High schools across the nation may be operating fully virtually — rendering performing arts participation nearly impossible — but it seems not even a global pandemic can stop student a cappella!
In 2021, the 16th season of our ICHSA tournament will take place in a fully virtual style and will feature nearly 3,000 performers in 193 groups from high schools across 30 states and two countries!
This season, competitors face the challenge of creating a 4-minute music video in lieu of a traditional competition set, all while maintaining appropriate social distancing measures. The difficulty of learning and performing music, and creating something vocally and visually artistic and appealing — without being able to come together in a traditional way — is considerable. And: all audio and video recording, mixing, and editing must be done by group members and their director — which means many are already working on acquiring these new skills. (A helpful, community-sourced resource guide for audio/video tutorials and trainings may be found here: VV RESOURCE GUIDE.)
We at Varsity Vocals are honored and humbled that so many of you have risen to the challenge this new ICHSA format presents. Instead of having a lost year of a cappella, we will now get to see so many amazing groups pivoting to new ways of artistic expression. We can’t wait to see what you create, and the ways in which your new skills will advance the art form.
2021 ICHSA COMPETITION STRUCTURE
High school groups will compete in 6 regions: Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, South, and West. The tournament begins in the quarterfinal rounds, where the top two groups advance to the regional semifinal. The top group from each semifinal will advance to ICHSA Finals.
All “events” — quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals — will take place virtually, as playlists of the groups’ competition videos.
This year, we are thrilled to offer the ICHSA completely free of charge — there is no fee to participate, and no ticket to purchase to watch the shows.
Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updated details.
COMPETITORS: Please see below for your quarterfinal assignment. If you applied and don’t see your name on the list below or if you have any questions about your placement, please contact us.
Congratulations to our accepted groups, and welcome to the 16th season of the ICHSA!
Please note that all quarterfinal assignments are subject to change at the discretion of headquarters.
(Click here for the 2021 ICCA Competitors and 2021 The Open Competitors!)
2021 International Championship of High School A Cappella Lineup
GREAT LAKES REGION
Quarterfinal 1
Bella Voce | Prospect High School
Echo Effect | Niles West High School
High Fidelity | Niles West High School
IMPACT | Youth Choral Theater of Chicago
Minor Renovation | Buffalo Grove High School
Modern Melodies | Buffalo Grove High School
Nothin’ But Treble | Loyola Academy
Quarterfinal 2
Enharmonic Fusion | DeKalb High School
Fusion | Glenbrook South High School
Gold Standard | Buffalo Grove High School
Hawkappella | Bartlett High School
Major Detour | Buffalo Grove High School
Mod21 | Illinois Math and Science Academy
The New Blue | Prospect High School
Northern Voices | Plainfield North High School
Off The Record | Lockport Township High School
Quarterfinal 3
The Accidentals | Arcadia High School
Incognito | Mayville High School
Knight Club | Oak Creek High School
Noteworthy | Eau Claire Memorial High School
Sound Bytes | Prospect High School
Treblesome Teens | Hortonville High School
True Blue | Brookfield Central
Unmasked | Clinton High School
Violet Noise | DeForest Area High School
Quarterfinal 4
Apollo | South Milwaukee High School
CYC Out! | Clinton High School
Graftonics | Grafton High School
The Knight Voices | Prospect High School
Ladies Knight | Oak Creek High School
Tonal Eclipse | Niles West High School
Treble Threat | Buffalo Grove High School
You’ve Got Male | Prospect High School
Semifinal
Featuring the top 2 groups from each quarterfinal
MIDWEST REGION
Quarterfinal 1
Bel Canto | Ann Arbor Skyline High School
Calamity | Howell High School
Chicappella | Brighton High School
Classicality | Howell High School
Dacapo | Brighton High School
Notetorious | Brighton High School
Skyline Blues | Ann Arbor Skyline High School
Quarterfinal 2
Limelighters | Lehman Catholic High School
Oakappella | Oakstone Academy High School
The Panther Tones | Maysville High School
Polarity | Waverly High School
Take Note | William Henry Harrison High School
Viva Voce | Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Quarterfinal 3
Alpha | West Clermont High School
The Cat’s Meow | Licking High school
Chromatic | Russellville High School
DYNAMIX | William Henry Harrison High School
The Ozarks | Springfield, MO
Tonal Uproar | Jefferson City High School
Quarterfinal 4
The Accidentals | Southwest Christian High School
Encore | Lakeville South High School
Red Knotes | Benilde St Margaret’s
SoundProof | Various
Titan Harmony | Arsenal Technical High School
Wahoo Chamber Singers | Wahoo High School
Semifinal
Featuring the top 2 groups from each quarterfinal
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
Quarterfinal 1
The Acatonics | Thomas S. Wootton High School
C Sharp | Centennial High School
Evolve | Chesapeake High School
Hawkappella | River Hill High School
Spartones | St. Charles High School
Takin’ Charge | Henry E. Lackey High School
