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 NORTHEAST SEMIFINAL

Mechanics Hall
Sunday, March 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

Vibe is the newest co-ed a cappella group at Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK High School! Vibe is the only teacher-led group within a program of eight other student-run groups. Vibe participated in the ICHSA in 2021, placing 2nd at Quarterfinals and 3rd at Semifinals. 

South Glens Falls High School’s Vocal Point is a curricular group based in upstate New York. Their a cappella accomplishments include multiple recording studio projects and serving as the opening act for The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, Foreigner at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and William Shatner and Ben Folds at the Kennedy Center. You can find their recordings on all major streaming platforms. Be sure to follow them on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @sgfvocalpoint. 

Falconize is one of the contemporary a cappella ensembles from Danvers High School in Danvers, Mass. The group has been competing in the ICHSA for over 10 years, with numerous appearances at Semifinals and one trip to Finals (3rd place, 2015). Their recordings have been featured on Varsity Vocals' BOHSA albums and nominated for Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs). Falconize enjoys performing for community events and at school concerts throughout the year. www.dhsfalconize.org 

The Jewel Tones is a co-ed a cappella group from Marblehead High School. Founded in 2003, the group has released four albums and an EP, which are available on all streaming platforms. They adore performing around town, at schools, and at other competitions such as ICHSA and New England Voices (NE Voices). They are so excited to present the set that they’ve tied together for you today, but be careful, for you never know what’s up the perc’s sleeve. Make sure you follow @mhsthejeweltones on Instagram and TikTok. 

NOTEorious is North Reading's all-inclusive auditioned a cappella group. They have been competiting in ICHSA for over a decade and placed 3rd at the 2022 ICHSA Finals. Last year they were awarded one of the top groups at NE Voices and were a featured performer at the National A Cappella Convention (NACC) in Orlando, Fla. They are student-led and almost all of their work is written by individual or teams of students. They pride themselves on being an outgoing, boisterous group who will be the first to rock out to all the other amazing groups’ performances. They love to flash-mob everywhere they go and believe that music is the glue that bonds them together. 

The Crescendos is Chelmsford High School's treble-voiced a cappella group, founded in 2016. They are thrilled to return for their seventh ICHSA season, hoping to build on their success as a Semifinalist and Wildcard Runner-Up in 2023. The Crescendos are proud to have a high level of student leadership in their group and they have earned many special awards over the years for their choreography, arrangements, and vocal percussionists. The group loves to record music videos and shorts, and they maintain an active social media presence. Look for them on Instagram and TikTok! 

For Good Measure is the a cappella group from Mohonasen High School in Schenectady, N.Y.  The group’s 15 members are highly involved in their high school music department, including several instrumental ensembles, choirs, and their school theatre program. They love performing at various school and community events in the area. The group has been competing in the ICHSA since 2016 and they’re very excited to perform again this year! 

The Valkyries is the top treble a cappella group at Valley Central High School. The group focuses on songs in the pop and rock genres, with a little sprinkle of awesome in between. They perform multiple times throughout the year in the community. 

Established in 2003, Chock Full of Notes is POB John F. Kennedy's student-led mixed a cappella group. The group is composed of dedicated and talented high schoolers who come together to create powerful performances. Last year, Chock Full of Notes won their 2023 ICHSA Northeast Quarterfinal and progressed to Semifinals. They are excited to return to the ICHSA in 2024! 

The Thursdays is Chelmsford High School's mixed-voice a cappella group, founded in 2014. They are excited to return for their ninth season in the ICHSA, having represented the Northeast at Finals several times. They appeared on season 2 of “Sing That Thing” on WGBH and have earned many special awards for their choreography, soloists, and vocal percussionists over the years. The Thursdays frequently take part in showcases and festivals and they love to collaborate with other high school and college groups. They are excited to watch everyone's sets this season!

