Stevens A Cappella (SAC) will be performing in the 2021 Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) against more than 250 university groups across 33 states and 5 countries. This is the first time SAC will be participating in the competition, and it is also the first time that Varsity Vocals will be conducting the entirety of the event virtually.
Castle Point Crescendos, the group representing Stevens A Cappella, will partake in one of four Mid-Atlantic region quarterfinals. In their group, they are up against six other university musical groups from John Hopkins University, University of Maryland, and University of Pennsylvania. If placed within the top 2 of their quarterfinal group, they, along with the top 2 from each other quarterfinal in the Mid-Atlantic region, will advance to the semifinals.
Founded in 1996, the Varsity Vocals ICCA is a venue for singers to perform, compete with and learn from other peer groups, and receive feedback from professional judges. The ICCAs run from January to April and follow a bracket system composed of quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be based around eight regions: Northeast, West, Midwest, South, Great Lakes, Central, Mid-Atlantic, and International.
According to the Varsity Vocals page on competition rules, the winner at each level will be determined by the number of votes they garner. Two groups will advance from quarterfinals as Quarterfinal Champion and Quarterfinal Runner-Up to regional semifinal. Only for next year’s tournament, the ICCAs will include a Wild Card Round where third and second place winners from semifinals can participate and advance forward to finals as Wild Card Round Champion. The highest scorer at the finals will be crowned Champion and receive the cash prize of $25,000. The Champion will also receive the opportunity to hold up the Gooding Cup, a trophy that bears the name of all winners of the ICCA and ICHSA since its inception in 1996.
Due to heightened concerns with COVID-19 cases and lockdown restrictions, Varsity Vocals will be conducting the ICCAs completely virtually in 2021. Competitors have been asked to submit 4 minute videos, or “shows,” in place of a traditional competition set. These “shows” will be presented as playlists to the public to view for free. Unlike prior years, next year’s event will be completely free for both competitors and viewers. The playlist for the quarterfinals will be released on February 13, semifinals will be released March 13, and finals will be released April 17.
SAC is a student organization that aims to encourage the development of a cappella at Stevens for individuals, new groups, and existing groups (such as Floctaves and Quackappella) and make a cappella more accessible and inclusive to students who might not otherwise be involved. Some of their past events include karaoke night, Valentine’s Day singing grams, and Christmas caroling. Eva Henderson, 4/5 Mechanical Engineer and President of SAC, encourages students to join the organization even if they are not already involved with a cappella, as they are “always looking for people who can arrange music, handle audio equipment, or help with choreography!”
Being virtual this semester meant that live a cappella events were going to be impossible and preparation for the ICCAs meant new challenges to overcome. Co-founders Eva Henderson (4/5 Mechanical Engineer), Angelina Zaccaria (4/4 Software Engineer), and Christian Bonavita (4/4 Chemical Engineer) express spirit and enthusiasm for the opportunity to have been given the chance to represent Stevens and SAC at the ICCAs through Castle Point Crescendos. Zaccaria mentioned that logistics with developing the videos has been a “bit more complicated than usual.” She stated that due to Zoom lag, “rehearsals have been primarily sectionals separated by voice part where only one person at a time puts their mic on while everyone else sings along on mute.”
Henderson mentioned how this opportunity provided “a new sense of pride and hope.” To her, “training for the ICCAs challenges [their] skills and encourages [them] to invest more in [their] talents.” According to Bonavita, it is important that SAC be recognized for attending the ICCAs because “we want students to know that we have an ICCA-caliber a cappella group… [and] encourage talented students to keep coming to Stevens and continue building our organization long after [we] graduate.” Despite the fact that it has been very difficult to accomplish this remotely, this opportunity gives Castle Point Crescendos a reason to not only put their best foot forward in this competition but also be proud of their work.
Other members of Castle Point Crescendos that will be performing alongside Bonavita, Zaccaria, and Henderson are: Alexis Edgin, Marisa Soteropolous, Kiera Kennedy, Katherine Ho, Elsa Moroney, Tristan Cole Bacani, Jessica Razak, Stacy Shang, Shalom Romero-Retana, Gianna Callegari, Garrett Kincaid, Joshua Ronai, Paul Gschneidner, Skanda Srikkanth, Alex Markoulis, Charlie Beall, Burke Perrotta, Emmanuel Garcia, Elton Vaz, Alex Yedidia, Taran Miller, and Derek Petti.
Image courtesy of moni -q from YouTube.
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