2025 ICCA West Quarterfinal @ Fox Theatre

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

Fox Theatre
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

The Cleftomaniacs is a tight-knit group of friends from UC Davis who share a love of singing and performing. Founded in 2014, this co-ed a cappella group sings a wide variety of music, ranging from the soulful tunes of Stevie Wonder to the rebellious medleys of Olivia Rodrigo. No matter their musical choices, The Cleftomaniacs know how to have fun, bringing the party to everything they do. The group balances their busy rehearsal schedule with ambitious academic goals and vibrant social lives. As a group, they have gone on many legendary social excursions, from getting lost in the trails of Putah Creek Reserve to kicking it up at numerous line-dancing socials. Over the years, they have performed in numerous a cappella showcases and competed in the ICCA since 2020. The Cleftomaniacs bring a fun chaos to the stage, breaking the laws of music theory you thought you knew. They hope to captivate audiences everywhere and steal their hearts!

Drawn to Scale, often known as DTS, is a close-knit co-ed a cappella group from UC Berkeley. DTS won 2nd place at their 2025 ICCA West Quarterfinal and secured Outstanding Choreography for the past two years. Although they are one of the more competitive groups on campus, DTS members often express how much they value the group as a creative and social outlet. The group includes members with wide-ranging interests and majors, but they bond through a shared love of singing and value this space to unwind from their busy lives and make music together.

The California Golden Overtones is UC Berkeley’s premier all-female a cappella group! Founded in 1984, they cover music ranging from pop to R&B and love singing songs primarily written by women. They recently released two songs, “Hold the Girl” and “Still in Love,” which were part of the 2023 ICCA set that took them to Semifinals. Both are available to stream everywhere!

Jhankaar is UC Davis's premier South-Asian a cappella team that aims to combine South Asian and Western styles of music. They aspire to blend powerful and versatile genres to convey the power of this fusion to unite people through a common passion for music.

The Liquid Hotplates is one of UC Davis’s all-gender a cappella groups, established in 2000. They perform a variety of student-arranged pieces, representing genres from pop to soul and even R&B. Aa two-time ICCA Semifinalist, LHP most recently placed 3rd in their 2024 ICCA West Quarterfinal, where they also received the award for Outstanding Vocal Soloist. They perform at different events on campus and throughout California, and wherever they go, The Liquid Hotplates put their heart and souls into their music and do everything as a family.

The Lounge Lizards began in 1995 with a group of friends living in the Tercero dorms at UC Davis. As the oldest a cappella group at Davis, The Lizards can often be found performing at on-campus and local events, most notably at their annual spring concert, No Instruments Attached. Five-time ICCA Semifinalists, The Lizards most recently took 1st place at the 2025 ICCA West Quarterfinals and 2nd at West Semifinals, along with Outstanding Choreography. The Lizards look forward to sharing their award-winning a cappella with the 2026 ICCA audience.

The Stanford Mendicants is Stanford's oldest a cappella group, founded back in 1963. This group of singers is dedicated to performing the best songs of today, yesterday, and decades past. They pride themselves on a wide-ranging repertoire, including everything from gospel and barbershop to original compositions, jazz standards, and contemporary pop. They have been competing in the ICCA since 1998 and placed 3rd at the 2017 West Semifinals. The Mendicants film music videos all over the world and they’re proud to be the second most-listened-to collegiate a cappella group on Spotify! You can catch them onstage, serenading in stairwells, and breaking out into song around campus.

Hailing from Pleasant Hill, Calif., The pH Scale is Diablo Valley College's premier mixed a cappella group. Established in 2022, they have accomplished great things so far, like winning an ICCA award for Outstanding Choreography in their 2023 West Quarterfinal and placing 3rd at Harmony Sweepstakes Bay Area Regional in 2024. Whether they are showing off their dance moves or belting ballads, The pH Scale is ready to bring their all and put on a show that is off the scale!

The Spartones is San Jose State University’s premier, all-gender a cappella group, and the only group on campus that competes in the ICCA. They love bringing songs from musicals, movies, and other favorite media into their sets, like “Determinate” from Lemonade Mouth and “Sexy” from “Mean Girls.” They began the fall 2024 semester with only seven returning members and had to rebuild as a group, redefining their identity through their custom maroon tie-dye uniforms. Even as they evolved, The Spartones kept their spirit of fun, infusing rehearsals with silliness, goofs, bits, and banter. Whether they’re making spontaneous jokes in rehearsal or sharing unserious posts on socials (@thespartonesatsjsu on Instagram), The Spartones embrace humor and a bit of chaos. Their annual Not So Serious showcase celebrates that vibe, inviting groups to be ridiculous onstage and showing the fun side of a cappella.

