2024 ICHSA South Quarterfinal @ Trinity Preparatory 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 SOUTH QUARTERFINAL

Trinity Preparatory School
Friday, February 16th, 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

Acapocalypse is the sole a cappella ensemble from Pine Ridge High School in Deltona, Fla. They perform a wide variety of music, some arranged by their very own Acapocalypsers. Acapocalypse emphasizes the importance of student leadership, giving their members opportunities to arrange and choreograph as well as perform. They also value community outreach and perform at events throughout the Deltona area and beyond. More than just an a cappella group, Acapocalypse is a family. They believe that the meaningful relationships they share help make their music powerful. They prioritize bonding as a team, which sometimes means an after-rehearsal trip for ice cream! As a co-curricular ensemble, students spend several hours a week during and after school rehearsing music and learning choreography. Acapocalypse is excited to perform in its fifth ICHSA and share a set full of intriguing musical elements and artistic choreography.

Act 1 has been the Chamberlain High School a cappella group for the past 13 years, Act 1. Most of this group is brand new to a cappella, but they’re excited to get out there and show what they can do.

The After School Specials is a co-ed a cappella group of auditioned students from the performing arts program at Palm Harbor University High School. The group was founded in 2010 by the original chorus teacher, Mr. Justin Havard, and performs at concerts, community gigs, and competitions each year under the direction of Mr. Blake Hudson. The After School Specials are actively involved in their school’s chorus and thespian programs and enjoy any opportunity to perform together, even for random karaoke songs.

HyperOctave is the pop a cappella offshoot of the mixed show choir at Heritage High School. The Heritage High Mixed Show Choir enjoys performing in their local community, at Disney, and at competitions like ICHSA. This group consistently earns Superior ratings at both District and State Music Performance Assessments.

Rhapsody is composed of members of the (mostly) treble show choir at Heritage High School. The Heritage High Treble Show Choir enjoys performing in their local community, at Disney, and at competitions like ICHSA. This group consistently earns Superior ratings at District Music Performance Assessments.

The Sharkappellas is a student-run a cappella group based at Ponte Vedra High School. In 2023, they were awarded 3rd place at their ICHSA Quarterfinal and won Outstanding Vocal Percussion at Semifinals. The group has competed in ICHSA since 2012, when The Sharkappellas was first established at their school. They have come back from the COVID year stronger than ever, with new highs in each song and an immense growth in their performances. The Sharkapellas include members from many different backgrounds and are involved in other school activities such as football, theatre, band, and cross country. Although they are only able to meet once or twice a week, this group provides a space for these students to come together and celebrate music as one. The Sharkapellas family is proud to be an example of what happens when different high school cliques share their strengths together.

The A Cappella Group, known as TAG, is 21 years old. The group has appeared at the ICHSA Finals in New York three times and won 12 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) for their albums over the years, tied for the most awards by any high school group. They released their 16th studio album, Look At Me Now, in 2023. Several of their previous albums and tracks have been recognized by the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB) as favorites of the year. TAG loves singing together and can't wait to perform this evening.

The University High School Titonics is thrilled for its first ICHSA. Their director is in his second year at their school and the program is growing quickly, with over 160 students in choir and 37 of them in the a cappella choir. Newcomers to modern a cappella The Titonics are digging in and loving the journey! They have been invited to perform in London in the London International Choral Festival, among other performance opportunities. They are excited to share their hard work and hope you enjoy their performance.

Vocal Society, also known as VoSo, is the auditioned high school vocal ensemble at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Fla. After taking a little break, VoSo is jumping back into ICHSA for their fifth year as a competitor, having competed as Semifinalists in 2018 and 2019. VoSo enjoys hosting both high school and collegiate a cappella competitions on their campus. When they aren’t performing in school concerts and events, VoSo performs with honor choirs in the Central Florida area, participates in all-state choirs annually, and enjoys performing alongside other a cappella groups in events like the One Voice Invitational and the National A Cappella Convention (NACC).

Vocality was founded in 2019 at Boone High School. Two barbershop groups were fused to form the first version of Vocality. In 2020, Vocality competed for their first ICHSA and placed as Runner-Up at Quarterfinals. Unfortunately, a musical and the pandemic prevented them from competing in Semifinals that year. In 2022, Vocality recorded their first single, "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo, which is now streaming on all platforms. In 2023, the group went all the way to ICHSA Finals in New York where they took home the awards for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Arrangement. Vocality mostly sings pop standards, but is familiar with jazz and classical styles as well.

