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 MIDWEST QUARTERFINAL

Washington University in St. Louis
Saturday, February 7th, 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

Founded in 2019, Flockappella has been sharing their love of a cappella music with audiences ever since. Composed of singers from all grades and musical backgrounds, they strive to connect with the entire Springfield community. Their semi-annual concert, Flockafest, brings multiple high school and collegiate groups together to showcase a cappella music. Their annual Singing Candygrams fundraiser is one of the school year’s most anticipated events and they love working gigs and school tours througout the 417. They made their competitive debut in 2023 and this will be their third ICHSA appearance. Their 2026 ICHSA set was entirely arranged by a current Flockappella member and they all hope you enjoy it! 

Maximum Forte is the premier extracurricular contemporary a cappella group from Charleston High School, located in the cornfields in East Central Illinois. Under the direction of Juliane Sharp for the past 18 years, the group has been invited to sing at the Kettering National A Cappella Festival in Ohio and the East Central Illinois Youth in Harmony Festival on numerous occasions. They also cohosted the East Central Illinois Acafest at Eastern Illinois University, along with their collegiate friends, EIU’s Blue Fusion, for the past two years. Maximum Forte has been invited to open for professional a cappella groups, including m-pact, Six Appeal, and Radius, and have held concerts in New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, and New York through their choir department. In addition to their active outreach performance schedule, this competitive ensemble has a successful record in the ICHSA. Maximum Forte has progressed to many ICHSA Semifinals over the years, taking awards for Outstanding Soloist, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Vocal Percussion on multiple occasions. Maximum Forte is eager to represent the Charleston community in the 2026 ICHSA season! 

Nixapella is the contemporary a cappella group from Nixa High School in Nixa, Mo. Formed in 2022, this year marks their fourth season competing in the ICHSA. In 2024, Nixapella took 1st place at their ICHSA Midwest Quarterfinal and followed it up with a 3rd-place finish in 2025. That same year, they made school and state history as the first contemporary a cappella group ever to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Association Conference. Nixapella students also participate in another varsity choral ensemble at Nixa, blending their traditional choir training with the creative energy of a cappella performance. Under the direction of Danny Gutierrez, the group performs across the region, sharing music that challenges and inspires both singers and audiences. In their next chapter, Nixapella plans to continue growing their sound, taking risks onstage, and representing the Nixa choir program with pride. 

SoundProof is part of KC A Cappella, a nonprofit organization bringing talented high school singers together from across Kansas City. They’ve hit plenty of high notes since their ICHSA debut in 2017, especially being crowned the 2022 ICHSA Champions! They’re excited to be back on stage and ready to make some serious noise, with nothing but their voices. 

Contemporary A Cappella music has been a staple in the Parkway North music program since the early 2000s. Two separate groups, Men’s Room and Powder Room, evolved into today’s group, Valholla. In that time, hundreds of students have had the opportunity to experience this amazing art form and compete in the ICHSA. Valholla is a unique group of students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, who work together to bring their music to life on stage. After many hours of hard work, they are excited to share their set with and hope you enjoy the energy of Valholla. 

VCR, Urbana High School’s mixed a cappella group, is delighted to perform alongside these amazing groups! VCR, which stands for Vocal Chords Required, is an extracurricular mixed a cappella group that rehearses three days a week before school. The group was founded in 2004 and has been a regular presence in the ICHSA. They hope you enjoy their set and wish the best of luck to everyone competing tonight!

Viva Voce is an all-treble a cappella group from Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis. Founded in 2016, Viva Voce has thrived competing each year in the ICHSA and sharing their love of a cappella music with their peers and community. Follow them @VivavoceLHS! 

Vocabellas is in its third year together and their second ICHSA. Vocabellas is composed of talented female singers across the Kansas City Metro. Vocabellas was founded by Stageright Performing Arts members.

GUEST PERFORMER

 
The Amateurs is an award-winning all-gender a cappella group that brings a passion for music and a deep sense of community. They pour their hearts into every performance, and have a successful ICCA record. Recent accolades include 1st place at their 2024 ICCA Quarterfinal, 2nd place at Semifinals that season, and special awards for Outstanding Arrangement, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Soloist. They have performed on national stages, including VoiceJam, America's Got Talent, and Radio City Music Hall. The best part of being an AMA is getting to hang out with a group of best friends. Whether it's their annual fall break retreat, Singsgiving (their beloved Thanksgiving dinner), or competing in the AMA-lympics, The Amateurs is truly a home away from home. The Amateurs sing for the sheer love of it, always staying true to their motto, "Do it because you love it."

TONIGHT'S JUDGES

Briana Link is an accomplished choral educator and vocalist with extensive experience in a cappella performance and direction. She spent 11 years at Licking High School, where she revitalized the choral program and also taught band and theatre. During her tenure, she founded The Cat’s Meow, a mixed a cappella ensemble, in 2017. She currently serves as the director of communications for the West Plains R-VII School District and continues to teach choral music part-time in her hometown of West Plains, Mo. Briana was a member of A Cub Bella, Missouri State University’s renowned female a cappella group, for four years and served as music director for two. She also performed with the Missouri State University Chorale and studied under Dr. Guy B. Webb, while serving as his graduate assistant in 2013. She holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education and a master’s degree in choral conducting from Missouri State University. 

Sague Molina is a second-year grad student studying choral conducting at Western Illinois University. He is a singer, teacher, and arranger, born and raised in Arizona. Before coming to the Midwest, Sague graduated from Northern Arizona University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in music education. Soon after, he began teaching in urban Phoenix, where he directed the choral and music technology programs. Sague continues to sing with many choral, vocal jazz, and a cappella ensembles, as well as opera and oratorio, and is the director of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Chorus. 

Jamie Perkins received a B.A. in music from Washington University in St. Louis, where he sang for four years as a member of The Amateurs, as well as Wash U's concert and chamber choirs. Jamie served as The Amateurs' music director for his final two years with the group before graduating in spring 2013. After graduating from Wash U, Jamie spent two years at Webster University, and earned a master's degree in choral conducting. At Webster, he sang with the Webster University Chamber Singers and worked as the assistant conductor for Webster's choirs. Jamie currently works for the Washington University Department of Music and he is happy to be back in the a cappella community as a Varsity Vocals judge.

Kristine Terrance received her B.A. in music from Saint Louis University and her B.M.E. in choral music education from Webster University. While at SLU, she sang with Beyond All Reason, an all-female a cappella group, and co-founded and sang with the co-ed group, Decadence. At Webster, she performed and traveled with The Chamber Singers, a group featured at state and national conferences, and in an instructional DVD produced by GIA Publications. After graduation, she spent a year performing with the semi-professional, all-female quintet, Jaded A Cappella. She has taught vocal music in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms for the past 12 years. Kristine is a founding team member of Atlas Public Schools in St. Louis City (est. 2021), where she taught elementary music for three years. She now serves on the Communications team as Director of Creative Services and continues working with students as the director of Atlas’ Honors Choir for fourth and fifth grade students. Kristine is also the proud mother of two children, one she was fortunate to teach in Pre-K at Atlas, and another who will join her there in fall 2026.

SPECIAL THANKS

Varsity Vocals would like to recognize and thank Jaykob Archer, Cadence Arnold, and 560 Music Center Staff; 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 Midwest 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!

#ICHSA