2023 ICHSA South Quarterfinal @ University of Tennessee

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

University of Tennessee
Sunday, February 5th, 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

Crescenloe was founded in 2015 by Nyla Smith who sought to form an a cappella group of Enloe Magnet High School's most talented singers and good-hearted people. Based in the Raleigh area, Crescenloe performs across the Triangle, volunteering at numerous community events. More than a group, Crescenloe is a family and safe space where everyone’s identity is celebrated. Each grou member embodies the values of CRESC, their group acronym: Collaboration, Respect, Enthusiasm, Slayosity, and Communication. As a student-led group, Crescenloe prides itself in being able to respectfully work through conflict without need for teacher intervention. They have cultivated a trusting environment where students can make “music they love with people they love.” They value each member’s unique strengths, but also encourage them to make mistakes and use them as opportunities to learn. This freedom to grow helps Crescenloe to bring out everyone’s acabop, defined as your dance/groove/energy that matches the song you’re singing. In addition to their trademark blend and distinctive style, shining passion for music, and the special friendship they share, Crescenloe stands out because its members are committed to spreading love and appreciation for music within their community and the world.

Overtone A Cappella is in year number two as a group of this size, having previously competed as two different groups, Armonia and Duly Noted. The history of these two groups includes performances at local music venues, national music festivals, and three Semifinal appearances in the ICHSA. Since its creation, the students of Overtone have become one unit, bonding over tough rehearsals, fulfilling performances, inside jokes and great homemade cookies! An Overtone is created when they achieve the group’s goal of perfect harmony! The love of music runs deep in this group but the love for one another runs even deeper.

Patatonix is from White House Heritage High School in White House, Tenn. This is their seventh year as a group and they are excited to bring the beauty and excitement of a cappella music to their region through local performances and competitions!

Perfect Intentions is a high school a cappella group at Overhills High School in Spring Lake, N.C. The group started back in 2010 as a show choir group but moved to the style of a cappella in 2019. Their musical repertoire expands many genres, reflecting the eclectic group of individuals in the group who study different styles of music. Perfect Intentions is proud to share their love and passion for music with others. They have competed in and out of the state and have been invited to entertain at various functions in their county and at the state capitol.

Tonal Spectrum is the only a cappella group at Crest High School and their Cleveland County School District. This ever-evolving group has endured many changes and challenges this year. Only a few of them are returnees, so the current lineup is primarily made up of newbies! One of the most exciting things about them is that they have a rubber chicken as their class mascot, which reminds them to never to be too chicken to perform!

Traces of Blue is the advanced women’s choir and pop a cappella ensemble from Sumrall High School. Traces of Blue is composed of the choral music program’s top 13 female vocalists. Traces of Blue holds numerous concerts for their community and consistently earns Superior ratings in competitions throughout the school year. Traces of Blue performed at the 2017 Disney Candlelight Processional, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and opened for the world-famous Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in New York City. Traces of Blue toured Utah in 2019, performing at Temple Square in Salt Lake City and the national anthem at a Utah Jazz basketball game.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Paige Betts is the orchestra director at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, Ga. She is an experienced music educator, having taught string orchestra, chorus, and musical theatre, and has been a runner-up for Teacher of the Year. She has given clinics with various orchestras, chorus, and a cappella ensembles across the Southeast, and has taught private voice and viola lessons. Paige is a 2009 graduate of the University of Georgia with a B.M. in music education. Paige lives in Buford, Ga. with her husband Andrew and their rescue dog, Jake.

Brad Maffett is the assistant conductor of the Athens Symphony. He previously performed with the Athens Symphony Chorus and continues to serve as a rehearsal assistant. Brad presently conducts band and choir at Franklin County Middle School and has previously conducted for “Musica Fraterna” of the Atlanta Children’s Choir, Local Vocals, and B Natural. Brad has been involved in all aspects of music, from serving as a singing waiter to playing tuba in a polka band. When he isn’t making music, he can be found cooking barbecue in competitions throughout the Southeast.

John Robinson got his a cappella start in 2005 as a founding member of The UCF Crescendudes. In grad school, he served as music director for Georgia Tech's Infinite Harmony, and recorded and produced its first album. Since that first foray into audio production, he has helped record, edit, and mix albums for several collegiate and post-collegiate groups in the Southeast (he hates live sound engineering, but does that too). He sang bass for Catatonic (2014 Harmony Sweeps Finalist) and has taught masterclasses and courses at SoJam on the science of vocal sound and microphones.

Jared Sanchez started singing in high school, leading his choir and attending All East. He has a B.A. in theater from the University of Tennessee, where he co-music directed and arranged for his college a cappella group, VOLT. During his time in the group, Jared and VOLT made the most of their five years, attending as many competitive and educational festivals and a cappella experiences as they could, including ICCA, SOJAM, BOSS, and Next Level Arranging. As of 2023, Jared remains active in music and the arts and even has received the resounding title of Mr. Knoxville Idol 2022. Jared wishes each group the best of luck and is excited to be on this evening’s panel.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank 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 three 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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