1st Place – Pitch, Please | Northeastern University | 343 points
2nd Place – Faux Paz | University of Maryland | 341 points
3rd Place – Gemini Blvd | University of Central Florida | 340 points
[Results]
Congratulations to Pitch, Please, who will be moving on to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Finals at The PlayStation Theater in New York City on April 27th!
ICCA Wild Card Judges:
Candice Helfand-Rogers has been active in the a cappella community for decades. At Rutgers University, she sang with and music directed Deep Treble, then went on to help found (and music direct) ShockWave. After graduating in 2005, she teamed up with several collegiate a cappella alumni in New York City to form Restated (formerly known as The Red States), and served as musical director for its first three years of existence. She has garnered multiple awards for her contributions to these groups, both onstage and in the studio. Candice’s voice can also be heard in Universal Studios’ hit a cappella movies, Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2. She performs to this day with numerous New York ensembles, including Restated, Broadway Inspirational Voices, and Ghostlight. By day, she is a writer at a nonprofit called The Story Exchange and serves as a content producer for the Women’s A Cappella Association (WACA). She has previously written for CASA and A Cappella Records.
Originally from Tustin, Calif., Hannah Juliano attended Berklee College of Music and led its co-ed group, Pitch Slapped, to the Finals stage two years in a row. The group was crowned ICCA champion its second year. They went on to win the competition at SoJam 2011, and appeared on season 2 of NBC’s “The Sing-Off.” After college, Hannah became a member of Musae, a professional all-female frontier blazer, and Delilah, the all-female powerhouse from season 3 of “The Sing-Off.” She has since performed all around the world, taught workshops and masterclasses for all ages, and arranged for groups and individuals around the country, including Leslie Odom Jr., Eden Espinosa, Joshua Henry, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Ledisi, Josh Groban, Ingrid Michaelson, The Beverly Belles, and VoicePlay, among others. She recently toured with Deke Sharon’s a cappella show “Vocalosity” as a performer and music director, was a soloist at Carnegie Hall for the “Total Vocal” show, and recently was a performer in the Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes.
Originally from Austin, Texas, Rene Ruiz was a featured performer and show director for the Walt Disney World Co. for over fifteen years. He conceived, directed and performed in TOXIC AUDIO, an a cappella concept show that played Off-Broadway and won the 2004 Drama Desk Award for “Unique Theatrical Experience”. The show has toured internationally including stops in Japan and Barcelona. He executive produced their CD “Chemistry” which won the CARA “Album of the Year” award in 2000. He’s also directed performing a cappella shows for Six Flags New England, Hershey Park and Kennywood Theme Parks. He can currently be seen as the bass/beatboxer in the Progressive Insurance a cappella national commercial.
Kimberly Raschka Sailor is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB), and she has written more than 300 reviews of high school, collegiate, and professional groups since 2005. A former ICCA Finalist, Kimberly is the co-founder and past president of the University of Southern California’s Reverse Osmosis. Kimberly has also served as a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) nominator and judge. In addition to volunteering in the a cappella community, Kimberly is an author and elected school board member for the Mount Horeb Area School District in Wisconsin, where she also sings with the Mount Horeb Chorale. This is Kimberly’s 14th year adjudicating for Varsity Vocals.
Ben Spalding is the head choral director at Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio. He is an avid supporter of a cappella music and recently wrote a book with Deke Sharon and Brody McDonald, called “A Cappella” (available at amazon.com and other booksellers). He is a founding member of the A Cappella Education Association and is associated with several other a cappella organizations. He is an instructor at Camp A Cappella and a clinician for vocal groups across the country.