2025 ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal @ Cherry Hill East High School

DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to Varsity Vocals’ 29th 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 700 groups and over 11,000 singers at over 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 29 years ago and we can’t wait to see how our 2025 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

Cherry Hill East High School
Saturday, February 8th, 2025

WE'RE SOCIAL

We're talking about this event, and all of our events around the world!

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ABOUT VARSITY VOCALS

Since 1996, we have encouraged students worldwide to sing a cappella throughout their lives. Our programs include both the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), and the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA). 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 20th year. The winners of each of seven Semifinal rounds will advance to the ICHSA Finals at The Town Hall in New York City on Friday, April 25th.

The college tournament takes place from January through April in nine regions across the country and around the world. Each region holds four or 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 26th.

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

AChoired Harmony is Egg Harbor Township High School's premier a cappella group, led by Mr. Richard Tinsley. In their ICHSA debut, they placed 3rd in the 2024 Quarterfinals. With 17 members, this season brings more experience and motivation for even greater success. AChoired Harmony has won numerous awards in New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Excited to compete and perform, they look forward to another outstanding ICHSA season. Please stream their music on all platforms and support them as they continue to make their mark in the a cappella world!

Fermata is Cherry Hill High School West's treble a cappella group. In 2024, Fermata placed 2nd in their ICHSA Quarterfinal and won Outstanding Arrangement at both Quarterfinals and Semifinals. Fermata takes on an array of music, from pop to jazz to contemporary, often centering female pop icons and legends. Fermata’s empowered sopranos and altos always deliver enchanting music, from upbeat dance numbers to soulful ballads. They’re grateful for every opportunity to share their passion for singing with the world.

The Foxy Jukebox comes from Moorestown Friends in Moorestown, N.J. This group of high school students is passionate about music and loves traveling to perform and compete throughout the Tri-State area! The Foxy Jukebox has competed in the ICHSA tournament for six years and advanced to Semifinals four times. They have also been featured on B101 FM, Philadelphia's largest radio station. The students would like to thank their family and friends for coming to cheer them on tonight!

Men of Note is Cherry Hill High School West's long-favored men’s a cappella group. Men of Note has competed in the ICHSA for the last two years, most recently winning 3rd place in 2023 Quarterfinals and 4th place in 2024 Quarterfinals. Their music can be heard on BOHSA albums as early as 2008. Men of Note is honored to carry on a legacy of musical excellence.

Reverb is one of Howell High school's co-ed junior varsity teams. Their set tracks the emotions following a break-up, all while growing and letting go of the past. They'd love to highlight their three female vocal percussionists and hope you are inspired and enjoy the set!

Rebelation is one of three a cappella teams at Howell High School. During the winter season, they take part in lots of holiday events and shows for their community! This group is full of unique personalities, talents, and committed members! Rebelation is so excited to be here and wish good luck to all the teams in this amazing a cappella community!

Rebel Remix is Howell High School’s varsity a cappella team! Aside from competing yearly at the ICHSA, they've been making music for the past 24 years and are known state-wide for their national anthem performances. They would like to thank their incredible teacher, Mr. Cantaffa, for his endless encouragement and support throughout the year.

The MTHS Rolling Tones is Monroe Township High School's competitive a cappella group, looking to break into the ICHSA scene. After years of performing at the local level, The Rolling Tones are excited to perform, learn, and grow beyond their little corner of New Jersey.

Scarlet Sound is Neptune High School's premier vocal ensemble. Scarlet Sound has been competing in the ICHSA for eight consecutive years and has earned a spot in Semifinals four times. They have also been nominated to the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival seven times, each time garnering a Distinguished rating. Scarlet Sound has been a featured performer at the NATO Parade of Nation and was chosen to perform in Disney World twice. Scarlet Sound's mission is to challenge the young students of NHS to achieve the highest level of musicianship that they can and make a few amazing memories along the way.

Since its inception in 2012, Stay Tuned from Cherry Hill East High School, created and directed by Heather Lockart, has experienced widespread success. They were selected to be featured on an eight-week Lifetime docuseries, "Pitch Slapped," which aired during the winter of 2016. Since then, Stay Tuned has performed at the Kimmel Center, Lincoln Financial Field, The Town Hall, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall alongside the cast of the "Pitch Perfect" films. Most recently, Stay Tuned has competed in two ICHSA Finals competitions in New York among the top groups from across the nation. While they have enjoyed such great national success, sharing their love and passion for music with their local friends and supportive community has always been their main priority. The members of Stay Tuned are thankful for every performance opportunity and strive to inspire and bring joy to their audiences.

