‘E-town goes Glee’ was first uttered by Elizabethtown College’s very own president, Carl Strikwerda, when he received a personal letter from the campus musical groups, Vocalign, Melica and Phalanx. The letter was an invitation to the International Championship of A Cappella (ICCA) competition. The competition, sponsored by the Varsity Vocals organization, takes place Saturday, Feb. 15, at Pennsylvania State University. All three of E-town’s a cappella groups have been invited to compete.
The Varsity Vocals International Championship of A Cappella is the only international tournament that features students singing a cappella. Every year, the tournament takes place from January through April in regions across the United States and Europe. For the college tournament, every region has several quarterfinal events. The top two groups at each quarterfinal advance to regional semifinals. The winner of each semifinal is invited to participate in finals, held in New York, N.Y., where they compete for the prestigious title of Grand Champion. E-town’s groups are competing in the 2014 ICCA Mid-Atlantic quarterfinals this Friday.
We have taken notes, watched in awe and prepared for two years, and now we are finally competing!”
Having all three musical groups included in the competition’s lineup is a first for the College. In order to gain acceptance, the groups sent in videos from their 2013 Homecoming set list. “They select groups on how they sound and what the ICCAs believe will make the best show and competition,” said Jason Sandonato, the music director of Phalanx.
“Competing in ICCAs has been a dream for several years for Melica. The last time Melica competed was in 2005,” said the group’s music director, Shannon O’Leary. “However, Phalanx has competed for the past three years, and for the past two years, Melica has traveled to Cornell and Penn State to watch our fellow a cappella friends compete. We have taken notes, watched in awe and prepared for two years, and now we are finally competing!”
Once the excitement of being accepted set in, the work began. Each group rehearses three times a week, incorporating music and choreography into their set lists. The hours of work will be displayed in 12-minute performances per group. The groups had a chance to show off their efforts to Elizabethtown at the Pre-ICCA show held in Gibble Auditorium Tuesday, Feb. 11.
The groups can be proud of what they have accomplished. “We are working so hard, and have come so far,” O’Leary said. “We have grown so much and cannot wait to show everyone what we’ve got!”
Tickets to the event are free; but they are first-come, first-serve. For event details and ticket information, visit the ICCA website.