International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
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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 (except for two years early on, when it was held at Carnegie Hall), 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 12-20. A panel of three trained judges grades the group's performance.
The ICCA have 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.
[edit] Previous Champions
| Year | Institution | Group |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Brigham Young University | Vocal Point |
| 2005 | Boston University | Dear Abbeys |
| 2004 | Millikin University | OneVoice |
| 2003 | Binghamton University | Binghamton Crosbys |
| 2002 | University of Michigan | Compulsive Lyres |
| 2001 | Millikin University | Chapter 6 |
| 2000 | University of California, Berkeley | Men's Octet |
| 1999 |
|
|
| 1998 | University of California, Berkeley | Men's Octet |
| 1997 | Stanford University | Talisman A Cappella |
| 1996 | University of North Carolina | Loreleis |