GUEST PERFORMER

The Hofbeats is an award-winning mixed-voice collegiate acapella group at Hofstra University. They pride themselves on being a tight-knit family who share a love for making music. Their most recent achievements include placing 2nd at their 2024 ICCA Quarterfinal and 1st at the 2023 ICCA Quarterfinals, as well as winning special awards such as Outstanding Soloist, Choreography, and Vocal Percussion. If you’d like to hear more from The Hofbeats, follow them on all social media platforms @thehofbeats and stream their new EP, SoulBirds, on all streaming platforms!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Harrison Acosta is composer, sound designer, multi-instrumentalist, and music educator based in Boston. Harrison originally studied film score and vocal pedagogy at the UCF School of Performing Arts. Two years later, he founded and directed UCF’s Voicebox. Under his direction, they attended the 2016 ICCA Finals and were crowned the 2016 SoJam and 2018 Boston Sings (BOSS) Champions. Harrison has earned 10 Outstanding Arrangement awards (including ICCA Finals, BOSS, and SoJam) and four CARAs. After completing his capstone thesis, "Capturing Moments in Music feat. the Human Voice," he studied at the Contemporary Writing and Production program at Berklee College of Music. Since graduating, he has been working as music director and orchestrator for “Once Upon A Carnival” at the New Works Festival in Boston. He also can be spotted on AcaVille TV’s aca-competition talk show, “The Winning Edge!” 

Christopher Brody is an a cappella producer, arranger, coach, performer, enthusiast, and cheerleader. In 2016, Christopher graduated with a music education degree from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Mich. A proud alumnus of Gold Vibrations, he was a rare four-year music director and part of the team that helped lead the group to the 2016 ICCA Finals. Christopher is now an award-winning producer and arranger, having produced and arranged over 10 tracks that are featured on BOHSA, BOCA, and other compilation albums, and sings with Sound Off A Cappella. He continues to work with many college and high school groups, helping students learn and grow about the art form he is so passionate about. His dream is to create the first-ever a cappella group composed completely of pugs. 

Amy Malkoff is one of the producers of the Haunted Harmonies festival in Salem, Mass. She has served as the marketing director for the A Cappella Education Association, as well as the media director of the Women's A Cappella Association (WACA), and on the board and as web content director for the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA). She is a longtime ICHSA/ICCA judge, as well as a certified judge for other vocal events. She is a workshop teacher, master clinician, writer, designer, social media manager (www.amymalkoff.com), and a singer/songwriter and studio musician (www.amymalkoffmusic.com). She currently runs and manages the New Hampshire-based performance venue Club Sandwich (Sandwich, N.H.), where celebrity John Davidson performs on weekends, along with a lineup of nationally known artists on Thursdays. She was a founding member of the groups All About Buford and Deadline Poet and has appeared onstage and in the studio with acts such as Wayne Brady, Jonathan Brooke, The Persuasions, Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, GrooveLily, Patty Griffin, and Dar Williams. She has a degree in music from Kenyon College, with music studies at Youngstown State University and master’s-level coursework at the New England Conservatory of Music. Amy's music has appeared on both the Rounder Records and Hear Music/Starbucks labels. @amalkoff 

Dr. Kevin McDonald is the Director of Choral Music at Wellesley High School, Conductor of the Chorus of Tenors and Basses at the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses, and Director of Youth Music at Wellesley Village Church. Kevin received his B.M. in music education from the University of New Hampshire, where he sang with New Hampshire Gentlemen, his M.M. in low brass performance from the University of Idaho, and his D.M.A. in music education with a choral conducting emphasis from The Hartt School, University of Hartford. Kevin is a longtime a cappella enthusiast and is currently in his 19th year at Wellesley High School where he teaches and conducts five curricular choirs and advises a flourishing a cappella program consisting of four extracurricular a cappella groups: WHS Renegade, Ladies First, A Cappella Anonymous, and Inchordination. Kevin is an active guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. Kevin has 25 years of service as an adjudicator, having adjudicated The Great East Music Festival, the Heritage Choral Festival, Trills and Thrills Festival, and various district and all state music festival auditions in the New England area. He consistently presents workshops and clinics at all state and regional conferences to collegiate NAfME chapters and at ACDA conferences. 

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Mechanics Hall (and Maria Schrader in particular), the City of Worcester, The Hofbeats, Jill Clark and Tyler Nordin, Clarus Productions, Sierra Romano, and Melanie Rainone for all of their hard work; the ICHSA Northeast region's competing groups, their directors, their schools, and their music departments; 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 ICHSA 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!

#ICHSA