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 WEST SEMIFINAL
El Segundo High School
Saturday, March 9th, 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
Scots-Appella is the contemporary a cappella group at McKay High School in Salem, Ore. They enjoy making music and performing for their school and throughout the community. The group has competed in ICHSA and the Rose City Sing-Off and they enjoy sharing their music and stories on the competitive stage.
The Sherwood High School Mixolydians is a group of fun-loving musicians from Sherwood, Ore. In addition to singing, they love spending time together and creating crowd-pleasing choreography. The Mixolydians have participated in the Rose City Sing-Off and ICHSA for the past 10 years. They most recently worked with Deke Sharon at the Bend A Cappella Festival. They have won numerous awards for their choreography, vocal percussion, and arrangements. The Mixolyidans are excited to be performing again tonight!
West Salem High School’s Soundscape has been a prominent vocal group in the jazz, chamber music, and contemporary a cappella music communities since the opening of the high school. They have traveled nationally to vocal events and competitions and are excited to continue the tradition of excellence. In 2023, they placed 2nd at their ICHSA West Quarterfinal, competed in Semifinals in El Segundo, Calif., and placed 1st at the Rose City Sing-Off.
Titanium is a co-ed contemporary a cappella ensemble from the Grammy-winning choral program at Tesoro High School in Las Flores, Calif. The group is an extracurricular ensemble, composed of 18 students selected from Tesoro’s choral program, and rehearses twice a week outside of the normal school day. Titanium is led by Tesoro alumna Erin Theodorakis and Tesoro choral director Keith Hancock. Erin is the former music director of Chapman University’s a cappella group Soundcheck and led the group to the 2016 ICCA Finals. Mr. Hancock was awarded the Grammy Music Educator of the Year award in 2017 for his work at Tesoro. In the four years since its official founding, Titanium has competed at ICHSA three times, made multiple music videos, released two singles and an EP, and performed at the Grammy museum for director Quentin Tarantino. Last year, Titanium was awarded 4th place at ICHSA Finals. Titanium enjoys pumpkin patches, post-rehearsal boba, and group ice-cream nights.
Wolf PACappella is Pacifica Christian High School's premier all-gender a cappella group! Founded in 2019, Wolf PACappella has created a safe environment for aspiring young singers, songwriters, and arrangers to thrive while developing lifelong friendships, deepening their relationships with God, and, of course, building their love of music. As much as they love to sing, their mission, first and foremost, is to have fun!
Established in 2015, Pinewood Take Note is a contemporary a cappella group from Pinewood School Upper Campus in sunny Los Altos Hills, Calif., directed by Katie Linza. They love singing all kinds of music, but specialize in jazz-influenced re-imaginings of current pop hits and classic standards. Check out Pinewood Take Note on your favorite music streaming service to hear their latest EP, Every Little Thing.
Amplify is the small, advanced, mixed voice ensemble for singers aged 11 to 18 at Rise Up Children’s Choir. This dynamic group of performers brings a fresh and exciting sound to innovative a cappella arrangements, focusing primarily on pop and musical theatre genres. Amplify’s cover of “Love” was featured on BOHSA 2023.
MST Music Academy's MYST is a delightful group that embodies the essence of local charm. Rooted in their love for singing, these talented young performers found their harmony on the youth theatre stage and decided to share their passion with the world. A cherished gem in the local music scene, MYST loves experimenting with sounds. From the bustling atmosphere of farmers' markets to cozy community gatherings, they infuse warmth and melody wherever they go. Their performances are not just musical acts, but heartfelt conversations in the language of tunes, creating a sense of belonging and joy for their listeners. MYST thrives on the simplicity of their shared love for music, making every note they sing resonate with authenticity. With each performance, they bring people together, foster connections, and spread happiness. In a world where music often takes grand stages, MYST showcases the beauty found in intimate settings, where the power of harmonious voices can create lasting memories and inspire feelings of togetherness. Step into the enchanting world of MYST, where music becomes a gentle embrace and let their melodies weave a sweet serenade that lingers in your heart.
