2024 ICCA Central Quarterfinal @ Binghamton University

DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to Varsity Vocals’ 28th 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 650 groups and over 10,000 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 28 years ago and we can’t wait to see how our 2024 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 CENTRAL QUARTERFINAL

Binghamton University
Saturday, January 27th, 2024

WE'RE SOCIAL

We're talking about this event, and all of our events around the world!

varsityvocals

@varsityvocals

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 27th.

The high school tournament is now in its 19th 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 26th.

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

The Harpur Harpeggios (more commonly known as The Pegs) is Binghamton University's first and only soprano-alto a cappella group! Founded in 1983, The Pegs perform a variety of music ranging from 60s classics to songs heard on the radio today. The Pegs perform at many different events on campus and in the community, hosting one large show each semester. They go on a winter tour annually, singing all over the Tri-State area.

Crimson Chords is the Indiana University of Pennsylvania's student-led, all-gender a cappella group! Founded at the university nearly 10 years ago, Chords was originally a women's a cappella jazz ensemble, but has since developed into a competitive group for jazz and pop music! Crimson Chords first competed in the ICCA last year and left Quarterfinals with a special award for Outstanding Soloist and a new name for themselves! They are thrilled to be a part of the ICCA community and to perform some more hits this year.

Premium Blend is Ithaca College's first and only all-female a cappella group! They’re serving up the perfect blend of fresh energy, smooth sound, and style that’s always Premium. Founded in 1998 as a larger ensemble, the group comprises 14 femme-aligned members dedicated to learning, performing, and sharing the beauty and fun of a cappella music with various audiences. The group enjoys exploring many different styles, incorporating rock, folk, choral, and alternative music into their sets, as well as current pop hits off the radio. In addition to putting on two full-length concerts each year, Premium Blend performs extensively around the Ithaca College campus and community. Each year, they tour to a new location on the East Coast to work with high school, middle school, and other college a cappella groups. Competing in the ICCA tournament is an integral part of the group, but they took a two-year hiatus after 2020 Central ICCA Quarterfinals, where they won 2nd place and Outstanding Choreography. They are ready to be back and show everyone what they can do!

Ithacappella is Ithaca College’s male-identifying a cappella group. This group of 16 guys spans all four years and different courses of study. They all bring something different to the group, but share the same passion for singing and telling stories through music. They perform all genres including pop, rock, and choral! In this year’s set, they track the stages of a relationship’s end and a journey to self-acceptance. They hope the audience sees how these boys support one another through each stage of the set, reflecting the same support they share offstage as a group. Ithacappella has had a blast with Varsity Vocals these past few years and hope to bring what they’ve learned to this year’s set!

IC Voicestream is the premier, gender inclusive a cappella group at Ithaca College. They perform two full concerts each year featuring a cappella covers of strictly contemporary pop and rock songs. Voicestream is proud to be part of a strong a cappella community at Ithaca College and frequently performs at events on campus and across the Ithaca area. This past September, they proudly released their latest EP, Infatuated, on all major streaming platforms! Check them out on YouTube @icvoicestream and Instagram @ic_voicestream.

None of the Above, affectionately known as NOTA, was established in 1991 as Penn State’s first co-ed a cappella group. An entirely student-run organization, NOTA showcases songs arranged by current members from various genres at performances around Penn State’s campus and within the community. They also honor the group’s 30-year history with decade-old arrangements by alumni and countless traditions that tie them together as musicians and as a family. NOTA's most recent performances include opening THON 2023 with the national anthem, performing in THON 2020, 2021, and 2022, the 2020 ICCA Quarterfinals in Pittsburgh, and their virtual concert series on YouTube and Instagram.

Founded in 2012 by Ricky Jabarin and Trevor Johnson, The CODA Conduct is Penn State University’s premier all-gender, competitive a cappella group. CODA has been participating in the ICCA since 2014, placing 1st at Quarterfinals and 2nd at Semifinals last season. In addition to competing, CODA has released their own albums, including Call Their Name, Spectrum, and Out of the Dark. Their most recent album, Hung Up, was released in 2023 and was designed to portray the five stages of grief. This album also includes “voicemails” recorded by each song’s soloist as a prologue to further enhance the theme. CODA plans to release another album this coming spring! CODA typically hosts and performs at multiple events at Penn State during the school year, including their winter and spring concerts, tailgate singing, a THON performance, and talent shows. This year, CODA plans to perform at an event dedicated to raising awareness for the issues surrounding domestic violence and sexual assault. All in all, CODA’s main priority as an a cappella group is to promote and display acceptance, love, and compassion through their interactions with others and the music they sing.

