The
International Championship of Collegiate A
Cappella, originally the National Championship of
Collegiate A Cappella ("NCCA", a play on
NCAA),
is an international competition that attracts hundreds of
college a cappella groups each
year.
Founded in 1996 by Adam Farb and
Deke
Sharon, the ICCA tournament takes place from January through
April in seven regions: West, Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic,
Northeast, New England, and Western Europe.
Each region holds several quarterfinal events. The top two college
groups at each quarterfinal advance to the semifinals, and the
winner of each semifinal is invited to participate in finals, held
in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (the event has also
been held in Carnegie Hall and The Beacon Theatre on Broadway),
where they compete for cash prizes and the coveted title of Grand
Champion.
Each group prepares a short performance (usually three songs) that
best show the group's strengths. Primary focus is on a group's
musical performance, but presentation is important so it's not
unusual to see choreography involved as well. Groups range in size
generally from 8-20. A panel of three to five trained judges
evaluates the group's performance.
The ICCA has been presented by Varsity Vocals since 1999, when it
was purchased by Don Gooding (a-cappella.com, Contemporary A
Cappella Publishing).
In 2005, the success of the ICCA produced a spin-off competition,
the International Championship of High School A Cappella
(ICHSA).
Occasionally the event has caught the attention of national media.
The
greatest television exposure was three successive performances on
The Today Show in 2001,
culminating with a Monday morning performance by the champions, the
University of
Michigan
Compulsive Lyres. The following year,
competitors the
Skidmore Dynamics
were the subject of a
New York Times
article a few days before they took the stage
at Lincoln Center.
Previous Champions
Notes
- Battle of the singers - The Stanford Daily
Online
- News brief: Divisi places second at international
finals - News
- http://www.fermatanowhere.net/Site/Home.html
- USC Daily Trojan - SoCal VoCals Take Top A Cappella
Title
- BYU NewsNet - A Capella Group Takes First at International
Competition
- Deseret Morning News | Vocal Point wins world
championship
- Local a cappella groups compete for title -
News
- International Championship of Collegiate A
Cappella
- A cappella group wins international championship -
News
- The Daily Californian
External links