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 WEST QUARTERFINAL

Downey Theatre
Saturday, January 31st, 2026

WE'RE SOCIAL

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

varsityvocals

@varsityvocals

Follow us @varsityvocals on Facebook and Instagram, and join the conversation using #ICCA

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

Bruin Harmony is the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)'s premier and only all-male a cappella group. This welcoming group celebrates the shared joy of creating music while cultivating meaningful relationships through retreats, spontaneous group outings, and more. Bruin Harmony provides a safe space for its members to truly be themselves and find a meaningful sense of brotherhood within the larger UCLA community. They advanced to ICCA West Semifinals all four times they competed and placed in the top three for two consecutive years. They were also selected three times to perform in the UCLA Alumni Association’s big-budget, campus-wide talent show, Spring Sing. This year is Bruin Harmony’s 20th anniversary and they cannot believe how far the group has come from their origins in bowties and suspenders to performing on international stages. They are so excited to compete in ICCA this year and honored to represent UCLA among some of the best a cappella groups in the West and beyond! 

Founded in 2007, SoundCheck is Chapman University's first a cappella group. SoundCheck has proudly competed in the ICCA since 2009. In that time, the group competed in the 2016 ICCA Finals and progressed to Semifinals four times, including 2024 and 2025. They also earned five Outstanding Arrangement Awards, again including the last two consecutive seasons. Sound Check has also released two EPs, two singles, an album, and, most recently, a music video. They perform a wide variety of musical genres, including jazz and classic rock, to name just a couple of their favorites. SoundCheck members pride themselves on their excellence in a myriad of disciplines, their love for one another, and their dedication to making music together as one voice. They are determined to forge their identity as Chapman University’s SoundCheck at this year’s ICCA. 

The Dissonants was founded at Chapman University in September 2025. The group aims to provide opportunities for all students to perform and compete in an a cappella setting, contribute to charitable causes in the community, and hone their singing, arranging, and directing skills. They hope to be culturally and politically cognizant artists, selecting songs that highlight issues the group members are most passionate about and giving audience members an opportunity to relate. As the newest a cappella group on campus, The Dissonants hope to establish relationships within the Chapman community and throughout the surrounding areas, performing at schools, homeless shelters, parks, and other public places. They aim to spread joy through this art form and connect with as many people as possible! The Dissonants appreciate the opportunity to compete in the ICCA! 

The FullerTones, from Fullerton, Calif., is proud to be the only ensemble of its kind on campus. Founded in 2016, they’ve built a vibrant, diverse community united by a passion for vocal artistry and innovation. Each group member’s unique background, style, and story blends together to create The FullerTones’ dynamic pop-contemporary sound. Now in their third year competing in the ICCA, The FullerTones are stronger, sharper, and more inspired than ever. Each competition fuels their drive to push boundaries, connect with audiences, and celebrate the power of voices in harmony. The FullerTones are a true family, breaking barriers and representing CSU with pride and heart. They can’t wait to share their energy, creativity, and passion onstage this year. Follow @fullertones on TikTok and @csuf_fullertones on Instagram to follow their journey. 

MoorPark College presents MoorHarmony A Cappella! Hailing from Moorpark, Calif., this pop-based a cappella group began as a club, but evolved into MoorParks' official contemporary vocal ensemble class through almost 10 years of growth and dedication. Led by their fearless professor, Marcus Klotz, who studied at Pepperdine University and Cal State Long Beach, the group hosts a diverse array of musicians. Their musical specialties include vocal, instrumental, and production studies, while some members focus on completely different academic areas and take the class purely for the passion! Several of the current group members (Drake Mulligan, Quincy De Vere, and C.J. Hart) are Varsity Vocals alums from the ICHSA and competed with Abbe Road A Cappella. In 2025, Quincy and C.J. Hart placed 2nd at their ICHSA Quarterfinal and won Outstanding Arrangement and Outstanding Choreography with Abbe Road, ultimately progressing to Semifinals where they won another Oustanding Arrangement award. MoorHarmony hopes to make its mark on the a cappella map this year! 