Continuum is the high school a cappella ensemble of Grammy-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy in Oakland, Calif. Continuum sings choral music of all styles, throughout the ages, and around the world, from renaissance to contemporary pop, hymns, glees, folks songs, spirituals, shanties, and more. They have released singles on iTunes, Spotify, and other popular music media sites, appeared on NBC’s “The Blacklist,” and have been top contenders in the national Harmony Sweepstakes. This will be Continuum's first time competing in the ICHSA!
Squad Harmonix is an all-kids after-school a cappella training program for advanced singers from the Laura Jean Music Academy based in Santa Monica. Squad Harmonix trains every Saturday year-round and the current group has been training for five years to be ICHSA ready. Squad releases albums and music videos as part of their training and has won various national competitions, but this is their first year with Varsity Vocals. They have been dreaming of this moment since the start of Squad Harmonix in 2019 when they could barely sing two-part harmony. They are incredibly excited to participate and hope to make everyone proud.
TONIGHT'S JUDGES
A multi-faceted musician, Isaiah Carter had already been proficient in various styles on the drum set, melodic and auxiliary percussion, piano, organ, and keyboard when he fell in love with vocal music. Hailing from Kansas City, Mo., Isaiah was twice selected as a high school student to participate in the Grammy Foundation’s exclusive signature music industry camp and in 2014, the inaugural A Cappella Academy, both sparking his love for contemporary vocal music. He joined Berklee’s internationally-acclaimed a cappella group, Pitch Slapped in 2016, becoming a primary arranger for the group and creating a majority of the charts for their two most recent full-length award-winning albums, Complexion and Sincerely. Recently, Isaiah was featured on the Vadé song "Christmas Wish," featuring multi-platinum producer Blu2th and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men.
Felicia François (she/they) fell in love with a cappella when she became a member of The UNCG Sapphires. After serving as director of that group, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and choral music education. They worked as a chorus teacher and private voice teacher for four years and then went on to receive a master's degree in speech-language pathology from Boston University. Felicia is now working as a speech-language pathologist with a specialty in voice rehabilitation and gender-affirming voice at the USC Voice Center. She is thrilled to be an ICCA judge once again and wishes the best to all those competing!
Nina Kasuya is a vocalist and educator based in Los Angeles, Calif. Nina can be seen performing with HIVE, Crimes of the Heart Cabaret, and Hamiltease: A Burlesque Parody and Tribute to an American Musical. In addition to her performance endeavors, Nina is the director of the musical theatre program and a cappella group at Emerson Community Charter School.
Will Lagos (he/him) is a Los Angeles-based singer, actor, and vocal arts educator with over 20 years of singing experience. Will attended the University of Southern California’s School of Theater, where he performed with four-time ICCA champions The SoCal VoCals, winning the title of ICCA Champions in 2008. He is also an active barbershop harmony singer, and currently serves as the music and performance director of The Westminster Chorus, which holds titles such as 2009 Choir of the World and International Barbershop Chorus Champions in 2007, 2010, 2015, and 2019. As a member of The Westminster Chorus, Will has given concerts all around the United States, as well as in Canada, England, Germany, Holland, The Netherlands, and New Zealand. He is a sought-after clinician and coach, teaching barbershop performance and singing technique here and abroad, whether on the faculty at Harmony University in Nashville, Tenn., as a guest clinician at the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF), or as a candidate judge in the Performance Category for the Barbershop Harmony Society. Will can also be heard as a vocalist on film scores, international albums, children’s music education materials, and even croaking out alien drinking songs at Galaxy's Edge at both Disney resort properties. Will currently serves on the faculty at the California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley, where he teaches musical theater repertory, vocal technique, and theater history.
Alana Weiss is a voice and performance coach in the Los Angeles area and has been an active part of the a cappella community for over 20 years. Alana is the co-founder/director of Calabasas High School’s award-winning a cappella groups, Unstrumental and Bare Rhythm. Under her direction, the program has featured at Carnegie Hall twice, was named a three-time winner of the LAAF Scholastic Competition, won awards for soloists and staging, toured across the country, and recorded numerous albums and EPs, which are regularly featured on Varsity Vocals’ BOHSA albums. Alana was also a founding member of UCSB's premier a cappella group, Naked Voices, and received the ICCA award for Outstanding Soloist twice during her time with them.
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 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