Dynamic Intonation hails from the State University of New York at Fredonia! The group includes a wide variety of majors, including music education and performance, musical theatre, acting, elementary education, sound recording technology, and more! Although they bring diverse interests and backgrounds, they all value creating beautiful and challenging music from genres such as pop, R&B, jazz, and more. Their bond as a group and with their on and off campus communities is equally important. They make an effort to connect with their members through upbeat rehearsal dynamics and having bonding nights at members’ houses for dinners each semester. Dynamic Intonation also enjoys getting to know the community through events they host each year such as Karaoke Night and their Aca-Carnival, which brings guest a cappella groups together for great performances and carnival-style games!

Hooked on Tonics is SUNY Oneonta's only co-ed a cappella group, but they’re much more than that. Also a true family, they share the same passion and commitment for music and are beyond pumped to bring their skills together in competition.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Allison Cranmer is a graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam with degrees in music education and mathematics. While at Potsdam, Allison music directed and arranged for A Sharp Arrangement, the only all-treble group on campus. As the music director, she led the Sharps to their first-ever ICCA Semifinal, toured around New York State, and recorded several different projects. Currently, Allison is the vocal and general music teacher at Palmyra-Macedon Middle School. She shares her love of a cappella with her students by listening, arranging, and performing a cappella music with them daily.

Bryce Davis is a performer and arts administrator based in Rochester, N.Y. His love for a cappella was ignited in high school by a grainy YouTube video of Rockapella performing "Sixteen Tons," and he never looked back. Bryce studied music theory and history at the University of Rochester, where he sang bass in the Midnight Ramblers and served as creative director of their three-time Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA)-winning 2021 release, Things That You Say. He has also performed and directed with ROC Players Musical Theatre and Wellsville High School's WAVE. He currently serves as the Director of Institutional Partnerships of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

John R. Starr is the former music director and vocal percussionist of The Songburghs, a co-ed a cappella group from the University of Pittsburgh. He led his group to three back-to-back ICCA Semifinals appearances from 2018 through 2020 and holds an Outstanding Vocal Percussion award for their entire 2019 set. His a cappella arranging work can be found on their first two EPs, Forward and Orbit, and he has frequently arranged and edited arrangements for other collegiate groups. John is a classically trained pianist and has arranged music for jazz bands, choral groups, small orchestras, in addition to a cappella groups.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Bryce Mckracken, Chelsea Perticone, Note To Self, RDX, Daniel Sonnen, Watters Theater Staff, and Binghamton University; our judges, hosts, competitors, volunteers, partners, and producers; and you, the audience, for supporting Varsity Vocals programming.

Amanda Newman
Executive Director

Elise Hackl-Blumstein
ICHSA Director
PA/MA Program Coordinator

Dave Rabizadeh
ICCA Director

Emily Sucher
Director of Publications

Lucy Jacobs
ICCA West Producer

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
ICCA South Producer

Arvin Zabalerio
ICCA Central Producer

Gemma Davies
ICCA United Kingdom Producer

Emily Benjamin
ICCA Northeast Producer

Danielle Sutherland
ICHSA Midwest Producer

Adam McNeil
ICHSA Great Lakes Producer

Cameron Clemens
ICHSA West Producer

Jody Hagler
ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Producer

Bryce McCracken
Associate Producer

Bri Decerio
Associate Producer

Courtney Jensen
Associate Producer
Emcee Extraordinaire

Sara Yood
Senior Producer

Emily Flanders
Director of Adjudication
ICCA Great Lakes Producer

Andrew Poole
Director of Digital Media

Charlotte Taylor
Marketing & Social Strategy

Holli Kitching
ICCA Mid-Atlantic Producer

Leah Alrutz
ICCA Midwest Producer

Bronwyn Jensen
ICCA Southwest Producer

Christopher Witham
ICCA United Kingdom Producer

Jillian Kimberlin
Senior Producer

Christopher Hoffman
ICHSA Northeast Producer

Ben Garza
ICHSA Southwest Producer

Luke Thomas
ICHSA South Producer

Alaina Wegner
Associate Producer

Jake Yoakum
Associate Producer

Rebecca Williamson
Associate Producer

Andrea Poole
Consultant
ICHSA Director Emeritus

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 2024 ICCA Central 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

#ICCA