2023 ICHSA Midwest Quarterfinal @ William Henry Harrison 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 MIDWEST QUARTERFINAL

William Henry Harrison High School
Sunday, February 19th, 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

Ars Nova is a gender-inclusive a cappella group from the Miami Valley School. The group strives to grow in its musicianship, create a family environment, and share its music with its community. The group bonds through early morning rehearsals, playing jackbox, and filling their director's room with small slime plushies. As last year's Quarterfinal Champions and 3rd place Semifinalists, Ars Nova hopes you enjoy their 2023 set!

Dynamix is a mixed-voice a cappella group that lives right here in Harrison, Ohio! They love making music together and they rehearse every morning at 7a.m. There are 17 members in Dynamix, not including their loyal mascot, the good vibes crab (enter crab).

Phoenix is one of Chaminade Julienne High School's pop a cappella groups. After the creation of CJ's first group, Vega, many students were inspired to pursue a cappella, so founding director Joe Whatley provided another avenue of opportunity. Originally named Age V (V as in roman numeral five, and the original members' way of spelling Vega backwards), this group more than doubled the amount of students participating in CJ a cappella. After three years of growth, the group decided it was time to redefine their identity, and updated their name to Phoenix in 2014. Not only have they inspired a spirit of determination and peer-collaboration across the entire CJ a cappella program, but they also began competing in the ICHSA and placed 3rd in their Midwest Quarterfinal in 2018. The group is directed by Vega alumna and Age V founding member, Adelyn Helms. She is proud to see the current members bond as they vibe together onstage and discover the power they each hold inside themselves.

Soundsation is the auditioned a cappella group at Vermilion High School in Vermilion, Ohio. The group consists of 11 members this season. As one of the premier ensembles of VHS, they frequently perform in the community. This is their first time competing in ICHSA under the direction of Emerson Slicer.

Take Note is Harrison High School's all-treble a cappella group and they meet every morning at 7a.m. to rehearse. This is Take Note's fifth year as a group and they currently have 15 amazing members. This past year, Take Note was an ICHSA Midwest Semifinalist. They are so excited to perform for you tonight!

Titan Harmony is the premier a cappella group at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis, Ind.! This mixed group loves to sing songs ranging from the top 40s to throwbacks. They love making music together and try to find any opportunity to tell great stories through their music! They hope their music gets you moving in your seats and touches your hearts.

Vega is the premier and national award-winning group from Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School.Established in 2010, Vega has performed and competed in cities including New York City and Memphis, Tenn They sing songs from genres including pop, R&B, rock, and many more. While they perform primarily on the CJ Stage, they have also taken the stage with different groups, including multi-Grammy winning group Take 6. In 2021, Vega changed leadership and is now under the direction of Mr. Angelo Knight. Angelo is an alumnus of Vega, class of 2018, where he received individual outstanding awards in the ICHSA competition. Under Angelo's new direction, the group has reignited their fire to carry on the legacy that the Vega name has held for years. Vega is dedicated to the growth of musicianship, friendship, fun, and truly keeping the legacy alive.

Based in the Cincinnati, Ohio area West Clermont Alpha is the competitive vocal a cappella group for West Clermont High School. Through community outreach and performance, their mission is to uplift, support, and entertain those they come in contact with! They live out the ideal that each and every person should be able to #FindYourVoice and make a difference where you are!

VCR, Urbana High School's co-ed extracurricular a cappella group, has been delighting audiences all over the country for the past decade. VCR is a group of students who, let's be honest, probably wouldn't know each other or be friends if it weren't for singing together in this tight-knit ensemble. They sing music from all genres, but their favorite tradition is singing "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" from Frozen every year during caroling season and fighting over who gets to sing the Young Anna part.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Christopher Andres attended The Ohio State University and studied music education and music performance. He also was a member of The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club and University Chorus. Chris has been singing and playing the piano since he was five years old and also plays flute, tenor saxophone, baritone and trombone. Chris has performed on numerous stages around the world as both an instrumentalist and vocalist, which motivated him to arrange and compose music. He currently serves as the music director at 1st United Methodist Church of Greenville and is currently in his fourth year at Greenville Senior High School in Greenville, Ohio as the assistant vocal music director, accompanist, and assistant band director.

John DeFerraro is the Director of Choral Activities at Scott County High School in Georgetown, Ky. Under his direction, multiple choir programs across Kentucky have earned State Distinguished Ratings with Sweepstakes honors and have collaborated with internationally recognized artists, such as the African Children’s Choir, Point of Grace, and Cincinnati's Fillmore Wind Band. In 2018, he was selected by Rollo Dilworth, Henry Leck, and Joseph Flummerfelt as one of the nation's premier choral conductors by Music for All. John has dedicated his life to increasing the quality of vocal arts programs within his home state and across the nation. An active clinician, arranger, adjudicator, and conductor, John is regularly engaged to help create and enhance music performances of all varieties (including a cappella ensembles, opera companies, choirs, orchestras, bands, and drum corps) on regional and national stages throughout the United States. John is a member of ACDA, NAfME, KMEA, the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA), and AEA, and currently serves as a producer for the National A Cappella Convention (NACC).

Paige Rauschuber has taught music for seven years at the elementary level. She received her Master of Music in music education in 2022 from Butler University and is currently the General Music specialist at Westwood Elementary in Greenwood, Ind. where she teaches K-5 music, choir, Orff ensemble, and folk dancing. She has taught adult and children’s choirs and looks forward to the show tonight!

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank our emcee, Joey Bogdajewicz, our host Anna Adams, and William Henry Harrison High School; 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 Midwest 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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