Members of Spring 2017
Danielle Lewis (’17), Susan Dudka (’17), Melanie Brehm (’17) , Asa Gomberg (’17), Michelle LaCroix (’17), Colleen Irvine (’18), Deanna Nunes (’18), Lexis Buiel (’19), Rachel Dallaire (’19), Tessa Murphy (’20), Eden Richardson (’20) , Bridget Keaveney (’20), Kara Jutras (’20), Emily Carville (’20)
How often do you guys practice?
“We practice 6 hours per week. On Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday we practice from 8-10, but we added tons of extra rehearsals to prep for the competition. “
What goes into picking which songs to perform?
“We always hold elections at the end of the prior semester to pick our general set songs. For the ICCA’s we had the four officers (business manager which is me, public relations Susan Dudka and the music directors Danielle Lewis and Deanna Nunes) pick the set. We just found it easier than having a debate about which should go into the competition and which shouldn’t. We did let people voice their options after we picked because it is a democracy, but everyone was fine and it worked out well!! “
What are some pre-rituals that you guys do before a big show?
“Before a big show, we always hang out the night before, no singing or anything. We play games, eat, and do fun bonding activities. Then, right before we go onstage we do this chant called energy to pump us up! “
What are your top 3 favorite songs to perform this year?
“We have a general set of about 15 songs for the semester, but we only perform three for this competition because it has to be less than a 12 min set. We are performing Stompa by Serena Ryder, Rise Up by Andra Day, and Misery Business by Paramore. I think just because we’ve put out so much time and effort into these three for this competition, they would probably be our favorites as of right now. But we still have so many songs to learn this semester that it’s always bound to change!! “
Explain the process of what you guys went through to make it into the ICCA competition?
“So basically to get into this competition you submit a video to varsity vocals and they decide from there in November if you move onto quarterfinals, which is what we are doing tomorrow. The top two groups from the quarterfinals (there are multiple in different regions) move onto semis and then the top one at semis moves onto the championship in NYC in April. So we decided to submit a video in the fall because we knew some friends in a group at UMass that did it and we kinda thought hey why not. We were excited and shocked to know that we got in on our first year trying! “
Are you guys excited to be competing in the ICCA?
“We couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity, honestly. It’s definitely nerve-wracking because it’s something none of us have ever done before, but that’s also what makes it so exciting. It’s new, fun, and just such a great opportunity for us to showcase our talents in a completely different light. It’s such an honor to be chosen on our first try. I have no idea how many groups submitted, but just being chosen for quarters is amazing especially for an all female group. There’s sometimes this stigma about all female groups not being as good because our vocal range generally doesn’t compare to male or mixed groups. We cannot wait to prove that stigma wrong! “
What are some challenges that you will be facing at the ICCA?
“I think our biggest challenge will be adjusting to the competitive environment. We usually don’t compete, except for a competition in Faneuil hall every October, so it’ll be tough to adjust. It’s being held at the Tufts’s auditorium which seats way more people than we are used to performing in front of, and I think it will be challenging to adjust to that added energy. Also, we’ve never done this before! So automatically we can be considered somewhat of an underdog, even though we were also chosen with the other groups to be here. Because of that, I think it’ll be a challenge for us to overcome that idea of being the new group without any experience.”