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 MIDWEST QUARTERFINAL
Case Western University
Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
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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 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
SŌL A Cappella is a contemporary pop/rock a cappella group from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. This ensemble includes students from various areas of study, ranging from acting to English to music education to neuroscience. SŌL prides itself on including diverse sexualities and genders, allowing people of all identities to have a voice and express themselves through music. Aside from competition and performance, they are a process-oriented group focused on building an ensemble where everyone is free to create art together.
Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Case in Point is Case Western Reserve University's premier co-ed a cappella group. Performing exclusively original arrangements since its formation in 2001, CiP recently started competing in the ICCA and was proud to be Midwest Quarterfinal Champions and Semifinal Runners-Up in 2023! When not competing or performing in gigs around the Cleveland area, you can find the CiP baddies bonding over ice-cream and competitive games of Mario Kart.
Dhamakapella is CWRU’s award-winning South Asian fusion a cappella group that derives its influences from Indian classical, contemporary Bollywood, pop, dubstep, and electronic genres. Since they began competing in 2011, they have accrued 25 national titles and 34 individual awards at competitions across the United States. They seek to blend songs together in innovative ways to create musical story arcs and they can’t wait to perform their set for everyone here today!
Scots in Harmony is the College of Wooster's premier competitive a cappella group. They aim to bring together a diverse group of students who share a love for music and the art of performance. By fostering a healthy spirit of competition, they encourage skill growth and development while forming a close-knit team of singers. The group's bond is strengthened through fun team-building activities outside of their rigorous rehearsal schedule. Scots in Harmony exhibits the core qualities of Wooster students, such as dedication, creativity, and teamwork. They are looking forward to their fourth ICCA season and cannot wait to see what all of the other groups have in store!
Prime A Cappella was initially created as an after-school program for Dayton Ohio high school students in fall 2020. In those three short years, Prime enjoyed many triumphs and successes, including four album features (including twice with BOHSA), multiple recorded tracks and videos, and narrowly missing ICHSA Finals just two years ago. This year, however, all of that has changed! The director of Prime has taken the group on a new journey. Prime A Cappella returns with a brand-new vibe, look, and roster composed of college students from the Greater Dayton Ohio Area. Several group members have known one another for years while others are brand-new to a cappella. The members of Prime have incredibly varied backgrounds and interests, including one firefighting cadet, one amateur mini-kart race car driver, a professional photographer, one doctorate student, two pursuing music degrees, and one working toward nursing. This year, Prime plans to record an album, with at least one Christmas track and a couple of music videos. The members of Prime are incredibly proud to represent their small community of Dayton, Ohio, and they are thrilled to perform again with Varsity Vocals! It's Prime Time, baby!
Vocal Intensity is an a cappella group from Kent State University. They arrange, rehearse, and perform music of all styles. They perform for various occasions, including their annual fall and winter concerts, festivals, and special events.
Founded just one year ago, Dynamics is the newest a cappella group on campus at Ohio University. Boasting 18 talented and unique members, they like to take things a little differently and focus their music tastes on alternative genres. This year, they have performed metal, punk, synth-rock, and folk music, with more interesting genres to come. Not only do they participate in the ICCA, but they enjoy holding community shows all around the Ohio University campus. They would like to wish all the other groups good luck and hope that everyone enjoys their haunting performance!
Located in Athens, Ohio, New Chords on the Block was founded as Ohio University's first mixed competitive a cappella group in 2010. From top 40 hits to R&B and indie songs, New Chords has performed many styles of music across the country. Whether they’re competing or performing for the community, New Chords knows how to have fun while making music and entertaining audiences. With members from various majors across campus, New Chords is an eclectic group of fun-loving students with a passion for making music.
Purdue Soundtracks A Cappella, formed in 2016, is Purdue University’s premier co-ed contemporary a cappella group. Consisting of 17 members ranging from freshmen to seniors and representing various majors and musical backgrounds, the group comes together through a shared passion for music. PSA arranges and choreographs sets in-house to promote and facilitate creative engagement from all of its members. As an ensemble, they sing for the thrill of performing, the growth of their musical skill sets, and hopefully your enjoyment as an audience! If you like them and want to see more, feel free to connect with them on Instagram. They are excited to be performing at ICCA again this year and hope you enjoy the show!
The Purdue University AcaBellas is an all-female, student-run and student-led a cappella group! Established by two Purdue students in 2016, they made their official debut in 2017. All of their pieces are arranged by group members. This year’s set includes "This is Gospel" originally written and performed by the Panic! At The Disco, "Royals" originally written and performed by Lorde, and "For the Longest Time'' by Billy Joel.
Rhythm and Roos A Cappella is the University of Akron's only co-ed a cappella group composed of 13 members across a variety of majors. Rhythm and Roos was founded in 2005 and has performed on campus, in the greater Akron area, and across the Midwest in its 18 years of existence. Roos has competed at ICCA since 2015 and has progressed to Semifinals twice. Rhythm and Roos prides itself on creating a strong familial environment and sharing their passion for music with their audience. Each year, Roos has a weekend-long retreat full of music and bonding exercises to create an even stronger dynamic, allowing them to further share their passion for music and strengthen the Rhythm and Roos family. Roos aims to create great music and even greater friendships. They sing to save lives.
TONIGHT'S JUDGES
Dan Dade, a music professional from Lansing, Mich., strives to be a multifaceted asset for any organization with which he is involved. Dan is currently an educator with Grand Ledge Public Schools, serving as one of the high school and middle school choir directors, as well as percussion director at Walled Lake Northern High School. He also works as a freelance composer and arranger, receiving commissions and performances from all over the United States, for ensembles such as the University of Georgia Symphonic Band, the Oakland University Chorale, and military bands like the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band. Dan has produced and published his own a cappella music on all streaming platforms and currently sings and beatboxes for TBD A Cappella. Dan worked as an arranger for Voices Only and has been a clinician for many high school and collegiate a cappella groups. He is committed to musical excellence and versatility and hopes to help others grow in these areas as well. As a former member of The Michigan State University Accafellas, Dan has a love for Varsity Vocals competitions and is honored to be one of the judges for this event. Best of luck to everyone competing tonight!
Conductor and bass-baritone Dusty Francis enjoys an active career as a performer, clinician, and educator across both the United States and the United Kingdom. He currently serves as Director of Music Ministries at First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor. Past roles have included musical leadership of the New York City Master Chorale, London's The Fourth Choir, and the Brooklyn-based Park Slope Singers, as well as classroom teaching positions with the American School in London and Collegiate School in New York City. Dusty has directed and arranged for high school, university, and adult ensembles. Dusty holds a Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Xavier University in Cincinnati.
Isaiah Hawkins is an arranger, songwriter, and music educator from Auburn Hills, Mich. He graduated with a degree in music education from Michigan State University, where he was a music director of State of Fifths and The MSU Spartones. At MSU, he was a production assistant for the ICHSA Great Lakes region and received Outstanding Arrangement awards from ICCA and The AcaOpen. He also released an EP, Lifeline, and an album, Legacy, with State of Fifths, receiving Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) and A Cappella Video Award (AVA) nominations and awards along the way. Isaiah was also one of the members of the Voices Only Productions arranging team, sang with Flux Vocals, served as the North Region Relationship Manager for the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA), was on the Boston Sings (BOSS) team, and is a clinician for vocal groups of all ages!
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
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 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!
#ICCA