2025 ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal @ University of WIsconsin

DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to Varsity Vocals’ 30th season! After more than a quarter century of presenting the best student groups on the stage and in the studio, our enthusiasm for the art of a cappella is greater than ever.

Our tournaments have grown from a handful of events to the massive showcase they are today, currently featuring more than 730 groups and around 12,000 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 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 from other groups.

We have seen a cappella make great strides from where it began on our stage 30 years ago and can’t wait to see how our 2026 competitors continue to 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

ICCA GREAT LAKES QUARTERFINAL

University of Wisconsin
Saturday, February 14th, 2026

WE'RE SOCIAL

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

varsityvocals

@varsityvocals

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 college tournament, now in it's 30th year, 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 25th.

The high school tournament is now in its 21st 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 24th.

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 10 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

Founded in 2003, 7Days is the oldest gender-inclusive a cappella group at the University of Minnesota. This diverse group shares a love and passion for musical artistry and works diligently to provide high-quality performances to the University of Minnesota and the Great Lakes region. They have achieved many ICCA accolades, including a 1st place win at their 2024 ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal and Outstanding Arrangement at Semifinals that same year! In addition to being a group of singers, 7Days is proud to also be a group of best friends. They spend many hours together in and out of rehearsals, and a good amount of time eating McDonalds together!

CounterPoint aims to work with advanced musicians in a high-level a cappella ensemble. CounterPoint is one of six ensembles in University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point's student a cappella organization, A Cappella UWSP. They are excited to return to the ICCA stage after making their debut in 2025 as a brand-new ensemble!

The Enchantments are proud to be the only all-treble group at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Founded in 2006, their mission is to create space for treble voices to shine! They are beyond excited to share their music on the ICCA stage this season!

The Gold 'n Blues is Marquette University's first and premier all-gender a cappella group. GnB was founded in 2008 and entered the competitive scene in 2022. They most recently competed professionally in Harmony Sweepstakes in 2025, where they earned Audience Favorite at the Chicago Semifinal. The group consists of 17 undergraduate and graduate students, all focused on creating intricate and breathtaking music, while establishing meaningful connections among the GnB family and the entire a cappella community.

Impromptu A Cappella is a gender-inclusive and student-led group of singers at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. They strive to create high-quality music, while having fun and spreading positivity. This is Impromptu’s third year competing in ICCA and most recently placed 4th at their 2025 ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal.

The Naturals is the first and only all-male a cappella group at Marquette University. Founded in 2003, the group has sung all over the Milwaukee Area and beyond, spreading their passion for music through the fun and unique sound of contemporary a cappella. Each year brings new events, videos, and tracks, so be sure to follow them as they continue to grow!

Pitches and Notes is University of Wisconsin - Madison's only competitive treble a cappella group. The group is made up of students from UW - Madison who love to create art and spend time together! When they aren’t performing, you can catch them having board game nights, study sessions, and mastering their brat-wrapping skills at concessions. They are so excited to take the stage again after placing 1st at their 2025 ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal and having the honor of competing at Semifinals. They would like to thank their incredible community of family and friends for their support and encourage you to clap and cheer throughout their performance.

Under A-Rest is a gender-inclusive, mixed-voice a cappella group from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Founded in 2014, they recently celebrated 10 years as a group! UAR proudly features both music and non-music majors and creates all of their own musical arrangements and choreography. The group performs for live audiences across the state and beyond and has a successful record in the ICCA. Over the years, UAR has advanced to ICCA Semifinals four times and received all four special awards. In 2025, they won their first Outstanding Vocal Percussion award and their most recent Outstanding Soloist award. They most recently won Outstanding Choreography in 2024 and Outstanding Arrangement in 2023. Under A-Rest is thrilled to compete in the ICCA once again and can't wait to showcase all of their hard work!

As the youngest group on the University of Minnesota campus, Urban Sound A Cappella brings fresh competition to the face of the a cappella community. Founded in 2013 by Sarah Creegan, Julia Burke, Keighly Colangelo, Karl Rehfuss, and Jasmine Gorton, Urban Sound is a student-run, gender-inclusive a cappella ensemble at the University of Minnesota. The group provides singers an opportunity to combine their love of music with meaningful outreach. Urban Sound has participated in ICCA since 2020 and a group highlight was advancing to the 2024 ICCA Great Lakes Semifinal. Urban Sound entertains audiences throughout the U of M and Twin Cities with concerts, events, and benefits, and aims to give back with community service and raising awareness of local issues. Each year, the group collectively chooses a charity and donates a portion of their season's showcase proceeds towards this respected foundation. Urban Sound prides itself on their shared love for music and consider themselves a family!

