2024 ICHSA Great Lakes Quarterfinal @ Oak Creek High School

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

Oak Creek High School
Saturday, February 10th, 2024

WE'RE SOCIAL

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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

Beloit Turner Overdrive (BTO) from F.J. Turner High School is in its seventh year of existence as a competitive group. The group, composed of freshmen through seniors, is almost entirely student-led. This extracurricular group meets on Monday nights and during the school day. After rehearsals, they enjoy their weekly visits to their unofficial sponsor, Culvers.

Founded 10 years ago, CYC Out brings the best that the Clinton School District has to offer. Located in south central Wisconsin, this small farming school has been producing amazing singers and performers for over 18 years. CYC Out meets daily to work on group dynamics, choreography, musicianship and just to have fun. CYC Out has been involved with the ICHSA for six years and are ready to give it their all in this performance.

Focus A Cappella is the extracurricular a cappella ensemble for Port Washington High School. Made up of freshmen through seniors, this group is proud to perform almost all original arrangements by their director Mr. Steven Lanza.

G-Harmony is the pop a cappella group from Greendale High School in Greendale, Wis. While they turned their focus towards a cappella music in the last couple of years, this is their first year diving into the competition scene! This ensemble consists of students from grades nine through 12, each bringing various experiences in the GHS choirs, bands, and orchestras. While they strive to put together entertaining performances for each of the choir concerts, G-Harmony also performs as a flagship ensemble for various events throughout the greater community. They thank you for your support and encouragement and hope you enjoy their performance!

Genesis A Cappella is the all-treble, student-led, a cappella group at Brookfield East High School. Throughout their five years as a group, Genesis has grown immensely under the guidance of their founders, alumni, current, and new members. Genesis aims to create bonds among people who adore singing and want to make it a part of their everyday lives. Their group colors, pink and white, represent the love and empowerment they hope to instill in their members and audience. When anyone shares a room with Genesis A Cappella, they will always be celebrated and supported. Dedicated to a strong work ethic, their members arrive at school at 7a.m. two to three times each week to rehearse their songs in the choir room, in addition to bootcamps throughout the year at members’ homes to prepare for shows or competitions! They also make sure to sprinkle in plenty of fun, with group bonding days at restaurants, potlucks, and just enjoying one another’s company! Not just a group of singers, Genesis is a sisterhood that finds fulfillment in making music together.

Knight Club is Oak Creek High School's premier mixed-voice a cappella group. They have been heavily involved in the high school a cappella scene since 2014. During that span of time, they have participated in ICHSA every year, including the year that it was a virtual competition. They have been fortunate to advance to Semifinals and Finals on multiple occasions. Knight Club enjoys hosting a cappella workshops and concerts, like OCAP (Oak Creek A Cappella Party) and AC in the OC (a cappella in Oak Creek). They have been featured on BOHSA and have a growing catalogue of songs available on various streaming services. Knight Club prides themselves on putting together powerful performances that tell their stories. You can follow Knight Club on Instagram @ochsknightclub

Founded in fall 2018, Major Detour is in its sixth year at Buffalo Grove High School. Major Detour has seven members, all juniors and seniors. Major Detour is very excited to be competing with ICHSA once again after earning the title of 2019 Quarterfinal Champions.

Overtones is the flagship mixed a cappella group at BHS. The group is an extracurricular a cappella ensemble that meets twice a week outside of the school day, made up of 10th-12th graders at Barrington High School. Currently in their third year of existence, they are very excited to build upon their prior experiences competing in ICHSA over the last two seasons.

This is St. Croix Sound's second experience with ICHSA! They competed in 2020 just before the world changed, taking home the Outstanding Arrangement award and are so excited to be back with a brand-new group! This auditioned group is the varsity group from Prescott High School in Prescott, Wis. They are allergic to up-tempo songs and have a strong penchant for deeply emotional pieces.

Treblesome Teens A Cappella hails from Hortonville High School! The group includes students ranging from freshmen to seniors and they all love coming together to collaborate and create music to share with everyone! They hope you enjoy their set tonight!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Chlo Baumbach has been performing for many years. In addition to musicals and choir, they competed with Madison area group Midnight Voices from 2015-2018 while in high school. After high school, Chlo attended University of Wisconsin-Madison where they joined Pitches & Notes, the school’s competitive gender-inclusive treble a cappella group. As music director in 2020, they managed and worked on the mixing for Pitches & Notes online 2021 ICCA video. Chlo debuted their vocal percussion in Pitches & Notes’ 2020 ICCA set, and carried on as the group’s main vocal percussionist until they graduated. In 2022, Chlo had the immense pleasure of experiencing New York and ICCA Finals with their best friends and group mates, culminating in Pitches & Notes’ historic victory, a first-time win for a University of Wisconsin-Madison group and for the Great Lakes region. Since graduating, they have been working with a friend on mixing an EP and continue to write new music. They are very excited to be back at ICHSA, the competition that led to their love of a cappella and involvement in college.

Dr. John Bragle is a former member and coach of The Michigan State University Accafellas, and in addition to several high school a cappella groups, has provided arrangements for MSU’s Capital Green, University of Michigan's The Friars, and SUNY Buffalo’s Royal Pitches. From 2005-2022, he served as Director of Choirs and Instructor of Voice at Interlochen Center for the Arts Academy and Camp. Currently, he is the Director of Community Programs at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, where he supervises more than 50 music teaching artists who provide instruction to more than 12,000 students across southeast Wisconsin who would otherwise have no access to music education.

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!

Maggie Condon is a music educator currently teaching high school choir in Sussex, Wis. She earned her B.F.A. in music education from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and her Master of Music Education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Maggie has directed, served as a clinician, and arranged for many high school a cappella groups, and notably directed the 2019 ICHSA Great Lakes Semifinals 3rd place group, Graftonics. Outside of a cappella, Maggie teaches and coaches contemporary voice through musical theatre, show choir, and private lessons. She is thrilled to be joining the outstanding Varsity Vocals team as an adjudicator and looks forward to hearing all the students perform!

Laura Kruschke has been involved in a cappella since her college days at UW-Madison, where she sang with Tangled Up in Blue and earned her degree in music education. In 2007, she participated in launching the Contemporary A Cappella League (CAL) and founded greenTONE A Cappella in fall 2007. gT is 10 members strong today and sings for a variety of local events, including weddings, holiday parties, fundraisers, and flash mobs. In addition to gT, Laura continues to offer her expertise to local high school choirs through workshops and group coaching. In addition to Laura’s aca-involvement, she arranges music for local high school show choir and a cappella groups, sings and plays saxophone in a local band, teaches yoga, and wears many other hats as a mom to three busy school-aged kids.

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!

VIEW ALBUMS

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