To begin, it may be helpful to know that A Capella is music performed by singing without the accompaniment of musical instruments. Voices can be used to mimic instruments and create gorgeous harmonies. With that being said, have you heard of UW A Capella club?
January 18th brought the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella (ICCA) Central Quarterfinal to the Humanities Theatre featuring 10 a capella groups! Hosted by Varsity Vocals, the competition was the inspiration for the famous Pitch Perfect. The event truly felt straight out of the movie. The results of this year’s Quarterfinals had TMU’s On That Note and Western’s Equivox progress to the ICCA Central Semifinals in Buffalo. Five groups from the University of Waterloo’s A Capella club were had truly magnificent performances with UW’s The Unaccompanied Minors, The Water Boys, and The AcaBellas competing, and The Musical InterDudes and ACE as guest performers. The Unaccompanied Minors and The Water Boys were randomly chosen to kick off the competition, so props to all the members who had to do two sets in a row, that must have been tiring.
The Water Boys placed third with their set including “Blow” from & Juliet, “Straight Up & Down” by Bruno Mars, and “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC. Their set was expertly arranged by musical directors Shon Lim, Trevor Tang, and Julienne Mansueto. The Water Boys are an auditioned lower-voiced a capella group and are rumoured to be one of the first a capella groups on campus; founded in 2008, as was the umbrella club – UW A Capella Club (UWACC), the rumours could be true. The Water Boys are “excited to share [their] passion for a capella music with the university community! [They’re] dedicated to showcasing the hard work and talent of [their] members”. Be sure to check out their Instagram at @waterboysuw, for the dates of their own end-of-term concert, where they will perform all the songs they learn this term. Their Instagram will also keep you updated on all their busking, singagrams, and any other competitions they might participate in (my favourite is when it features people falling during performances XD).
The Unaccompanied Minors is a mixed-voice auditioned group recognizable on stage by their signature purple clothes. Their ICCA set included “Crush You” by Long Ranger Hustle with soloist Elysia Wang, “I Heard You’re Worried About Me” by The Honest Heart Collective with soloist Ethan Kwon, and “Breaking Out” by The Protomen with soloist Kaitlyn Bennett. They were truly spectacular on stage. The group was established in 2009 and have been ICCA semi-finalists in both 2020 and 2021. Their coffeehouse is on Saturday, March 8th so be sure to check them out. They’ll have gigs on and off-campus throughout the term so be sure to follow their Instagram @uw.unaccompaniedminors for dates.
The AcaBellas are the University of Waterloo’s hottest upper-voice a cappella group! Their beautiful set was arranged by Jon Ragubhir, Nishika Minocha, and music director, Alicia Ng. And, for the first time, The AcaBellas introduced a mezzo-soprano range to their performance. Their choreo director, Natalia Gayowsky brought so much emotion to the set and was truly a star contrasted in her red dress against the black outfits of the rest of the group. The ICCA set included “Decode” by Paramore with soloist Alicia Ng, “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish with soloist Jessica Ding, and “Eve” by Precious Pepala with soloist Adora Johnson, who was nominated for the Outstanding Soloist Award. Their performance put at least one woman to tears. You can see The AcaBellas perform at the Queen’s University 9th Annual Intercollegiate A Cappella Competition on March 7th if you happen to be in Kingston. Follow The AcaBellas @uwacabellas for all the dates on all their spectacular performances throughout the term.
The Musical InterDudes were one of the talented guest performers at ICCA Central Quarterfinals, and you’ll be able to watch them competing at the Queen’s University 9th Annual Intercollegiate A Capella Competition in addition to their own coffeehouses and various gigs across campus. They are the premier (only) comedy-focused a capella group at UW. Throughout the years, they have taken on many faces such as the hosts of the Musical InterDudes Puppet Show, the executive office of the InterDudes Inc., and the innovative minds behind musicalinterdudes.com. Their latest exploits will take you on a journey of magic & myth, of swords & sorcery – of Dudes & Dragons. Be sure to follow the Musical InterDudes on their magical journey this term @themusicalinterdudes.
ACE was the other talented guest performer at ICCA Central Quarterfinals. ACE is the University of Waterloo’s largest a capella group. They are the only OPEN mixed-vocal group on campus, so if you want to join a capella and you missed the other group’s auditions, ACE is your chance to join this week! They are “very low commitment, so no one has to attend every single one of [their] rehearsals to perform at [the] end of term concert”. I remember first watching ACE, it was truly incredible to see so many people performing in harmony. I would highly recommend following them @uw_ace.
Although they were not present for ICCAs this year, In Full Colour is back this term! The group is still setting up the dates of their gigs for this term so be sure to follow them @infullcolouracappella. They are an award-winning mixed vocal group founded in 2017. In Full Colour has won multiple accolades, including three ICCA quarterfinal championship titles and the ICCA semifinal runner-up title in 2018. Their aim is to push the boundaries of a capella; combining music and choreography into masterful storytelling, they draw immense inspiration from the stage giving audiences unique and emotional experiences. During COVID-19, In Full Colour started creating original pieces as a way to tell their own personal stories. This term, you can look forward to a set exploring themes surrounding death, fears, judgement, and our impact on one another.
For the performance of the term, be sure to attend the End-of-Term concert on April 5th & 6th in ML Theatre of the Arts; all the UW a capella groups will be performing spectacular 15 minute sets, and maybe something collaborative at the end. It’s something you won’t want to miss so be sure to mark it in your calendars.
Leave a Reply