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 UNITED KINGDOM SEMIFINAL

New Wimbledon Theatre
Saturday, March 30th, 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

The Oxford Gargoyles is Oxford University’s first and only jazz a cappella ensemble, with a rich 25-year history of jazzing up Oxford's music scene with over 200 alumni. After an ICCA hiatus of about 10 years, this will be their second year competing. The group has enjoyed success within Oxford and beyond, featuring regularly at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival since 2006, receiving the accolade of Excellent Show from the Official Fringe Review for their 2023 show, and performing internationally with recent tours across North America and Hong Kong. The group's recordings have achieved great commercial success, with critically acclaimed albums and top tracks on Spotify receiving over 20,000 streams. They pride themselves on their rhythmic intensity and tight, complex harmonies, performing anything from traditional jazz standards to funk, pop, and disco. 

Nth Harmonic is a mixed, variety a cappella group from Imperial College London. Composed of members with an eclectic and wide-reaching music taste, it’s no wonder their repertoire is so varied. They’ve performed everything from Latin, jazz, and rock, to pop-punk, classical, and disco at various concerts. You can also catch them busking at Covent Garden if they leave you wanting more tonight. Last year, their one-to-a-part, atmospheric, and hard-hitting set launched them into the aca world and they’re excited to be back for more. Having narrowly missed out on placing, Nth Harmonic returns with a bigger group, richer sound, and a strong vision for their set. They hope to transport you and take you on a journey with their 10 minutes onstage. 

The Leamingtones is a mixed group from the University of Warwick and a proud member of the Warwick A Cappella Society (WACA), the number-one society on campus (alphabetically). They are keen to celebrate a wide range of genres with high-octane, impactful arrangements from their music director George. Some might say organised chaos, but they prefer to call it harmonised spontaneity. With over 700 thousand subscribers on YouTube between them, they have performed at various events and earned 1st place at their 2023 ICCA Quarterfinal. They recently launched their debut album, including their award-winning performance of “Praying” by Kesha, with many more recordings in the pipeline to share with the world. When they aren’t working out how to stand in a clump or trying to teach the lower voices choreo, The Leamingtones can be found being dragged along to musical theatre showcases and making memes of their own group. The Leamingtones are excited to launch their 2024 set at their third ICCA. A heart-wrenching performance of overcoming struggle and breaking free, they hope you’ll feel the music as much as they do and enjoy their unmistakable wall of sound. 

RadioOctave is the longest established competitive group at the University of Nottingham. This is the 10th generation of the group and were proud to qualify for ICCA U.K. Semifinals for the last three years. After recently selling out their entire week run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, they are so excited to be back performing together for another ACA-demic year! This year, they are excited for the release of their album featuring their 2022 ICCA set, along with a single of on of their sold-out Fringe arrangements, joining their debut album, BLUE, on Spotify. Over the last decade, they have performed at Nottingham Splendour Festival, on BB2’s “The Choir: Best in Britain,” pub gigs, radio, and more. Throughout the year, RadioOctave performs at gigs on campus in and around Nottingham, including one of their favourites from last year, Sofar Sounds. They will also travel around the country performing at the Showcase of Northern A Cappella, Vocal Jam, andanother week at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. RadioOctave is a close-knit group, committed to having fun both on and offstage and creating the best sound possible. 

Illuminations is the University of Exeter’s premier competitive mixed a cappella group. Competing for over 10 years in ICCA, they have been privileged to have the opportunity to sing at Finals in 2017, 2020, and 2022, although they’ve never taken the crown thus far. They also perform annually at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, completely selling out their run in 2023. They recorded two EPs and hope to release an album this year! Illuminations Generation 13 consists of 15 members, 14 singers and one vocal percussionist. In their 13th year, Illuminations has embraced the curse with impressive arrangements, scary-good vocals and a “dark and haunted” group image. As always, they pride themselves in developing and nurturing vocal talent in an inclusive, fun, yet hard-working environment, which helps them give back to their community in Exeter. This year, you can expect the group to wow you once again with their vocals, arrangements, and performance skills. They hope you’re excited about the prospect to experience the power of their curse LIVE in full force. 

Legacy A Cappella is a community a cappella group between 15 and 21 years old based in Plymouth and funded by Plymouth Music Education Hub. They were inspired to start singing contemporary a cappella through their collaboration and exchange programme with Plymouth Public Schools in Massachusetts and were lucky enough to travel to the U.S. in October 2022 to sing and learn from their American friends. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength, doing an eight-venue tour and working with 50 schools and introducing nearly 1600 young people to contemporary a cappella. Highlights include singing at the Music For Youth National Festival in Birmingham in July 2023 and they were honoured to be selected as the only South West participants to perform in the Royal Albert Hall in November 2023 at the Music For Youth Prom. Legacy’s very first TikTok went viral with over 3 million views. They’re always keen to learn and push themselves further. This is their first competitive event and some of their members haven't even done their GCSEs yet, so please show them some love. 

Fresh off their second consecutive win at the 2023 Scottish A Cappella Championships (SACC) and the release of their new EP, The Other Guys returns to the ICCA with a brand-new group of singers, but the same old charm and captivating showmanship. Hailing from the University of St. Andrews, they are celebrating their 20th year as a group with the release of a new album and a performance at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, supporting composer and pianist, Alexis Ffrench. Founded in 2004, (allegedly by a group of friends who had no luck auditioning for other a cappella groups on campus), The Other Guys is Scotland's premier a cappella group, boasting an eclectic repertoire from current pop to Scottish folk and everything in between. With just nine members, they are smaller than most university a cappella groups and enjoy using this to their advantage with close-harmony arrangements and tight choreography. Back in the studio for the first time in five years, the group released an EP of their SACC-winning four-song set and have a full album on the way with a charity single, “Holding Out for a Hero.” You can keep up to date with the group on Instagram @the.otherguys and on Facebook. 

