Welcome to a cappella. “A cappella” is defined as “without instrumental music,” i.e. in relatable terms, singing without a track or backup instruments. Tracing back to around the 8th century in the Roman Catholic Church, a cappella music has quite the history—but it’s safe to say we are most familiar with it through Anna Kendrick and a plastic cup.
Now welcome to a cappella at Ithaca College. Everyone knows that IC, though small, is larger-than-life in the aspect of artistic talent, and the four a cappella groups on campus are no exception. What they all have in common are the foundations of collegiate a cappella: performing covers of popular songs, beat-boxing, and crazy harmonies—but that’s about it. Other than these fundamental aspects, each group is unique in its talent, expression, and overall power of performance. You may have seen them performing in Emerson suites, improvising at the Fish Bowl, or harmonizing for the townies at Applefest, but how well do you really know them?
Let’s take a look at the acca-profiles now:
Premium Blend
- Type: all-female; audition-in
- Founded: 1998
- Color: Teal
- 3 words to describe the group: “Empowering, fulfilling, joyous…that’s the corniest thing on earth but it’s just the truth” (Sara del Aguila, Public and Community Health ’17)
- Coolest gig: “…when we did the tunes for Tay* charity concert with Voicestream and Ithacappella in 2014. It was so unbelievable because we got a huge audience and we raised a great amount of money for an awesome cause” (Alexandra Skolnick, Sociology ’17)
- Ask the President: What does PB stand for? “Premium Blend is a strong group of women who share a huge passion for music. Together our sound and presence is created to inspire people of all ages, especially women, to be their best selves.” (Allie Dethmers, Integrated Marketing Communications ’16)
- Newbie quote: “PB is unlike any other group on campus; the camaraderie is so strong between all of us and in return the music we create is beautiful” (Sage Stoakley, Vocal Performance/Music Education ’19)
*Tunes for Tay raises money to support the fight against pediatric cancer, find more information here
Voicestream
- Type: coed; audition-in
- Founded: 2002
- Color: Red
- 3 words to describe the group: “Super cheesy but I think I’d say ’an incredible family’” (Laurel Albinder, Music Education ’19)
- Coolest gig: “That's a tough one…Taking competition into account, I would have to say our ICCA Quarterfinal in Syracuse. It's the most connected I've ever felt to the music” (Ian Stone, Journalism ’16)
- Ask the President: What does Voicestream stand for? "As an ensemble we’re very much about challenging ourselves to constantly move beyond what we know we’re capable of musically. As a student organization we stand for making music together for our audiences and ourselves" (Ethan Fletcher, Emerging Media-Design and Production, '16)
- Newbie quote: “When I first heard about IC Voicestream as senior in high school, I knew that it was something I had to audition for…The group members are all so kind and welcoming and have made my transition here as a freshman an unforgettable one!” (Gavin Tice, Integrated Marketing Communications ’19)
Ithacappella
- Type: all-male; audition-in
- Founded: 1996
- Color: Gold
- 3 words to describe the group: “…as a whole? Goofy, passionate, and lovable!” (Adam Tarpey, Vocal Performance/Music Education ’19)
- Coolest gig: “The coolest gig I've had with Ithacappella had to be singing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden. We sang in front of at least 10,000 people, and we got to see two high-profile hockey teams warm up and walk out on the ice rink” (Luke Harbur, Journalism ’18)
- Ask the President: What is your favorite memory with the group? “[Upon receiving a standing ovation following his solo freshman year, “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by the Script] that was the moment that I realized that the stories I choose to tell, in any medium, can have a positive effect on an audience, and that feeling both lifts you up and humbles you at the same time. I'll never forget that moment for as long as I live!” (Dan Purcell, Cinema and Photography (Production) ’16)
- Newbie quote: “Joining this group was the best decision I've made so far at school…I wanted to belong to a group that had the same passion for singing and performing that I do, and that creates amazing music in the process. And I found that in Ithacappella!” (James Johnston, Film, Photography and Visual Art ’18)
Pitch Please
- Type: coed; all-inclusive
- Founded: 2009 under Standing Room Only—officially became its own organization in the 2014-2015 school year
- Color: Mint Green
- Mission: “Pitch Please aims to create an all-inclusive environment for performing a Cappella music, which means we accept any student who is interested and committed to our rehearsals and performances as an ensemble” (Sean Gillen, Music Education ’18)
- 3 words to describe the group: “Family, talent, fruition” (Will Suchanek, Computer Science ’17)
- Ask the President: What is your favorite memory with the group? “…probably the first time we performed in Emerson Suites Fall 2014. We were extremely small and unknown before that and performed in classrooms. This was the first time we performed on the same stage as all of the other a cappella groups on campus and I really felt like we made it” (Jordyn Steinheiser, Speech Pathology ’17)
- Newbie quote: “After the first rehearsal, Sean Gillen, the music director of the group, turned off the lights & told us to just start singing…it turned into something magically beautiful. I had never felt so united and to this day, I'm so grateful to have such a close-knit group of singing lovers” (Olivia Harding, Speech Pathology ’18)
Now that you know them—go see them! Search IC Premium Blend, Ithacappella, IC Voicestream, and Pitch Please on YouTube for performances, and find them on Facebook to stay updated on concerts, auditions and more.
