A recap of the ICCAs

This past weekend, I went to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella South Regional Finals. The ICCAs are apparently the same competition as the one featured in the popular "Pitch Perfect" series of movies. While the level of hijinks present at the real-life competition was negligible, the vocal talent and artistry on display was way better than anything you’d get from Anna Kendrick or Rebel Wilson.

Up front, I would just like to say that I am a casual a cappella fan at best. I admire the work and talent that goes into creating a fully fleshed arrangement of a complicated song sans backing track, but a cappella songs are not usually my thing. That being said, the groups present at the ICCAs were all legitimately excellent and made me want to seek out more a cappella music, as the depth of the arrangements of most of the groups were on point. Nine groups performed at the Carolina Theatre: Acappology, Grains of Time, Ladies in Red and Wolfgang represented NC State, No Ceiling represented William and Mary, Note-oriety represented James Madison University, reVOLution represented the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Petal Points represented High Point University and Rhythm and Blue represented Duke University. I apologize in advance for my inherent Duke bias, but suffice it to say that all the groups did very well.

It is very impressive how much sound a group of nine to 20 people can actually make. A lot of the groups were borderline symphonic in that respect. Petal Points did a very effective job mimicking the bombast and brass of Demi Lovato’s “Confident,” while Grains of Time captured the smooth essence of Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and made it sound much lusher than the original track. Grains of Time also benefitted greatly from the best individual soloist of the night, Jordan Williams, who ended up taking home the Award for Best Solo Performance for his rendition of a Luther Vandross song. In fact, Grains of Time swept the other top awards as well for First Place and Best Choreography. 

One thing I did not realize was how visual a medium a cappella can be. There is so much choreography and spectacle that goes into each performance, and it makes the songs much more engaging than they might otherwise be. The groups that did the best had the most equal balance of stunning vocals/arrangements and visual elements; specifically the hypnotic whirling of No Ceiling, the spunk and tight coordination of reVOLution, and the assertive stomping of Rhythm and Blue.

Rhythm and Blue ended up in fourth place behind Grains of Time, No Ceiling, and Wolfgang, which—pardon my authorial bias—was nonsense. Their performance began with a sultry rendition of “Crazy in Love” courtesy of sophomores Haley Dishong and Alex Barbet that benefitted from smooth and sensual choreography, then led into an excellent solo of Amber Run’s “I Found” from junior Sid Gopinath. R&B’s program ended with freshman Bekah Wellons’ show-stopping performance of “Chasing Twisters” by Delta Rae, which was a strong contender for best solo of the night. Vocally, R&B had the most consistent performance of the night. Grains of Time’s program was marred by a weak and disjointed version of “Sorry,” No Ceiling had strong harmonies but slightly weaker solos, and I’m hard-pressed to remember anything about Wolfgang. Where Duke’s finest may have faltered was their comparatively subdued choreography, but it was still arresting enough that I would have given them second place behind Grains of Time and their incorporation of hip-hop dance.

Alas, I’m not a judge, and Rhythm and Blue was not sent on to the semifinals. Despite that, every group had their moments of excellence, and on the whole it was a very enjoyable night. I’ll be excited to hear how Grains of Time and No Ceiling finishing at ICCA Nationals in a few months, and I can’t wait to come back next year and see it all again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to create a new a cappella playlist on Spotify that isn’t just Pentatonix.