2025 ICCA Southwest Quarterfinal @ Pomona College

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 SOUTHWEST QUARTERFINAL

Pomona College
Saturday, February 28th, 2026

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 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

Aerodynamix A Cappella is an all-gender a cappella group at UC Irvine formed by music-loving college students. Founded in 2019, the group has become an incredible platform to share their music with the world. Aerodynamix works hard to create music that inspires, entertains, and impacts every audience.

The Claremont Shades have been performing in Claremont and around the country for over 30 years! The Shades include members from around the world and across the Claremont Colleges to create music. They host the annual Southern California A Cappella Music Festival, a concert featuring groups from all over California! The Shades have recorded over seven full-length albums and were featured on multiple BOCA albums. 2025 marked The Shades’ first ICCA appearance after a long hiatus and they’re thrilled to be competing again this season! You can follow them @theclaremontshades on Instagram and listen to their recorded work on Spotify and Apple Music!

Earth Tones was established in 2022 with objectives to showcase the talent and storytelling of Black artists across genres, unite the Black student population across the Claremont Colleges, and provide a collaborative space to express Blackness in the a cappella community. In every performance, the group is proud to share their love of music and represent Earth Tones’ connection with the greater Black community.

Elevation is Northern Arizona University's first a cappella group, premiering in 2008. An all-gender group, Elevation is an inclusive space for all people who love to sing and perform. The group was founded on the idea that students of any major deserve a musical outlet and a place in the a cappella community. Alongside other NAU groups The Axecidentals and The Highlanders, they headlined for Acapalooza in Las Vegas in both 2017 and 2024, a festival dedicated to teaching high school students about running collegiate a cappella groups. This will be Elevation’s ninth season performing at ICCA and they could not be more excited! They can’t wait to share their talents with you and give everything they have to the 2026 ICCA season!

Haath is the South Asian fusion a cappella team at UCI. The group was founded with a vision to blend the heritage of South Asian music with the sounds of contemporary Western tunes. Beyond just creating and performing arrangements using only their voices, this group believes that a cappella offers an opportunity to appreciate the diversity and complexity of music. Through their unique combinations of different languages, musical styles, and beats, Haath hopes to enchant audiences by showcasing the power of storytelling and music.

The Highlanders is the only tenor-bass a cappella group at Northern Arizona University. They sing a wide range of contemporary music, from barbershop music from the movie “Cars,” to a fun mix of 90s boy bands. They love making music as a community and sharing their energy with an audience. The Highlanders have performed in previous ICCA seasons with as few as eight members, still managing to hype up crowds and earn praise for their upbeat vibe.

Performing at the Claremont Colleges since the 1990s, Midnight Echo is a tight-knit pack of talented singers. They perform a wide variety of popular music, covering artists such as SZA, Billie Eilish, Bon Iver, Adele, and many more. You’ll be able to hear their mighty howls before you see them dressed in their signature black and silver attire. Silly, shiny, and sleek, they embody all of these adjectives during their concerts, which feature skits for the audience and initiating new members into the group with an official howl. Midnight Echo is honored to host the annual spring a cappella festival, Human Symphony, which brings all of Claremont’s a cappella groups together to showcase their talents. After winning Outstanding Vocal Percussion at their 2024 ICCA Southwest Quarterfinal, Midnight Echo is excited to return to the ICCA and share their music with the greater collegiate a cappella community. For videos of performances and more information, visit Midnight Echo on YouTube or @midnightechoacappella on Instagram and TikTok!

Nu Aria is an all-gender pop a cappella group, formed in fall 2022 at Mt. San Antonio College. With roots reaching back to the all-male award-winning ensemble, Fermata Nowhere (2009 ICCA Champion), they are proud to come from a junior community college that welcomes a diverse group of singers with varying ages, backgrounds, and educational goals. United by a shared love for music and performing, this group offers an opportunity for students to create lasting memories and find family at a two-year college. After Nu Aria formed in 2022, they competed every ICCA season since, earning recognition at Quarterfinals with special awards for Outstanding Vocal Percussion and Outstanding Soloist in 2023, and Outstanding Arrangement in 2025. As they continue to up their game with original arrangements and expressive choreography, Nu Aria is eager to bring their sound and energy to the 2026 ICCA season and beyond.

