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 SEMIFINAL

Fox Theatre - Redwood City
Saturday, March 21st, 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! 

Eh? Cappella, from the University of British Columbia, has been competing in the ICCA since 2016, and earned 1st place at Quarterfinals in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Seven-time Semifinalists, Eh? Cappella has also won special ICCA awards, such as Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Vocal Percussion. Directed by Giuliana Kim and Ryota Misaki, this year’s group aims to deliver an exciting and ambitious set, depicting the emotional ups and downs of a breakup story. 

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. 

Mind The Gap is the mixed-voice a cappella group on campus at the University of Oregon. Formed in 2007, Mind The Gap members have worked hard to make a name for the group ever since. They love to travel and share their music with everyone they can. In 2024, Mind the Gap won 1st place, Outstanding Arrangement, and Outstanding Choreography at ICCA West Quarterfinals. They’re excited to show you what they’ve got! 

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! 

Power Chord is an all-inclusive, all-voice a cappella group from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore. They strive to create connections through music and share their passion with the campus community and beyond. During the year, they enjoy spending time together outside of rehearsals at game nights, group outings, and a yearly retreat at the beach cementing their tight bond as a group. Power Chord is so excited to be back here to sing with all of their favorite groups! Thanks for all the support! 

Founded as a quintet in 2012, Resonance has since transformed into one of UCLA's premier all-gender a cappella groups. Their love for music unites students from all fields of study and they pride themselves on high-level performance, competition, and content creation. Above all else, this community of like-minded artists is a true family. Since 2017, Resonance has competed annually in the ICCA, advancing to Semifinals in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2024, and 2025, and all the way to Finals in 2021. Their competitive spirit does not stop there. Over the years, they have qualified for and performed in the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF) Scholastic Competition and in UCLA’s most competitive talent showcase, Spring Sing. Guided by their passion for performance and community, Resonance is a diverse family of musicians who hope to make a lasting impact with their music.

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. 

Simply Vocale is Chapman University’s only all-treble a cappella group. They are a family of loving and inclusive people who share a passion for music. Simply was founded as a way to bring a community of women and gender nonconforming singers together. Simply Vocale's mission is to reclaim what it means to be feminine. This is their third year back competing after taking a hiatus to rebuild. They are excited to show a new side of Simply Vocale after their award-winning set at last year's ICCA Southwest Quarterfinal. 

The Trill Seekers is the most recent addition to The Beats, the premier a cappella club on the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus in Kelowna, B.C. They have competed at ICCA West Quarterfinals for the past seven years and made it to the Virtual Semifinals in 2021. Although this tight-knit group is entirely composed of non-music students, they spend up to 10 hours each week honing their musical abilities and relish the opportunity to compete with like-minded musicians. Their competitive setlists showcase an eclectic range of musical genres. Along with the ICCA, The Trill Seekers perform at semester-end shows, community events, and in collaboration with other clubs on campus. They are so excited to show everyone what they have in store for the 2026 ICCA season. Keep it Trill! 

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Cassandra “Cassie” Greene Chamoun is an arranger, director, choreographer, and founding member of award-winning a cappella group Business Casual. Business Casual's accolades include winning the titles of 2018 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions, 2019 VoiceJam Champions, and two-time Varsity Vocals Open Finalists, as well as numerous A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs) and Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs).

Dr. Daniel Fister (he/him) is thrilled to have been a judge for Varsity Vocals for over a decade! He is a proud original member of Wilsonville High School’s Soul’d Out and alumnus of Chapman University SoundCheck. In both groups, he sang bass, arranged, music-directed, and competed in Varsity Vocals events. Daniel remains involved in a cappella as a judge for Varsity Vocals and the CARAs, a reviewer for the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB), and a masterclass leader. His time singing and judging a cappella inspired him to pursue a doctoral degree in musicology at Washington University in St. Louis and his dissertation examined how race impacts ideologies, policies, and sounds in contemporary scholastic a cappella. Daniel is currently an adjunct professor at various Bay Area colleges. He also sings with and is the Associate Director of the Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus, and directs and arranges for the ensemble’s small group, Desperate Measures. Best wishes to all the competing groups!

Bill Hare is a Grammy-winning recording engineer/producer and is recognized as a pioneer in bringing pop/rock production techniques to recorded contemporary a cappella. Over the past 35 years, Bill has recorded and/or mixed acclaimed albums for some of the best-known contemporary a cappella groups around the globe, from The Swingle Singers to The King’s Singers in the U.K., Basix to Vocal Line in Denmark, Italy's Cluster, The Ghost Files, Alti & Bassi and Maybe6ix, German supergroups Wise Guys, Amarcord, and Maybebop, to name just a few, as well as artists from dozens of other countries, from Australia to Zambia. He also covers the U.S. from his home base in California, working with top American acts including The House Jacks, m-pact, Pentatonix, Peter Hollens, Street Corner Symphony, NoTa, +4dB, Duwende, The Backbeats, Brian Wilson/The Beach Boys, as well as NBC’s hit show, “The Sing-Off.” Collegiate a cappella clients include The Tufts Beelzebubs, University of Oregon’s On The Rocks and Divisi, The Stanford Harmonics, and scores of others. Bill’s story was also told in the original book version of “Pitch Perfect,” from which the popular movies were adapted. Bill’s accolades include more than 70 appearances on BOCA, over 100 CARA nominations, nearly 40 albums on RARB’s "Picks of the Year" lists, and 11 "DeeBee" awards since 1987 in the vocal jazz category from Downbeat Magazine. Bill has also had numerous appearances on Billboard, iTunes, and other major charts, Gold and Platinum record certifications around the world, and multiple music awards and nominations.

Jessie Mark holds a B.A. from Duke University, where she majored in history and minored in music, and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Program, her early passions for cello and music theory evolved to focus on vocal arranging and music direction. Jessie was a four-year member and music director of Duke’s award-winning a cappella group, Lady Blue, and also served as music director for the New York-based group, Empire A Cappella. She has taught music theory and vocal arranging at a cappella festivals across the country and founded Miami’s a cappella festival, The Betsy’s A Cappella Festival, which ran from 2014 to 2019. Jessie currently sings and beatboxes with vocal band VXN. Jessie is based in San Francisco where she works as an HR consultant.

Hahns Shin is a bass singer based out of Berkeley and East Bay. In undergrad, he performed with the prestigious Purdue Varsity Glee Club and the Purdue Symphony Orchestra. He currently performs in four different a cappella groups (including Side Note, winner of the 2022 Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes competition) and is active in community a cappella meetups throughout the Bay Area. He has served on the board of the East Bay Harmony community chorus since 2018.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank the incredible partnership with the Fox Theatre; sound engineer, Joey Cassata; emcee, Courtney Jensen; photographer, Jake Young (jakeyoungphotography.com); volunteers: Seth Fetro, Chris Rishel, and Jordan Fabroni; our judges, hosts, competitors, volunteers, partners, and producers; and you, the audience, for supporting Varsity Vocals programming.

We’d appreciate you taking a moment to complete this short survey! It helps us continue improving our shows. Thank you so much for your support!

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 placing group at this event will advance to the 2026 ICCA Finals. 

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