“Wolf! Pack!”
The call and response that every member of the Wolfpack knows echoed through Page Auditorium, next to the Chapel at Duke University. However, it wasn’t a sporting event that sparked a bit of college rivalry Saturday night. It was the 17th annual Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella quarterfinals.
Two a cappella groups hailing from N.C. State, Ladies in Red and Wolfgang, joined seven other groups on stage to compete for two spots to the ICCA semifinals set to be held in March. Although it was the Belltones, the only group not from North Carolina, that took first place and the the Loreleis, an a cappella group from UNC-Chapel Hill, that took second, fans of the two N.C. State a cappella group didn’t leave disheartened.
Chante Thompson, a senior in history, came to support the two N.C. State groups and came with a few of her friends who, together, made large black and red cardboard signs supporting the Ladies in Red.
“The show was brilliant,” Thompson said. “I’m glad we could hear the competitors as well.”
Bob Nelson, a freshman biological studies and a member of another N.C. State a cappella group, The Grains of Time, also came out to support and to hear the musical art form that he had come to love.
“I love everything [about a cappella,] the people, the atmosphere, the family, the music,” Nelson said. “Everything is completely natural. It’s just amazing how many sounds people can make just with their voices alone.”
This same love for the community and the musical style brought many of the singers to compete in this relatively new musical genre that uses, almost exclusively, the oldest musical instrument —the voice.
“The general party line, is that barbershop as well as Glee clubs from about 50 to 100 years ago sort of evolved into what we now think of as modern a cappella,” Lindsey Howerton, the South Producer and Judication Director at Varsity Vocals, said.
Andi Hawksley, a senior in chemical engineering and member of Wolfgang, said a cappella’s emphasis on vocal talents encourages creativity and innovation.
“I think that a cappella is different from all other musical styles because the voice, in my opinion, is the most versatile instrument,” Hawksley said. “You can make so many sounds with your voice, your body, without using some piece of technology or some instrument. It is basically limitless.”
“Because it’s all voices, and because it’s all coming from within, it’s the most personal music that you can produce,” Rachel Gorman, a senior at Belmont University in commercial music major and member of the Belltones, said.
Howerton, who first came across the world of a cappella as a freshman at Elon University, said that she loves a capella for many reasons but especially for its collaborative nature.
“Everybody is supportive of each other,” Howerton said. “A capella is changing really quickly. If one group uses this really cool vocal percussion technique, next year, a ton of people are going to be doing it and no one gets upset that someone is copying because we’re all just growing and changing together.”
Hawksley said that the tight-knit and supportive nature of the a cappella community is one of the reasons why she continues to involve herself in it. Hawksley also said that North Carolina has one of the largest collegiate a capella communities, with at least four a capella groups at N.C. State, at least six at UNC-Chapel Hill and at least five at Duke.
“A cappella is a really really big part of my life,” Hawksley said. “It’s a way of releasing emotions. It’s a de-stresser. As I go through practice, my mood gets better and I start to feel so much better about life, school and everything.”
