2025 ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal @ Northern Highlands Regional High School

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

ICHSA MID-ATLANTIC QUARTERFINAL

Northern Highlands Regional High School
Sunday, February 1st, 2026

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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 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.

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.

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 Ridgewood High School AcaBellas is an all-female a cappella group made up of passionate and independent musicians from the choir, band, and orchestra programs. They were founded in 2011 and annually compete in the ICHSA. They perform at school functions, including sporting events, assemblies, and notably Valentine's Day, when they serenade students with singing grams. They enjoy singing songs performed and arranged by women from all eras. You can support them at their school a cappella concerts and check out their live performances on Spotify.

GLissando is Governor Livingston High School’s premier vocal a cappella group. Formed at the beginning of the 2022 school year, GLissando is excited to be back for their fourth ICHSA season! GLissando includes students of all grades and interests, creating a positive and special music-making experience. Along with their yearly concerts, GLissando performs throughout the community and for other school events. They wish luck to all of tonight’s competitors and hope that you enjoy their set!

This treble-powered group, The Highlands Belles, makes their home at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, N.J. The Belles are proud to follow in the footsteps of the musicians who came before them and share in their legacy. Over the years, Highlands Belles has competed at SingStrong Chicago, National A Cappella Convention (NACC), Boston Sings (BOSS), and have been to the ICHSA Semifinals and Finals. Their recordings have been featured on BOHSA. The Belles are excited about their new repertoire and grateful for every opportunity to sing together, forming bonds that make a cappella so amazing and unique.

LumeNAtion is from Newark Academy in Livingston, N.J. These 18 hardworking and dedicated students are happy to return to this year’s ICHSA after making it to Semifinals last year. Although LumeNAtion rehearses for only 90 minutes a week, they really lock in together and their director, Jack Bender, is extremely proud of them!

The Maroon Men is a competitive all-male a cappella group from Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, N.J. This group was established in the fall 2010 to get more guys interested in joining the choir program, and has since become an RHS staple. They are proud to compete in the ICHSA every year alongside their sibling groups, The AcaBellas and The Rhapsodies. All group members, past and present, proudly carry the tradition of singing that good ol' harmony, soul to soul and brother to brother. Catch The Maroon Men singing at various events and concerts for the rest of this season and beyond, and as always, "that a cappella sounds good to me!"

The Nightingales is a student-run, non-school-affiliated, all-girls a cappella group. They embrace everyone's musical interests and invite connection through multi-grade collaboration. The Nightingales keep busy performing at local nursing homes, community events, and public walks. They gravitate toward current pop and R&B medleys that highlight different voice parts and ranges. Although the group has been around for over 10 years, The Nightingales continue to evolve and change with the world of music.

The Songbirds is a brand new-a cappella group from the Morris County Academy for the Performing Arts at Morris Knolls High School in Rockaway, N.J. Founded by their director, Jodie Crotty, and choir officers, Grace Henches, Rebecca Tillett, and Rachel Breen, The Songbirds aim to create a student-driven, collegiate-inspired a cappella experience for the high school level. Group members are involved in all creative decisions, choosing the Songbirds’ theme, repertoire, and costumes, and actively participating in arrangements and choreography. From their very first rehearsal on Septempter 13, 2025, this group of students has brought an infectious energy to the table. As they work toward finding their voice, The Songbirds enjoy taking on all musical styles and have a special love for mashups. They also love giving back and sharing their love for a cappella with others through community performances. The Songbirds are thrilled to be entering their first competitive a cappella season!

Cresskill High School’s SoundXplosion, from Cresskill, N.J., is a 17-member mixed a cappella group. SoundXplosion made the transition to contemporary a cappella in 2014 and this is their eighth year participating in the ICHSA. In addition, SoundXplosion was a part of the A&E Network’s television show, “Pitch Slapped.” They can’t think of a better way to spend their days than kicking back and making the world a better place while sharing the gift of music! Follow them on Twitter @sound_xplosion and on Instagram @chssoundxplosion!

Treble Makers is a mixed a cappella group from West Morris Mendham High School. These singers perform classical, musical theatre, jazz, and pop music as a part of the greater music department activities, but focus mainly on contemporary music as a collaborative ensemble. The Treble Makers are excited to be back for their fifth ICHSA experience and look forward to seeing all the amazing talent onstage!

Vox Blue is Delaware Valley Regional High School's premier a cappella ensemble. Led by Andrew Chojnacki and Heather Fleischman, these students give classic and contemporary pop songs new life through the medium of a cappella. They are always ready to take the stage and put on an excellent performance!

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Gabriel Greenwood is a singer, songwriter, arranger, and vocal coach. With over 10 years of a cappella experience, Gabriel is excited to help judge a competition to which he brings firsthand experience. In high school, he won two Outstanding Arrangement awards and brought his group to the 2016 ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Semifinals. He attended Belmont University to pursue a degree in commercial music and became a member of the award-winning Prismatics. During his time with the group, he won two more Outstanding Arrangement awards and helped bring them to two Semifinals, placing 2nd in 2019. After graduating, Gabriel provided an arrangement to Prismatics’ 2022 set which made it all the way to ICCA Finals! He has also arranged for other groups, including the reigning ICCA champions, Pitchmen. Outside of a cappella, Gabriel can be found performing music on Holland America Cruise Line ships. He’s also a songwriter and has two singles out everywhere!

Marwan Ramen (he/they) is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist singer, composer, arranger, producer, teacher, and director. He graduated from NYU with a bachelor's degree in music theory and composition. He music-directed NYU Vocollision for four years and was mentored by Janis Siegel (The Manhattan Transfer) and Lauren Kinhan (New York Voices) while in Village Voices, recognized by Downbeat Magazine as the best small student vocal jazz group in their 44th annual awards. He currently directs, arranges, and produces for Moon Sessions, a Gen Z vocal collective bridging old and new in the jazz a cappella canon. Marwan earned individual awards for Outstanding Arrangement and Videography with Vocollision and Outstanding Soloist with Moon Sessions. In its first year, Moon Sessions was nominated for multiple Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) and A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs), including for Best Jazz Song/Album, and Best Jazz/Indie Video. Marwan was also a bass in Flex Pitch, a competitor in the last iteration of The Open Finals. Marwan maintains a partial residency at Red Pavilion, a neo-noir Asian jazz club. He’s played for The Backfires, Akari Village, Morphland, and more.

Andrew Richardson is a graduate from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he received a bachelor's degree in music education, specializing in choral and general music. During his time at Potsdam, Andrew was a member of The Potsdam Pitches and served as music director for two years, leading The Pitches to one of their most successful seasons since their inception. Besides directing, Andrew is also a skilled arranger who has been recognized by Varsity Vocals, the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA), and the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB) for his exemplary creative works. Andrew arranges for a variety of groups outside of the collegiate scene as well, including middle school, high school, and semi-professional groups. Currently, Andrew is a master’s student at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami where he studies music education and works with the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program to enrich the education of underserved communities within Miami-Dade County.

Jake Wild graduated from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with a degree in modern artistry development and entrepreneurship. Jake was a member of BisCaydence, the oldest a cappella group at the University of Miami, for all four years of his college experience. In Jake's senior year, he served as co-music director and helped lead BisCaydence to the ICCA Finals. He also served as music director of his high school a cappella group, Byram Beat. Jake currently lives in New York City and is pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter.

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 finishing groups at this event will advance to the 2026 ICHSA Mid-Atlantic 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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