Naked Voices A Cappella is The University of California, Santa Barbara's premier, award-winning, all-gender a cappella group! A tight-knit community of talented singers, this group prides itself on high musicianship, skillful performances, and facility with a range of musical styles, from pop to jazz to R&B. As the only ICCA competitor at UCSB, the Naked Voices set high standards for their musical choices and expression. They mainly arrange their own music and have earned ICCA awards for Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Vocal Percussion. Naked Voices has competed in both the Quarterfinal and Semifinal levels and continuously strives to improve its overall sound and technical ability. They are honored to share their music with a broader audience through the ICCA and appreciate the opportunity to network across campuses and hear some amazing music. Naked Voices is always excited to perform and they hope their music moves you! 

Naya Zamaana is UCLA's premier all-gender South Asian a cappella team. Since 2006, their goal has been to celebrate music students’ diverse talents. Naya Zamaana’s singers and beatboxers come from a variety of musical backgrounds, including, but not limited to Western, Carnatic, and Hindustani training. This exemplifies the distinct fusion of Western and South Asian cultures. NZ aspires to bring these sounds together to create a unique voice with the power to usher in a new era in the a cappella world. 

As one of the University of Southern California’s premier mixed a cappella groups, Reverse Osmosis A Cappella is thrilled to return to their second consecutive ICCA season, after a long competitive hiatus. Founded in 2001, the group provides a safe, fun, and inclusive space to build community through the love and practice of music. With repertoire ranging from indie-pop to oldies to rap, RO strives to reflect the diversity of music with each performance. In addition to maintaining a busy performance schedule on and off campus, Reverse Osmosis is featured on three studio albums, all of which can be found on streaming platforms. They have performed for large events and at major performance venues at USC over the years, building community recognition for their distinctive stage presence and precise harmonies. Known as “the purest sound on campus,” Reverse Osmosis is excited to bring their talent and love for music to the ICCA stage in 2026. 

The ScatterTones is an internationally renowned mixed-voice a cappella group, founded in 2002 at UCLA. A veteran of the ICCA stage, this will be their 13th year competing in the past two decades. In that time, The ScatterTones have had the privilege of competing at ICCA Finals six times and won over 30 Outstanding awards. They have also been featured on compilation albums, including BOCA and Voices Only. Through their competition showings and various gigs, The ScatterTones have been fortunate to meet and develop lasting relationships with other a cappella groups from coast to coast and around the globe. Some of their favorite gigs include performing for the Bumper in Berlin promo campaign, weddings, galas, Deke Sharon's College Notes, and anything that includes food! You can find them on Instagram @scattertonesatucla where you may notice their updated logo and branding, marking a new era for the group. This year, The ScatterTones are excited to continue making more friendships, building new memories, and sharing their story. 

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Aaron Bayne holds a master’s degree in music business from Berklee College of Music and is the award-winning beatboxer of two-time ICCA Finalists turned professional group, The Trills (@thetrills). The Trills have built an audience of more than 4 million followers across social media platforms, generating over 50 million views on YouTube and more than 400 million views on TikTok. With The Trills, Aaron has performed on several national television programs, including "The Kelly Clarkson Show," the "Angels of Hope Television Special," and multiple WBAL-TV holiday specials. He has performed halftime shows for the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, headlined VidCon and several festivals, and collaborated with artists such as Pentatonix, SZA, Straight No Chaser, Drew Scott, Quinn XCII, and Tim McGraw. Outside of performing, Aaron is the president and a licensed talent agent at BAM Entertainment, a Los Angeles–based boutique talent agency and artist management company. He is pleased to return as a Varsity Vocals judge for this season’s events.

Stacy Burcham entered USC on a trumpet scholarship and then became one of the founding members of The SoCal VoCals. She served as musical director and producer on several Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA)-nominated VoCal albums and received six Outstanding Arrangement awards at the ICCA. Stacy’s arrangement of the national anthem has been featured at games for the Clippers, Lakers, and Kings, and at the Democratic National Debate. As a vocalist, she has performed at the Hollywood Bowl and The Greek Theater with Roger Daltry, Lea Michele, and Kristin Chenoweth. Stacy has been a featured instrumentalist with various artists including The Rescues, Molly Bryant, James Snyder, and Gabriel Mann. She is a proud member of ASCAP, SAG-AFTRA, and AFM!

