The Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella South Quarterfinal will take place in the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday at 7 p.m., with the event wrapping at 11 p.m.
Of the 10 groups competing, four are from UF. The top two placing groups from quarterfinals will advance to the ICCA South Semifinal at the University of Georgia on March 11.
Alex Dluzneski, the president of No Southern Accent, one of the UF groups competing Saturday, likened the event to “Pitch Perfect,” a film that follows collegiate a cappella groups.
Each group has 12 minutes to present an arrangement of songs performed without instrumental accompaniment and paired to choreography.
Sometimes a group’s set has an overarching story to be told through song, and sometimes it’s a random assortment of tunes put together, he said.
Preparation is a key factor in arranging their performance, Dluzneski said. Groups practice for months to master the songs and choreography, and he said some rehearse for up to 12 hours a week.
“I’m just looking forward to unveiling what we have to offer,” said Dluzneski, a 19-year-old UF biomedical engineering sophomore. “It’s been a lot of time in the making, and we’ve been working very, very hard, so I’ll be proud of the end result.”
Standing Room Only, another UF a cappella group competing, looks at the event as a growing experience. They aren’t a highly competitive group, president Elise Rose said.
Rose described their sound as a “jazz pop fusion.” They pick songs to perform that will make themselves stand out and engage the audience.
“We’re probably looking forward most for the opportunity to put ourselves out there,” said Rose, a 22-year-old UF advertising senior. “We are just more about the fun and music-making aspect.”
Gestalt A Cappella, UF’s newest a cappella group, is determined to give this competition their all, member Shane Pinak said.
“We work extremely hard to create meaningful pieces of art and to display it at a competitive level,” the 20-year-old UF advertising sophomore said.
The name of their group, Gestalt, comes from the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, he said. They use this theory when performing together.
“The idea is to use dynamic songs and arrangements that compliment the mantra of Gestalt,” Pinak said.
Tone Def, another competing coed a cappella group at UF, finds their soloists to be among their greatest assets when performing, said Erika Boone, the public relations director.
“When picking a set, you want to pick a variety of songs to keep the set interesting, but also find songs that our group could really rock,” said the 22-year-old UF microbiology and cell science and behavioral and cognitive neuroscience senior.
Tone Def formed four years ago, and they’ve been able to compete for the past three years.
“Each year, our group greatly improves and grows in ways we didn’t know possible,” Boone said.
General admission tickets are available online at UF’s Performing Arts’ website. Tickets are $25 for the general public, and $18 for UF and non-UF students and children aged 18 and under.