Vocal Resolution is the first a cappella group established at Highland Regional High School in Blackwood, N.J. As their name suggests, they love a good musical suspension followed by a resolution. This aca-family is stoked to return to ICHSA and share the stage with other incredible groups for a fun night of a cappella!!

GUEST PERFORMER

Casual Harmony is Rutgers University’s premier tenor-bass a cappella group. From humble beginnings in Scott Hall 221, they have graced a wide array of venues, ranging from campus events to national stages with their riveting performances. For over 20 years, Casual Harmony has been showcasing its talent to audiences through their original arrangements, outstanding soloists, and award-winning vocal percussionists. If you like what you hear, follow them on Instagram @casualharmonyru.

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.

Hailing from Richmond, Va., Alex McKay holds a deep passion for a cappella and vocal music. Since the age of 9, he has been performing across the U.S. and Europe with prestigious ensembles, including The Richmond Symphony Chorus, The University of Michigan Chamber Choir, ACDA National Honors Choirs, and The Penn Chorale. Alex earned his Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from The University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, studying under renowned Grammy-winning tenor George Shirley. While at Michigan, Alex served as the music director of Amazin' Blue A Cappella for three consecutive years, arranging and producing multiple award-winning ICCA sets at the Quarterfinal and Semifinal levels. During his tenure with Amazin’ Blue, Alex was invited to facilitate vocal workshops and provide critiques for high school groups across southeastern Michigan. He is thrilled to be continuing his journey with Varsity Vocals!

Sophie Shah is a lifelong music lover who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a minor in music in 2020. During her time in college, she participated in four years of competitive collegiate a cappella, serving as president of her group and earning ICCA awards for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Arrangement. In addition to her eight years of cappella experience, she also has a strong theoretical, choral, and compositional musical background, and writes her own music.

Joshua Singer served as music director and arranger for two-time ICCA Finalists, University of Maryland Faux Paz. In 2016, he was awarded Outstanding Arrangement for the Mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, Josh arranged the winning 2017 Boston Sings (BOSS) scholastic competition set for Faux. His work has been nominated for multiple Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs), including a 2016 nomination for Best Electronic Song for his arrangement of "Our Own House" by Misterwives. Josh won the CARA for "Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement" for Faux Paz's single, "Where Are Ü Now" by Justin Bieber, Skrillex, and Diplo. Josh was a featured director on the second season of Pop Network's “Sing It On," which followed his group's ICCA journey to Finals. Josh continues to engage with the a cappella community through his arrangements, collaborations, and workshops, and actively works to inspire groups across the country to take their music and performance to the next level.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank the Cherry Hill East Principal, Dan Finkle, and the Cherry Hill Administration for their support, The Cherry Hill East Music Boosters, the many East music students who graciously hosted, Will Lam and Connor Lausi - lighting techs, RDX Productions, Rutgers' Casual Harmony; 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
Senior Producer, ICCA & ICHSA West

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
Senior Producer, ICCA South

Arvin Zabalerio
Senior Producer, ICCA Central

Gemma Davies
Producer, ICCA United Kingdom

Emily Benjamin
Producer, ICCA Northeast

Adam McNeil
Producer, ICHSA Great Lakes

Valentyna Simon
Producer, ICHSA West

Ben Garza
Producer, ICHSA Southwest

Bryce McCracken
Associate Producer, ICCA Central

Bri Decerio
Associate Producer

Angelina Corbin
Associate Producer
ICCA & ICHSA South

Sara Yood
Senior Producer

Emily Flanders
Director of Adjudication
Senior Producer, ICCA Great Lakes

Andrew Poole
Director of Digital Media

Charlotte Taylor
Marketing & Social Strategy

Holli Kitching
Senior Producer, ICCA Mid-Atlantic

Leah Alrutz
Senior Producer, ICCA Midwest

Alaina Wegner
Producer, ICCA Southwest

Christopher Witham
Producer, ICCA United Kingdom

Jillian Kimberlin
Senior Producer, ICHSA Mid-Atlantic

Christopher Hoffman
Producer, ICHSA Northeast

Jake Yoakum
Producer, ICHSA West

Nicole Palmetto
Associate Producer, ICCA Northeast

Tyandria Jaaber
Associate Producer, ICCA Mid-Atlantic

Rebecca Williamson
Associate Producer, ICCA South

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 2025 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!

VIEW ALBUMS

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