On Saturday, February 21, the Rensselyrics hosted the fourth International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Northeast quarterfinal in the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. A total of ten a cappella groups competed, including RPI’s Partial Credit and The Rusty Pipes.
The Potsdam Pointercounts of SUNY Potsdam came in first, with Choral Pleasure from SUNY Purchase coming in as the runner-up and the Potsdam Pitches of SUNY Potsdam receiving third place.
Three special awards were given to reward exemplary effort in specific categories. Maggie Borkowski ’15 of Partial Credit received an award for Outstanding Arrangement for her arrangement of “God Only Knows.” Awards for Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Choreography went to Andrew Pocer and Alec Sisco of the Potsdam Pointercounts, respectively.
All groups performed a set consisting of three songs in a variety of musical styles before the judges deliberated on awards. The Rensselyrics then performed, before inviting the rest of the teams onto the stage for a final song, after which the results were given.
The ICCA tournament is made up of seven regions —each consisting of at least four quarterfinals per region —with the top two highest-scoring groups from each quarterfinal advancing to the semifinals. The winner of each regional semifinal will have the chance to compete in the ICCA Finals at The Beacon Theatre in New York City in April.