Northern Lights is a mixed group of talented and passionate performers from Durham University. Having competed in the ICCA since 2015, the group’s 10th generation secured their first win at the U.K. Semifinals in Wimbledon last year and have since produced a sell-out Fringe show and released their debut album, Meet Me in the Sky. Now in their 11th iteration with six new members, Northern Lights feel as strong as ever and are proud to maintain their ethos, “One entity, One voice.” To follow along on their journey, you can find them on all social media @nlacappella. 

Aca-Pocalypse, from the University of Nottingham, is ready to make waves once again as they compete in their seventh consecutive ICCA season! They have an impressive track record, including back-to-back appearances as ICCA Semifinalists, taking 1st place at 2022 Quarterfinals and 2nd in 2023. AP is excited to bring one of their signature sets to this year’s ICCA, characterised by electric energy, crunchy chords, and a selection of hype songs guaranteed to have everyone up on their feet! Fresh off a run of sold-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in collaboration with RadioOctave, Aca-Pocalypse has kept busy outside of the competition circuit! They recently performed at events such as Splendour Festival, Vocal Jam, and the Showcase of Northern A Cappella, solidifying their reputation as ones to watch in the a cappella scene. Led by two new musical directors, Aca-Pocalypse is eager to showcase the group’s fresh new talent. They foster creativity and collaboration, from writing their own arrangements and putting their own spin on their favourite songs, to crafting their own choreography. Every element of their performance is a testament to the group's collective talent and dedication, with every member contributing to the unique sound that defines Aca-Pocalypse. 

The Songsmiths is the University of Leeds' competitive a cappella group. They are super excited to showcase their new talent and growth from last year to now. Their team of three musical directors have worked together to create a powerful set of three songs, with which they aim to take you on a journey of highs and lows, a rollercoaster of emotion expressed through music. They placed 3rd at 2018 Quarterfinals in 2018, progressing to Semifinals in 2021, and even placed 3rd at U.K. Semifinals in 2019. They hope to achieve even greater heights this year! This 15-person group pushes itself to the max with their vocal talent and agility, so listen out for their altos singing lower than their tenors, their sopranos singing into the rafters, and their beatboxer making you question if they have a secret drum kit hidden away backstage! 

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Born and raised in the beautiful Arizona desert landscapes, Celine Durney has been actively engaged in music throughout her life. At a young age, Celine began to experience the tip of a very surreal musical iceberg that progressed throughout her schooling and would eventually lead her towards recording four albums and performing alongside prestigious artists such as Pentatonix, The Real Group, Sarah Brightman, and Josh Groban. Since obtaining her bachelor's degree in choral music education from Northern Arizona University, Celine has made extensive contributions within the choral and contemporary a cappella worlds as a singer, arranger, and educator. Within the contemporary a cappella community, she has earned an impressive reputation as a founding member and music director of the award-winning NAU Axecidentals. She continues to collaborate, arrange, and perform as a member of Red Letter Daze, a female a cappella quartet with over 240,000 followers on social media and a full-length album called Element released in March 2023. While working towards her master’s degree in contemporary performance and production at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, she loves staying involved in the a cappella community and is eager to see the impact of this musical genre on a global scale.

David Green has been performing a cappella for over 16 years, with over 200 performances under his belt. He began first as a singer and arranger for Naked Voices, touring all over the U.K. for eight years. Naked Voices was an early arrival on the U.K. a cappella scene, establishing a cappella music at the Edinburgh Fringe in the 2000s, winning the festival's Sell Out Show award for three visits in a row, and featuring on the BBC's "Best of the Fringe" show. In 2009, David formed Original Sing from former Naked Voices members, who went on to win the 2013 Voice Festival Community Championship and the open category of the Bristol Choir of the Year contest. 

Alex Moore is a versatile and accomplished musician with a passion for barbershop and a cappella music. Alex has been a driving force behind the success of Sound Hypothesis, a barbershop quartet that he co-founded in 2016 and helped guide to the U.K. championship title in 2019. In addition to his success with Sound Hypothesis, Alex has a wealth of experience in the a cappella world, having served as the musical director of the champion group, The Techtonics, who won the ICCA in 2016. When he's not performing or directing, Alex brings his passion for education to his career as a physics teacher, where he combines his interests in both fields to explore the physics of music. 

Imogen Parry is a freelance singer in London, with experience singing in styles including jazz, a cappella, choral, and musical theatre. She studied voice at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, was a member of Aldeburgh Young Musicians, The Rodolfus Choir, National Youth Chamber Choir of Great Britain, and was in the National Youth Music Theatre cast of “The Hired Man” in 2014. While earning her degree at the University of Glasgow, she played lead roles in plays and musicals every year, and studied acting and musical theatre during her year abroad at Boston College in the United States. In 2018, Imogen joined the Grammy-winning vocal group, The Swingles. Touring internationally, The Swingles perform a cappella, classical, and original music in the world’s most prestigious venues. Imogen is also a recording artist and session singer for film soundtracks, television, video games, adverts, and live backing vocals. 

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank emcee Dan Mailer, guest act Axiom, sound engineer Max Hunter, all staff at the New Wimbledon Theatre, Calum Roy, Matthew King, and El Leaper; 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 placing group at this event will advance to the 2024 ICCA Finals.

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