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 MID-ATLANTIC QUARTERFINAL
St. Charles High School
Sunday, February 10th, 2024
WE'RE SOCIAL
We're talking about this event, and all of our events around the world!
varsityvocals
@varsityvocals
Follow us @varsityvocals on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, and join the conversation using #ICHSA.
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
Evolve hails from Chesapeake High School in Pasadena, Md. The group was founded in 2017 by former CHS Director Michael Brisentine and quickly burst into the a cappella scene, placing 4th at ICHSA Finals in 2019 with an award for Outstanding Choreography. In 2020, Evolve was featured on the BOHSA album, singing “Just Like Me” by Betty Who. In recent years, they placed 2nd at the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Semifinals and were named Quarterfinal Champions in 2022. You can find Evolve's EPs on your favorite streaming services worldwide!
Free Verse is a student-run a cappella group from the schools of Central Catholic High School and Oakland Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. Free Verse is named after the type of poetry without rhyme or regular meter, producing an authentic style of speech (or song). This is the group’s eighth year of existence and their seventh time participating in ICHSA. Last year, they competed in the Midwest region and won Outstanding Choreography for “The Free Verse Film Score Medley.” This year, the group has a majority of new members, so they are super excited to perform for the first time on the ICHSA stage! Free Verse hopes you have fun with them and they can’t wait to share their music with you!
Harmonix is Broadneck High School’s first mixed-voice a cappella group. Harmonix is a tight-knit singing group that thrives on friendship and a love for singing music from all genres.
Nobility is North County High School's brand-new mixed voice a cappella group. Nobility is an after-school, extracurricular club and aims to showcase contemporary vocal music in the Baltimore metro area.
The Screechin' Eagles is North Point High School's mixed a cappella group, (not to be confused with a heavy metal rock band.) The group is composed of ninth through 12th graders, each bringing their own unique contributions to the table. One member even brought a delicious breakfast casserole, but that’s a whole other story! While there are many a cappella influencers currently in mainstream media, these fierce students are no leeches and enjoy performing a variety of musical styles. Not only do these students have a passion for a cappella, many members of Screechin' Eagles are also a part of the choral music family at North Point High School. Numerous members have gone on to further distinguish themselves by earning places in regional and state-wide honor ensembles. While the group is still quite young, they have enjoyed performing at elementary and middle schools in their district. This is their small way of thanking those who have helped shape them while growing up and they hope to inspire young students to do great things themselves.
Sol is a group from Severna Park, Md. formed in the fall of 2021. Sol, by definition means sun and a pitch on the solfege scale, but to them it means so much more. Sol means joy, pride, acceptance, family, and a bright passion for music. They feel that in order to create amazing music, a group must have a close-knit relationship and a soulful connection. Sol hopes that their performance conveys the message that a small bunch of choir kids can make a family.
The Spartones is from St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Md. The group has performed on various stages including the ICHSA, Singstrong, and local community events. They have been coached by and performed with groups including Ball in the House, Blue Jupiter, Pitches Be Crazy, Resound, and Matt Sallee of Pentatonix. They have taken home special awards, including Outstanding Arrangement, Outstanding Soloist, and Outstanding Vocal Percussion from both ICHSA and Singstrong competitions. They are excited to be hosting the ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal and to celebrate all the amazing talent here tonight.
Takin' Charge is excited to be back at their fourth ICHSA! The group is made of students with various performance backgrounds, including choir, band, orchestra, musical theatre, and dance. Although the group has previously competed in the ICHSA, the majority of Takin’ Charge’s current members are new to the group this year, so this will be the first time many of them set foot on the ICHSA stage. They can't wait to perform for you and hope you enjoy the show!
The Acatonics is the premier all-gender a cappella group from Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Md. The group consists of vocalists from a range of backgrounds who all share a common passion for making music. The Acatonics have been fortunate to attend and place at ICHSA Quarterfinals and win the High School Competition at SingStrong New York. Aside from competitions, The Acatonics perform at many events around their school community and the greater Washington D.C. area. In addition to performing together, The Acatonics just love being together and will take any chance to celebrate the community this group provides them at school.
TONIGHT'S JUDGES
Neil Aaronson is a professor of physics and acoustics at Stockton College. A founding member of The TCNJ Trentones, Neil continued working with a cappella ensembles in graduate school at Michigan State University. Since 2008, he has helped the a cappella community grow from one ensemble with 10 members to three ensembles with over 45 singers, all working together to foster musical growth at their campus. He is the executive director of the ASTA/NJ Chamber Music Institute, assistant conductor of the Stockton Oratorio Society, and vice president of the Board of Directors for the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey.
Evan Belcher is an award-winning arranger, music director, masterclass instructor, and vocal percussionist. He joined Mason Some Noise (now MSN) at George Mason University in 2016. Evan led the group from their debut ICCA performance in 2018 to consistent competitive success including their first Semifinals appearance, and earned multiple Outstanding Awards for arrangement as well as vocal percussion. Since his graduation in 2020, Evan has stayed involved in the a cappella community, co-founding All Ears Arranging, an a cappella arranging and masterclassing company.
Nadia Sosnoski is a Berklee College of Music graduate and accomplished vocalist. She was a member of Pitch Slapped, the 2011 ICCA Finals Champions. Over the years, she has had the privilege of performing alongside respected artists such as Gavin DeGraw, Jason Aldean, and Patti LaBelle. Her talent was further acknowledged as a Quarterfinalist at the 2021 American Traditions Competition. Currently, Nadia serves as the lead singer for Max Impact, the United States Air Force rock band, where she travels internationally to entertain troops, civilians, and dignitaries. In 2020, Nadia founded Sit Stay Productions, a voiceover company providing services to companies and brands around the world. Through Sit Stay Productions, she has provided voice talent for various esteemed clients, including Google, Solo Stove, Palmers lotion, and Wrangler.
Ashlyn Thomas is an award-winning music director and arranger. In her collegiate a cappella career with George Mason University's MSN A Cappella, she attended the Mid-Atlantic Semifinals and won Outstanding Arrangement before taking leadership of the group in 2020. As the president and music director of MSN, she led the group in their most successful ICCA season in 2023, earning their first-ever spot in the Wildcard round. Ashlyn was also a founding member of the award-winning professional group NOVEM who competed in The Open Northeast Semifinals in 2021. She is also a co-founder of All Ears Arranging, an a cappella arranging and master-classing company which has produced multiple award-winning sets for groups in the D.C. area.
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 Mid-Atlantic 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