie Hall. Her varied expertise has her in demand as a clinician, choreographer, and adjudicator throughout the a cappella community. Ashley holds a bachelor's degree in choral music education from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree, summa cum laude, in music education with a conducting concentration from Montclair State University. She intends to pursue her doctorate in music education at Teachers College of Columbia this summer. Her professional memberships include the American Choral Directors Association, New Jersey Music Educators Association, and Central New Jersey Music Educators Association. In her spare time, she serves as the musical director for the Hillsborough Theater Department and Associate Director of Music for the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township. Ashley currently resides in Morristown, N.J. with her husband and their golden retriever, Buddy.

Luke Wroblewski has been performing a cappella music for almost a decade. Luke works at Governor Livingston High School and Columbia Middle School in the Berkeley Heights school district, where he teaches choir and music theory and leads extracurricular ensembles including a brand-new a cappella group. Luke was a member of Soulfege A Cappella, a student-led group from Millburn High School and went on to Westminster Choir College, where he joined The Deaftones, the only competing group on campus. As music director and lead arranger of both his high school and college, Luke has placed highly at a cappella competitions around the region, including ICCA, ICHSA, and SingStrong N.Y., and won individual awards for Outstanding Arrangement. Luke has spent time with post-collegiate a cappella groups around the area and is excited about the continued growth of the a cappella community in New Jersey. As an a cappella coach, Luke has coached various ensembles on competition sets, arranging, and performing. Luke is experienced in arranging, vocal percussion, live audio production, vocal improvisation, and more.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank the NH Music and Performing Arts Association, Northern Highlands Board of Education, Northern Highlands Administration, music supervisor Mrs. Kristen Schumacher, and the NH Custodial Staff; 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 ICHSA Mid-Atlantic 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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