2023 ICHSA South Quarterfinal @ Trinity Preparatory 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 SOUTH QUARTERFINAL

Trinity Preparatory School
Sunday, February 12th, 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

Acapocalypse is an a cappella ensemble entering its seventh year as Pine Ridge High School's top vocal group and its seventh year competing at ICHSA! Known around campus and throughout the local community, Acapocalypse performs music from a variety of genres that reflect their diverse community. Having regularly reached ICHSA Semifinals, the ensemble aims to share their energy and love of music with the broadest audience possible, especially other groups who share the same mission.

The After School Specials is a co-ed a cappella group of auditioned students from the performing arts program at Palm Harbor University High School. The group was founded in 2010 by the original chorus teacher, Mr. Justin Havard, and they continues to perform at concerts, community gigs, and competitions each year under the direction of Mr. Blake Hudson.

HyperOctave is the mixed-voice show choir from Heritage High School. This ensemble sings a variety of repertoire, from classical to pop and consistently earns Superior ratings at District and State MPAs.

Recognizable by their infamous red heels, Berkeley Preparatory School’s Mello Divas have performed together for over 20 years. The group has fostered an environment where every individual is represented and respected, which leads to new ideas and better sounds. They perform genres such as pop, rock, alternative, and jazz. The Mello Divas are not only a performance ensemble, but a family, which not only affords them success in performances, but intrinsically, as a part of their soul.

Rhapsody is the treble-voice show choir of Heritage High School. This group performs a variety of music throughout the year, ranging from classical to pop.

The Ponte Vedra Sharkappellas is fully led and managed by the students at Ponte Vedra High School. The first and only a cappella group in St. Johns County, The Sharkapellas include singers of all experience levels. The group has 25 members, ranging from freshman to seniors. All of their arrangements are taught by students and selected from various genres and time periods, but their favorite is pop. The Sharkappellas enjoy performing at local community events, especially “stair sings,” when they perform for other students in the stairwell at Ponte Vedra High School. They have also performed for local nursing homes and country clubs during the holiday season. The Sharkappellas are best friends and have become a family, from each rehearsal to each “sharka sleepover.” The Sharkappellas provides a safe environment where everyone can freely express themselves without fear of any judgement. Even though all the members are vastly different in their own unique way, they always feel united when singing.

The A Cappella Group (TAG) is a mixed group from Cypress Lake Center for the Arts celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. TAG has appeared at the ICHSA Finals three times, as well as the National A Cappella Convention (NACC), SoJam, The Betsy A Cappella Festival. They have opened for The Four Tops and Kenny Rogers and performed for the Florida ACDA Conference. The group released their 15th studio album in November. TAG’s albums have received 11 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) and 51 CARA nominations. They are featured on eight BOHSA albums, have appeared on Voices Only nine times, and are featured on the Sing 14 compilation.

The Berkeley Beatitones is the all-male a cappella group at Berkeley Preparatory School, which rehearses twice a week after school. Founded in 1993, The Beatitones, or Beats, as they fondly refer to themselves, began as a classic men's glee club, suspenders and all. While they've since modernized their attire and repertoire, they prefer to keep a varied repertoire, which ranges from pop a cappella to traditional choral music. This allows them to feel connected to all of their past members, as The Beats consider themselves a true brotherhood. They even have arrangements from their founding that they perform every year as traditions.

Vocality is the premier a cappella ensemble at Boone High School. Formed in 2018, the group has grown in reputation and talent. Vocality was crowned runner-up at their very first ICHSA competition. Vocality believes in having fun on stage and singing with your whole heart. In 2022, they released their first recording, “Traitor,” available on Apple Music and Spotify.

GUEST PERFORMER

Vocal Society (also known as VoSo) is the upper school mixed-voice ensemble from right here at Trinity Prep. These students choreograph and arrange many of their a cappella selections, mostly composed of contemporary and musical theater pieces. In addition to competing in ICHSA Quarterfinals and Semifinals, VoSo performs in many honors choirs and conventions throughout the United States. VoSo just returned from performing at the Briarcrest OneVoice Invitational. After they present their March A cappella showcase here on campus, they look forward to performing at the NACC. The group is under the direction of Christina Carter.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

As an original member of both MOSAIC (now Mo5aic) and The Edge Effect, Troy Dolendo’s a cappella experience goes back almost two decades. Troy is an arranger, music director, pianist, adjudicator, beatboxer, and wannabe cook. He is a clinician for vocal percussion and arranging at all levels. He has performed all over the globe with his a cappella groups and shared the stage with the likes of Prince, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, and John Legend, to name a few. He has arranged for Disney, Universal Studios, Pentatonix, The HouseJacks, The Swingle Singers, MicAppella, Postyr and has won several CARAs over the years. He won MTV’s Top Pop Group with Mosaic and proceeded to win Boyz II Men’s A Cappella Quest and were Semifinalists on “America’s Got Talent.” His groups have appeared at the Grammys and the Academy Awards. He hopes to keep broadening the a cappella audience and upping the standard of vocal music! He thanks Varsity Vocals for inviting him to participate in today's event.

Max Herskovitz is thrilled to be back adjudicating with Varsity Vocals! A cappella credits include a SoJam collegiate competition victory, roles at Universal Orlando Resort, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Walt Disney World, and performances with The Edge Effect and VoicePlay, among others. Max is also an accomplished actor, recently appearing as Kenickie in “Grease” for Royal Caribbean. Additionally, show this program at any participating Taco Bell location for 10% off an order of Cinnamon Twists! (there are no participating locations).

Alex Mendez is the Head Director of Theatre at University High School in Orlando, Fla. He’s an active performer, director, and music director and has earned various accolades for his work from theatre festivals and from the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Applause Awards. He is an alumnus of the Florida State University where he earned his Bachelor of Music in music therapy and holds a Master of Arts in theatre with a concentration in musical theatre from the University of Central Florida. Within a cappella, Alex has served in a wide variety of leadership roles, notably with FSU’s Reverb from 2012-2016. He continues to sing as an active member of Orlando Sings’ professional choir, Solaria. Alex has received numerous awards for Outstanding Soloist, Choreography, and more at ICCA and other a cappella competitions and is a three-time CARA winner.

Nala Price is a singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. She has appeared on NBC's “The Voice” Season 12, Theatre UCF's “Songs of Inspiration” at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, and has traveled across the U.S. competing with UCF's award-winning a cappella group, Voicebox. She became the artistic director of Voicebox in 2019 and served in the role until graduating from UCF with a B.F.A. in musical theatre and a minor in dance. She was most recently a featured vocalist in Penguin Entertainment's a cappella group, Right on Key! Nala hopes to continue her career performing, learning, and inspiring others along the way.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Christina Carter, Vocal Society, Tiffany Hyatt, Trevor Sheridan, Chris Juengel and the team at Liquid 5th, Tony Cuevas and the Trinity Prep Security Staff, and Trinity Preparatory School parent and student volunteers; 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 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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