ThomasTones | Thomas Stone HS
Undefined | Maurice J McDonough High School
Quarterfinal 2
Highlands Belles | Northern Highlands Regional High School
LumeNAtion | Newark Academy
Reverb | Howell High School
Screechin’ Eagles | North Point High School
Unaccompanied Minors | West Morris Mendham HS
Varsity Vocals | Carteret High School
Vox Blue | Delaware Valley Regional High School
Quarterfinal 3
Bergen Sound | Bergen County Academies
Highlands Voices | Northern Highlands Regional High School
The Maroon Men | Ridgewood High School
Rebelation | Howell High School
Remix | Montclair Kimberley Academy
Soulfege | Millburn High School
SoundXplosion | Cresskill High School
The Spartones | Steinert High School
Quarterfinal 4
First Edition | West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Free Verse | Central Catholic High School & Oakland Catholic High School
Highlands Harmonics | Northern Highlands Regional High School
Rebel Remix | Howell High School
Scarlet Sound | Neptune High School
The Ram Jams | Ramsey High School
Trebelettes | Woodbridge Senior High School
Treble Makers | West Morris Mendham High School
Quarterfinal 5
The AcaBellas | Ridgewood High School
The Foxy Jukebox | Moorestown Friends School
The Nocktaves | Pequannock Township High School
NoFella Acapella | Albemarle High School
Noteriety | Piscataway High School
The Trebels | Seton LaSalle High School
Vocal Resolution | Highland Regional High School
Vocal Synergy | Dwight Morrow High School
Semifinal
Featuring the top 2 groups from each quarterfinal
NORTHEAST REGION
Quarterfinal 1
The 18 Wheelers | The Wheeler School
The Crescendos | Chelmsford High School
Dachords | Hanover High School
Hilights | Hanover High School
The Nightingales | Ridgefield High School
The Photosymphonizers | Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School
Strawberry Fields | Bristol Eastern High School
The Thursdays | Chelmsford High School
The Voxtones | Valley Central High School
Quarterfinal 2
Luminescence | Marblehead High School
The Jewel Tones | Marblehead High School
The Newtones | Newton South High School
Scalestorm | Natick High School
Seven’s Not Enough | Natick High School
Skywave | Danvers High School
The Valkyries | Valley Central High School
Quarterfinal 3
DOWNBEAT | Phillips Academy Andover
Northern Lights | Plymouth North High School
NOTEorious | North Reading High School
The Sachimes | Saugus High School
South Avenue | Plymouth South High School
Spectrum | Plymouth North High School
Vibe | POB JFK High School
WitchPitch? | Salem High School
Quarterfinal 4
Bear Necessities | Vestal High School
Dobbs 16 | The Masters School
Drastic Measures | Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK High School
For Good Measure | Mohonasen High School
Noteworthy | Plainview Old Bethpage John F Kennedy High School
PACapellas | Mahopac High School
Viking Voices | Valley Central Middle School
Vocal Point | South Glens Falls High School
Semifinal
Featuring the top 2 groups from each quarterfinal
SOUTH REGION
Quarterfinal 1
Bella Voce | New Manchester High School
ForteFy | Lake Brantley High School
HyperOctave | Heritage High
InToneNation | New Manchester High School
Mello Divas | Berkeley Preparatory School
Momentum | Alpharetta High School
N’Harmonics | Norcross High School
Quarterfinal 2
The Acapostles | Cary Christian School
Armonia | Dobyns-Bennett High School
Chiefs Of Staff | East Chapel Hill High School
Crescenloe | Enloe Magnet High School
Duly Noted | Dobyns-Bennett High School
Patatonics | White House Heritage High School
Tonal Spectrum | Crest High School
Quarterfinal 3
The A Cappella Group | Cypress Lake Center for the Arts
After School Specials | Palm Harbor University High School
The Beatitones | Berkeley Preparatory School
Rhapsody | Heritage High School
The Tribe | Chamberlain High School
Verse8 | Coral Reef Senior High School
Vocal Society | Trinity Preparatory School
Vocality | Boone High School
Quarterfinal 4
A-Side | A&M Consolidated High School
Aperture | MacArthur HS
Beyond | Rockwall Heath High School
Iron Maidens | Harker Heights High School
Madrigal | Belton High School
Remedy | Argyle High School
Vocal Legacy | Bryan High School
Walk the Line | Rockwall High School
Quarterfinal 5
Encore | Carroll Senior High
Infiniti | Rockwall Heath High School
PFC | MacArthur High School
Pitch Black | Harker Heights High School
Sting | Rockwall High School
VOLT | Lebanon Trail High School
Vox Cor | James Earl Rudder High School
Zero Hour | Warren HS
Semifinal
Featuring the top 2 groups from each quarterfinal
WEST REGION
Quarterfinal 1
Choralaires | Silverton High School
Free to Breathe | Sunset High School
Mixolydians | Sherwood High School
Spartacappella | Corvallis High School
Synergy | Oregon Children’s Choir
Take Note | Pinewood School
Quarterfinal 2
Critical Mass | Orem High School
Group Name A Cappella | Aragon High School
The hOWLers | The Athenian School
Red Harmony | Walden Grove High School
Treble With Angels | Aragon High School
Vocal Rush | Oakland School for the Arts
Quarterfinal 3
Foothills Vocal Group | Foothills Christian School
Gold Dust Avenue | Chaparral High School
Green NV | Green Valley High School
Relentless | Woodbridge High School
Titanium | Tesoro High School
Wolf PACappella | Pacifica Christian High School
Semifinal
Featuring the top 2 groups from each quarterfinal
ICHSA FINALS
Friday, April 17, 2020 at The Town Hall (New York, NY)
Featuring the semifinal champion from each region and the Wild Card champion