GUEST PERFORMERS

Mixed Mode is an all-gender a cappella group from the University of Central Florida. Mixed Mode is entering its eighth year competing at the ICCA. Their past ICCA accomplishments include placing top three at six of their ICCA competitions and performing at Semifinals three times. Outside of ICCA, Mixed Mode has successfully competed at other a cappella competitions, including a 1st place win at SoJam 2019 and a Runner-Up finish at Boston Sings (BOSS) 2023. Last season, Mixed Mode took home two Outstanding Choreography awards, an Oustanding Vocal Percussion award, and an Outstanding Soloist award. They also record and release music on streaming platforms, winning a CARA for Best Scholastic Debut Album for Blossom.

Accent A Cappella is an all-gender a cappella group from the University of Florida, established in 2001 as No Southern Accent. They pride themselves on their mission to create a space for people to foster their creative potential and find a tight-knit community. Their set is called “The Fall of Olympus,” and it tells a story of the Big Three gods of Greek mythos, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, and how a power struggle can cause the downfall of an entire empire.

BisCaydence is an award-winning a cappella group from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. Established in 2011, this group features some of UM's top vocal talent and embodies the spirit of harmonic cohesiveness and school pride through music made only from human voices. They take pride in the work they do and the community they share. BisCaydence hopes to share their passion for music with the world.

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Nate Barone began his music career in middle school when he picked up the trombone. After eight years of playing in orchestras, jazz ensembles, and marching bands, he started to focus on vocal music after joining The Crescendudes in 2013 where he was appointed assistant music director. In 2015, he co-founded Mixed Mode, a co-ed a cappella group at the University of Central Florida. Under his music direction, Mixed Mode performed at the SoJam A Cappella Festival and of course the ICCA. In 2017, Mixed Mode earned 3rd place and Outstanding Choreography at ICCA South Quarterfinals and followed up that success in 2018, winning 1st place and Nate received the award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion. During this time, Nate was also a member of Voicebox, with whom he competed at the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF) and became the 2018 BOSS Champions.

Darby Lestin, a distinguished Haitian-American artist, is renowned for her multifaceted talents as an arranger, vocalist, trained pianist, and two-time CARA winner. Her a cappella journey commenced in 2018, when she served as the artistic director and student arranger for the award-winning group Noise Complaint. She went on to serve as music director and in-house arranger for FSU's premier a cappella group, All-Night Yahtzee, leading them to 1st place at their 2020 ICCA Quarterfinal. Beyond the academic sphere, Darby participated as a camper at A Cappella Academy and has contributed to the orchestration of live and recorded performances by esteemed artists such as Jordin Sparks, Pentatonix, Rascal Flatts, and more. Additionally, Darby impacts the music industry through transcription work and works as a clinician and arranger for a cappella ensembles across the country. An active arranger with the production company Voices Only, Darby also lends her vocals to the treble quartet Red Letter Daze and is a co-director at A Cappella Academy. In every endeavor, Darby showcases an impressive blend of leadership, musical prowess, and steadfast commitment to excellence in the world of a cappella and the broader landscape of music.

Dragomir Page holds a B.M. in composition from Webster University where he was a co-founder of the premier a cappella group The Chordloks. After college, Dragomir sang with the Voices of Liberty Candlelight Processional in 2022. Since then, he has been a vocalist with groups such as Solaria Singers, ECP, and Hawkmoon. Dragomir served as the vocal clinician for National Performing Arts Festival (NPAF) at Universal Studios Orlando in 2022. Dragomir professionally sings and music directs in Orlando, Fla.

Mikayla Thompson is an award winning arranger and composer raised in Orlando, Fla. From competing in ICHSA with Take 7 to music directing her former group Mixed Mode at University of Central Florida, her involvement in competitive a cappella spans the better portion of a decade. Mikayla currently works as a freelance transcriber and arranger, while also music directing for local theatre.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Sam Engle, Joel Bass, Carl from Liquid 5th, Kelly Post, Christina Carter, and all volunteers from Trinity Preparatory School; 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 three placing groups at this event will advance to the 2024 ICHSA South 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

#ICHSA