Alyce McNulty is a music teacher and singer from Los Angeles who came to Baltimore to pursue a career in music at the Peabody Conservatory in the studio of Denyce Graves and Margaret Baroody. At Peabody, she founded her own professional group, Ember, with some of her dearest friends and musicians at the conservatory and in the a cappella community. They competed together at The Open in 2018 and were named Northeast Champions, singing a set of all original music that they were given the opportunity to premiere at Carnegie Hall in The Open Finals that September. Ember has since evolved into a working professional a cappella group that travels across the country, performing to many diverse audiences with a focus on music education whenever possible. When she's not singing or directing Ember, Alyce is a full-time traveling music teacher, teaching introductory piano and guitar classes, as well as general music classes, to an average of 17 schools each week.

With over 100 television and film credits, LC Powell’s work as a producer, voice director, music contractor, music casting director, and performer has garnered numerous Grammy and Emmy wins and nominations. LC is most recognized from their extensive catalogue of work on five seasons of “Phineas and Ferb” as a voice actor, voice director, and music arranger. Other notable work includes over a decade of voice acting for Riot Games, including "League of Legends: Wild Rift," as well as the "Pitch Perfect" film franchise. Their principal soloist work includes credits with the Pasadena Symphony and Pops, the Latin American Jazz Orchestra in Mexico City, Operafest Tulchyn in Ukraine, Owensboro Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, The Pullman Pops in Atlanta, the New West Symphony in Thousand Oaks, San Bernardino Symphony, the United Nations Ambassador Ricky Kej (international tour), and the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra. They also have an 18-year relationship with Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters as vocal director and contractor. LC has recorded with Paul McCartney, opened for Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, Lyle Lovett, Bob Newhart, Howie Mandel, and vocal arranged, directed, and contracted for Michael Bublé since 2015. LC is Chorus Council Vice President of Long Beach Camerata Singers and serves as a staff singer (alto II) in the large ensemble and soprano I in their small group, Catalyst Chamber Ensemble. They also serve on the board of directors of ASMAC.org and the SAG-AFTRA singers committee. While maintaining a full-time career as an artist, LC is also a full-time student on the path to a Doctorate in Musical Arts, having recently joined the educator staff at UCLA. Learn more at https://lcpowell.me @MxLCPowell

Holding a master’s degree in voice from the California Institute of the Arts, Jim Raycroft has performed all over North America and Europe. He is a 40-year member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and sang with the Los Angeles Opera for 12 years. He can be heard on movie soundtracks including “Home Alone,” “Hook,” “Jurassic Park,” “A.I.,” “Mars Attacks,” “Waterworld,” “XXX,” “Lady In The Water,” “Godzilla,” “Willow,” and “Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker,” and appeared as a singing pirate in the opening scene of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” He has appeared on the Grammys, in numerous TV shows including the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and has sung for the President of the United States and the late Queen of England. He founded The Singers Elite Vocal Big Band, sang for five years with Disneyland’s barbershop quartet, The Dapper Dans, spent Christmas of 1983 with Disneyland’s Dickens Carolers, recorded with the Roger Wagner Chorale, and participated in a Grammy-winning recording in 2021. He recorded music for Disneyland Paris and is involved with a company called Musicals Lost and Found that records old, forgotten musicals. He appeared in Fatboy Slim’s music video “Rockafeller Skank,” and provides singers for the international wine-tasting club Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. He founded and sings with the vocal jazz group Pacific Swingline and the barbershop quartet The Nickelodeon. Jim is a published arranger and orchestrator, the choral director for the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, and has prepared choruses for the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. His singer referral service, Singers Elite, has provided vocal entertainment to Southern California audiences for over 30 years. In 2002, he founded the annual “Choral Taste of Los Angeles,” a reading session of choral music by L.A. composers. Jim is the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Encino.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank tonight's emcee, Aaron Jung; sound engineer, Jeff Eames; production assistant, Valentyna Simon; audio rental, Auntie M; and all the staff we've partnered with from the Downey Theatre; 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 West 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!

#ICCA