Vocal U is a gender-inclusive a cappella group hailing from the University of Minnesota, in the heart of the Twin Cities. This group has been uniting people from different backgrounds through a shared love for music since 2013. Blending pop, R&B, and everything in between, Vocal U brings a genuine warmth and authenticity to every performance. Beyond the music, Vocal U is a family that celebrates and uplifts each member. They are confident that their deep connection and the passion they share translates to every audience. Tonight, Vocal U returns to the ICCA stage, inviting you to feel that energy and experience a story of redemption. They hope "U" enjoy!

GUEST PERFORMER

Fundamentally Sound is UW Madison’s only lower-voiced competitive a cappella group. They are super excited to be back performing at the 2026 ICCA season. This is their 19th year competing and they most recently took 3rd place at the 2025 ICCA Great Lakes Semifinals. With five new members, they’re still rockin' their classic suspenders and can't wait to share their unique brand of a cappella with you tonight. Fun fact: this year, Emmit, Casey, and Logan sewed all the suspender buttons into their newbies’ pants and some of them are shaped like hearts and flowers. Go check out their new album, Crossing the Rubicon. FS hopes you enjoy their performance!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Laura Kruschke has been involved in a cappella since her college days at UW-Madison, where she sang with Tangled Up in Blue and earned her degree in music education. In 2007, she participated in launching the Contemporary A Cappella League (CAL) and founded greenTONE A Cappella in fall 2007. gT is 10 members strong today and sings for a variety of local events, including weddings, holiday parties, fundraisers, and flash mobs. In addition to gT, Laura continues to offer her expertise to local high school choirs through workshops and group coaching. In addition to Laura’s aca-involvement, she arranges music for local high school show choir and a cappella groups, sings and plays saxophone in a local band, teaches yoga, and wears many other hats as a mom to three busy school-aged kids.

Stephen Lanza has been referred to many times by his friends as a walking encyclopedia of a cappella music. He graduated from the University of Missouri in spring 2015. As a student, he sang with and eventually ran the all-male group, Add9, for four and a half years and was a member of Hitt Street Harmony, the contemporary music group through the School of Music, for a year and a half. In summer 2013, Stephen had the privilege of performing alonside “The Sing-Off” contestant, Groove For Thought, as a vocal percussionist during their exhibition performance at VoCALnation. Currently working as an industrial engineer in the Milwaukee area, Stephen continues his love of a cappella by writing for the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB) and has penned over 150 reviews. He is currently the music director for Focus, an award-winning extracurricular a cappella group at Port Washington High School, as well as an active arranger and a cappella clinician in southeastern Wisconsin.

Kimberly Sailor is the editor-in-chief of the RARB, where she has authored nearly 500 published reviews for scholastic, collegiate, and professional groups worldwide. Kimberly has judged for Varsity Vocals since 2005 after graduating from her collegiate group, USC's Reverse Osmosis. She works as a writer, teacher, and firefighter.

Walter Smart is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin Parkside, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in contemporary commercial music, voice emphasis. He is passionate about being versatile in all types of musical genres and was involved in his university’s chorale, chamber, and a cappella ensembles. Aside from performing, he has arranged over 30 pieces of vocal music for collegiate a cappella groups and finds joy in exploring the more emotional aspects of music. His technical prowess and exemplary leadership have elevated performances to new heights. Beyond his achievements, Walter’s humility and team-oriented approach have earned him admiration among his university peers and faculty. As Walter prepares to embark on the next chapter of his journey, he remains committed to nurturing the talents of future musicians.

Sam Wulterkens started singing a cappella at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with The Innocent Men. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in music education, and currently teaches at Oak Creek High School. With his co-director, Gillian Pacetti, Sam leads two ensembles at Oak Creek, who have been active members of the ICHSA community. His group, Knight Club, qualified for ICHSA Semifinals for three straight years, and competed at the 2019 ICHSA Finals. He also directs the highly lauded Ladies Knight, who, along with Knight Club, recently qualified to compete at the Semifinal level. He serves as a board member and district representative for the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Fundamentally Sound, Mario Lopez, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sean Danner, Jeff Macheel, Seth Fetro, and our incredible sound engineer Joseph Aquino; 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 Witham
Producer, ICCA United Kingdom

Rebecca Williamson
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

Angelina Corbin
Associate Producer
ICCA & ICHSA South

Sara Yood
Senior Producer, ICCA & ICHSA Finals

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

McKinley Thoreson
Associate Producer
ICHSA Great Lakes

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 2026 ICCA Great Lakes 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

#ICCA