Founded in 1994, Uniting Voices of UC Irvine is committed to creating opportunities for their community to experience music. They have performed on the stages of the ICCA, the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF), and many UCI events. As four-time ICCA Southwest Semifinalists, Uniting Voices is excited to get back into the action after a year off!

VocaLotus A Cappella is a diverse, all-gender a cappella group at the University of California, Irvine. Their goal is to perform in a collaborative and uplifting musical environment, while creating a close-knit community. In 2025, the group was proud to advance to ICCA West Semifinals, a milestone that reflects their passion, dedication, and growth.

GUEST PERFORMER

The After School Specials is an all-gender a cappella group, local to the Claremont Colleges. Born from the unfortunate quality of local shower etiquette, The After School Specials have been a force of musical power for many years. They pride themsleves on arranging all of their songs in-house, pulling from all decades of popular music. You may have seen them on the Bridges stage in 2024 when they earned 1st place at ICCA West Quarterfinals for the first time in six years. The group has performed for the White House in 2016 and on Season 16 of "America’s Got Talent" in 2021. The After School Specials are honored to share the Bridges stage once again with the talented groups of the Southwest region. Catch them in their classic forest green during tonight’s deliberations!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Kate Crellin (she/her) is a vocalist, arranger, composer, and educator. She is a choir director for adult and youth choirs in Manhattan Beach and has published compositions with Heritage and Alfred Press. Kate is a proud alumnus of A Cappella Academy, where she now works as a co-director. Kate earned a double B.A. from the University of Southern California (Choral Music and Law, History and Culture) and a Master of Music from Cambridge University in England.

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 performer and educator based in Los Angeles. Nina has been a featured educator at Boston Sings A Cappella Festival (BOSS), Milwaukapella, LAAF, and the SheSings/WeSing Vocal Festival, teaching a range of classes, including 1:1 coaching, group masterclasses, choreography, and movement, as well as inclusion-based discussion forums for young artists. After a decade of running the musical theatre program at an LAUSD middle school, she currently works with students at Icon Collective College of Music and in her private studio. Recent performing credits include "The Diary of Anne Frank" (Mrs. Van Daan), "Pacific Overtures" (Dutch Admiral), "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune" (Frankie), "The L Word: Generation Q," "The Good Doctor," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," and singing for artists including Teddy Swims, CeCe Winans, and Brandon Victor Dixon.

Avery Roberts is a songwriter, producer, and arranger based in Los Angeles. A choral artist at heart, their love of vocal harmony has led to their deep involvement in the a cappella community, with a record-breaking eight Outstanding Arrangement awards gathered over several Varsity Vocals competitions (including at the 2019 AcaOpen Finals), plus nominations and wins at the A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs) and Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs). Their work can be heard performed by ensembles around the country, and they continue to make music as a solo artist under the name Avo.

Selame Scarlett hails from Lansing, Mich. and is extremely thankful for this California weather. She is excited to see and hear some great music tonight! This season marks her 10th year judging for Varsity Vocals! As an undergraduate at Michigan State University, she was the music director, arranger, and vocal percussionist for the mixed group, Capital Green. Post-college, she served as the percussionist/vocalist for the CARA-winning treble group, Lady Jaye, and the gospel powerhouse group, Traces, featured on NBC's “The Sing-Off,” In addition, Selame taught for A Cappella Academy, a Los Angeles-based vocal summer camp for young adults (ages 13 to 17), for nearly a decade. She has been fortunate to record alongside groups like Naturally 7, The Boxettes, Pentatonix, Duwende, and Traces of Blue (formerly Afro-Blue). She is a sought-after clinician for high school and collegiate a cappella groups all over the country, leading vocal percussion workshops and individual and group masterclasses. For inquiries, please visit www.mamasahllama.com. Outside of music, Selame is a STEM-inist dedicated to health equity for all. She holds a bachelor's degree in microbiology and molecular genetics, a master's degree in healthcare management, and 20 years of service within the healthcare system. She is the Clinical Manager for the Cardiology Division at UCLA Health and she wants to hear nothing BUT heart tonight!

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
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 Southwest 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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