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
ICHSA GREAT LAKES QUARTERFINAL
Buffalo Grove High School
Saturday, February 24th, 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 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.
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.
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
Bella Voce is an auditioned vocal ensemble at Prospect High School. This year, the group features seven treble singers. They rehearse once a week in the evening and hold morning rehearsals. Bella Voce has really enjoyed their first season performing together and they’re excited to compete in their first ICHSA. Break a leg to all the other groups!
Graftonics is an extracurricular, competitive a cappella group from Grafton High School in Grafton, Wis. This 18-voice auditioned group is excited to be competing in the ICHSA once again! They look forward to the excitement of competing, along with all of the experiences they will have together along the way. Good luck everyone!
IMPACT is proud to be back again on the ICHSA stage, sharing theirlove of everything a cappella. Hailing from the north ‘burbs of Chicago and part of the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago, IMPACT is a group of singers who love everything from pop to musical theatre.
Ladies Knight is Oak Creek High School's elite all-treble voice a cappella group. They have been active in the a cappella scene since 2014. Participating in ICHSA competitions is only a small part of what they do. Ladies Knight also keeps busy attending and hosting a cappella conferences and collaborative performances, recording their music, and participating in community outreach. Ladies Knight qualified for ICHSA Semifinals on two occasions and was featured twice on Varsity Vocals' BOHSA album. Their debut album, Embers, just dropped on all streaming platforms. Ladies Knight loves entertaining audiences with a mix of heartfelt ballads and jaw-dropping jams. You can follow Ladies Knight on Instagram @ladiesknightoc.
Minor Renovation is in its seventh year at Buffalo Grove High School, founded in the fall of 2017. Minor Renovation has 18 members, sophomores through seniors. Minor Renovation is very excited to compete with ICHSA once again, first finishing as Quarterfinal Champions in 2021.
Noteworthy is a third year mixed a cappella group composed of the most talented vocalists at Hinsdale South High School. After a very successful year, they are striving to permanently establish themselves as a powerhouse of the Midwest.
Sound Bytes is an auditioned vocal ensemble at Prospect High School. This year’s group features 12 treble voices. The group is composed of freshman, sophomores, and juniors. They are a student-run ensemble that meets once a week in the evenings. Sounds Bytes is thrilled to be performing today and wishes a big congratulations to all of the other performing groups!
Founded in 2005, The Angelics is Plainfield North High School’s premier a cappella group. They are the only competitive group in their district and the only female-centered a cappella ensemble at their school. This innovative and passionate group of musicians seeks to push the boundaries of contemporary treble a cappella, using their angelic voices to connect, inspire, and empower. They perform a variety of music, ranging from upbeat popular music to ballads from emerging artists. The students are involved in assistant directing, arranging, song selection, choreography, and event planning. This group of girls takes pride in making music a comfortable space, sharing ideas and being authentically themselves.Through their sisterhood, they infuse each of their songs with deep emotional resonance. Their performances range from curricular concerts, community events, collaborations with collegiate a cappella groups through workshops and clinics, and tours for local elementary and middle schools. With their reestablishment in 2022, The Angelics have adapted, further making their mark on the a cappella world. The Angelics are thrilled to come to this space for the first time and bring the highest standards of musicality, choreography, and heart.
Treble Threat is an all-treble group at Buffalo Grove High School with students ranging from freshmen through seniors. Founded in 2019, the group has featured music mainly by female artists. The group hopes to share their love of a cappella and help build community through music. Treble Threat is very excited to be competing with ICHSA again and wishes all of the other groups good luck!
After a brief hiatus since COVID, VHS is excited to start sharing their art with the world! VHS is an a cappella group composed of treble voices that meets before school.
Vocal Point is a treble group from Lockport Township High School. They have competed at both the Quarterfinal and Semifinal levels of ICHSA and placed at the ICHSA Great Lakes Semifinal in Milwaukee. Vocal Point has also competed in the ICHSA Wildcard competition.
TONIGHT'S JUDGES
Oliver Cardona studied music education at the University of Wisconsin. An award-winning a cappella arranger, Oliver music-directed Fundamentally Sound at UW-Madison, leading them to 4th place and 2nd place finishes at ICCA Great Lakes Semifinals. He has attended many a cappella competitions and festivals over the years and also participated in UW's Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensembles. He is excited to return to ICCA as a judge this year!
Erin Forrest has been a choral music educator and voice teacher for over 10 years, working with students in kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. Erin currently teaches general music and chorus at Glen Grove School in Glenview, Ill. She earned her master’s degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music and her bachelor’s degree in choral music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At the University of Illinois, Erin was a member and music director of the group No Comment A Cappella. She has many years of experience directing and arranging for high school a cappella ensembles and continues to arrange music for groups at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Summer Kleppek is a musician, educator, and theatre practitioner who currently resides in the Milwaukee area. She is a recent graduate of UW-Madison and holds degrees in music education and theatre. She is a middle choir teacher at Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School and music-directed their production of “Elf Jr. the Musical.” Summer also finds time for her own artistic endeavors and is a current member of Chant Claire Chamber Choir of Milwaukee. Summer was a member of competitive teams in both ICHSA and ICCA and is so thankful for the lessons and friends that these experiences offered!
Samantha Rich began her a cappella journey in a mixed ensemble from Georgia Institute of Technology and never looked back. Since her days arranging, competing (yes, in the ICCA!), and serenading Atlanta audiences with her smoky voice, she spent the last decade performing and recording with various semi-professional groups. After moving from the sunny South to the Midwest, Sam is super excited to judge the ICCA in the Chicago area and can't wait to hear this season's competitors!
Jessica Young-Eleazar (she/her/hers) is an alumna of Saint Louis University where she was a member of Astha A Cappella. In Astha, she sang everything from soprano to tenor and if you were lucky, she would bring freshly baked pies to rehearsal. She supported the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy's Mod21 during their 2019 and 2020 ICHSA seasons. Jessica is currently working on her Doctor of Education in curriculum, culture, and communities at Loyola University and holds an M.A. in teaching and learning (K-12 reading specialist) from Roosevelt University and a B.A. in middle school mathematics education from Saint Louis University. She is a certified Illinois teacher for middle school (fifth through eighth grades) with endorsements in mathematics, language arts, and music. Although she doesn’t technically work as a music teacher, she integrates music into her lessons whenever possible (ask her about her songs for “Life Cycle of Stars” or “Helping Verbs”!). When she is not teaching, she loves to take dance classes with DivaDance Chicago and try out new restaurants and recipes!
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 ICHSA Great Lakes 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!
#ICHSA