2024 ICCA Central Quarterfinal @ University of Rochester

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

University of Rochester
Saturday, February 3rd, 2024

WE'RE SOCIAL

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

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@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

PitchSlapped is McMaster University’s high-range a cappella group! Like every group, they’re passionate about a cappella and strive to share their music with as many people as possible. What makes them different from the other groups? This group of students represents diverse academic programs, ranging from engineering to business to theatre courses. These busy musicians work hard to ensure they find the time to get together and sing their hearts out! They love to focus on their blended sound and work hard to convey the emotions of their songs. Beyond all of that, this group considers itself a family! Even when they have a million other obligations, PitchSlapped always does their best to bring their songs to life and have fun with every rehearsal and performance.

All the music, at a fraction of the cost: MCC's Tributones continues to wow audiences with their a cappella sound.

Bringing the tropical vibes to frozen Rochester since 1999, The RIT Brick City Singers (lovingly referred to as BCS) have been defying borders, crossing genres, and pushing limits onstage, with entertaining performances that leave everyone wanting more. With a broad repertoire, wacky antics, amusing skits, and just a bit of class, BCS is a force to be reckoned with. They’ve become known for their creativity onstage, as they bring a new sound to classics, as well as top 40 pieces. They wear Hawaiian shirts and look totally handsome doing it!

Encore is RIT’s first soprano-alto a cappella group, originating in 1996, making this their 27th year making music as a group. While Encore sings mostly pop and alternative music, their true repertoire typically consists of songs that the group enjoys listening to and singing together. This means that their arrangements are often written by current members of the group. This is Encore’s fifth year competing in the ICCA, following a 4th place rank in last year's competition. They are very excited to compete this year, have fun, and improve as performers.

Proof of Purchase (POP) is Rochester Institute of Technology's original all-gender a cappella group! Founded in 2009, POP was formed to give students an opportunity to sing with all voice types and experience the variety of arrangements, song choices, and sound an SATB group offers. Despite their name, this diverse group of musicians loves to delve into all genres of music, not just pop! All of their music is arranged by POP members, including veterans with years of experience and brand-new arrangers who want to grow as musicians. This offers everyone the opportunity to learn, while knowing there is always someone able to guide them and answer questions. By arranging all songs themsleves, POP has the unique ability to adjust their arrangements to fit the group and create the best sound possible. More of a family than a club, the POP members love to sing but also love one another and having fun. There is always something goofy happening at rehearsal, whether breaking out into song or bouncing around on yoga balls during water breaks, but they’re always able to focus on sounding amazing. This environment allows every member of POP to grow as a person, student, and musician.

Vocal Accent is Rochester Institute of Technology's latest SSAA a cappella group. Last ICCA season, they earned 3rd place at their Central Quarterfinal, as well as Outstanding Choreography. This diverse group of talented young singers captivates the Rochester area with songs about love, heartbreak, and so much more. Vocal Accent delves deep into the realm of a cappella with a repertoire of strong, empowering, and emotionally charged music, rooted in the rock and soul genres with pop highlights. Though still young and finding their niche, the group is establishing itself as a company of serious musicians working to both continue and build upon the modern a cappella movement. Vocal Accent is a joy to watch, as they each meld their hearts in their voices and continue to break the boundaries of contemporary music.

Founded in 1995, The Buffalo Chips is UB's first a cappella group, with a long and exciting legacy of fun, community, and singing memorable tunes from across time and genres. They pride themselves on maintaining a long-lasting bond of brotherhood. As repeat ICCA Finalists, they aspire to bring jaw-dropping performances and to always reach greater heights. They love to bring the joy of music to their local Western New York community and around New York State. On top of hosting three huge concerts a year composed entirely of self-arranged music, The Buffalo Chips also love to give back to their community by singing at high schools, weddings, retirement homes, and other public events!

Vocal Point is a historically female, now gender-inclusive treble a cappella group from the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. Originally founded in 1969 as the women's chorus, the group has evolved into a more contemporary group that sings all kinds of music, including pop, rock, jazz, and songs in other languages. Vocal Point loves performing on the UofR campus, throughout the Rochester community, and around the country to share their music with other communities. You can listen to their music on all streaming platforms @urvocalpoint, including their most recent album which just came out last winter. Vocal Point has performed in several previous ICCA tournaments., notably earning 1st place at their 2019 Quarterfinal. They are very excited to be performing again this year!

Tunes. Beats. Awesome. (TBA) is one of the University of Toronto’s longest-standing collegiate a cappella groups, dating back to 2003 and uniquely filled with students from any college, department, or program. They are an all-gender, award-winning, competitive group that is committed to having fun and creating unbreakable bonds, all while making TBAwesome music! They deliver a fresh perspective on popular music with tight harmonies, a cohesive sound, and original innovative arrangements.

Equivox is Western University's all-voice a cappella group. Established in 2017, Equivox has returned to ICCA for the past four years. The group features students of all academic backgrounds, united in their goal to deliver passionate and intricate performances for the Western community.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Shannon Connor is a board-certified music therapist working at the Holy Childhood, Hochstein School of Music and Dance, and Roberts University. She also currently serves as Director of Arranging for Cut Off Studios in Rochester, N.Y. Within this studio, she serves as an educational speaker for their LENS (Learn. Envision. Network. Sing) a cappella events. She has studied piano for 17 years, and has accompanied musicals, soloists, and choirs. Her musical background ranges from bands, jazz bands, pit bands, choirs, and a cappella groups. She has a passion for a cappella and directed Melica, the all-female a cappella group at Elizabethtown College for three years, leading them to a 1st place finish at Quarterfinals her senior year. She is excited to judge this year's competitors.

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, The Midnight Ramblers, Acaproducers, Natalie Fuller, Charlie Carr, and Karl Stabnau; 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

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