The Spokes is the premier high-voice a cappella group at UC Davis! Since 2004, their fierce, fun, and fabulous style has brought joy to audiences all over the West Coast, most notably in their annual spring a cappella showcase, HellaCappella. In addition to exciting crowds with their vibrant energy, The Spokes excel in their craft, notably placing 2nd in their 2024 ICCA West Quarterfinal and earning an Outstanding Soloist award in 2021. The Spokes are proud to cultivate an uplifting community of high-voice singers. Just as a bicycle wheel relies on the support of all its spokes, every member of The Spokes depends on one another to be the fantastic group they are!

GUEST PERFORMER

MST Music Academy's MYST A Cappella is a determined group, fired up and ready to compete in their fourth year ICHSA season. Earlier this month, MYST placed 2nd in their 2026 ICHSA West Quarterfinal and will compete in the ICHSA West Semifinals, back here at the Fox Theatre on Friday, March 20. Tonight, the emcee will announce a special code onstage that you can use for discounted tickets to that show. MYST and nine other advancing high school groups from the West region will compete for the top spot that advances to ICHSA Finals in New York City. They hope you enjoy this sneak peek of what's to come and can't wait to see you back here next month!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Greg Casper is a professional singer/actor/director/teacher/coach with over 40 years of experience. His musical background ranges from fronting rock bands to singing in classical chorales, in genres from opera to country, from The Messiah to musical theatre. He has performed as a vocalist on television, radio, stage, and several independent albums, as an actor in hundreds of productions throughout the Bay Area, as a director with several theatre companies, as a singer/musician in a number of bands, and as a solo performer, both with instruments and a cappella. He is a recording engineer from his home studio, and is a co-owner (with his wife Debbie) and Director of Music Education at the California Institute of Music & Art (CIMA). He recently created an eight-person Christian a cappella group, Ransom Notes, for whom he also does the arrangements. As a performance coach, Greg coached the nine-woman a cappella group, Noteworthy (BYU), to a 1st place finish in the 2007 ICCA. He has been a nationally certified adjudicator for the ICCA for over 25 years.

Samuel Dantowitz (he/him) is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he sang with Pitch Slapped (two-time ICCA Champion), Upper Structure (two-time ICCA Runner-Up), and award-winning vocal jazz group Point of Departure. His work on “She Used to Be Mine” with Upper Structure earned him several Outstanding Soloist awards and can be heard on Varsity Vocals’ 2018 BOCA compilation album, enjoying nearly 700,000 streams on Spotify and a nod from songwriter and ICCA alum Sara Bareilles. In film and TV, Samuel was fortunate to work on the 2022 Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Lifetime’s “Pitch Slapped.” His quartet, Mixed & Mastered, was an inaugural mixed competitor at the International Varsity Barbershop Harmony Society Contest. Samuel currently serves year-round on staff at A Cappella Academy. Outside of music environments, Samuel still finds a way to burst into song at his 9-5, where he’s the current “Amazon’s Got Talent” National Champion.

Emily Drum (she/her) is a singer, arranger, composer, vocal producer, songwriter, and educator based in San Francisco. She is a sought-after choral composer and arranger, commissioned by high school ensembles, top collegiate a cappella groups, and semi-professional choirs across the country and globe. Her self-published arrangements have been performed in over 50 countries across six continents. Emily is also a vocal coach, producer, and member of the award-winning treble vocal quartet, Red Letter Daze. Her countless contributions to vocal projects have earned her 37 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) nominations and wins.

Casey Ellis is a vocal teacher, music director, and professional musical theatre performer in northern California. She received her Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied under the renowned tenor, César Ulloa. She has directed several competitive high school a cappella groups who have won special awards and progressed to ICHSA Semifinals. Currently, she is the director of MYST A Cappella from MST Music Academy, where she also serves as the artistic director and lead vocal teacher. She is the resident music director of Missouri Street Theatre, a professional regional musical theatre company, where she also frequently performs. Casey has a deep love for the vocal instrument and has dedicated her life to teaching young performers how to properly find and use their true voices.

Tony Wang has been living and breathing a cappella for over 12 years. A former ICCA competitor himself, Tony burst onto the scene in 2014, earning an Outstanding Arrangement award and catching the a cappella bug for good. Since then, he's traded his competitor badge for a judge's pen, lending his ears to Varsity Vocals across three regions and six states. When he's not geeking out over a cappella arrangements and music theory, you can find Tony behind a keyboard or dropping vocal percussion beats. Fair warning: if you challenge him to a beatbox battle tonight, he will accept.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank tonight's emcee, Richman Neumann, head sound engineer from RDX Productions, Greg St Germain, volunteers Chris Rishel and Jordan Fabroni, our high school guest performance group, MYST A Cappella, and all the staff we've partnered with from the Fox Theatre to make this event happen; 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!

VIEW ALBUMS

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