Last week, we brought you a look at four of our talented groups who will battle it out in the 2022 VoiceJam Competition. This week, we want to introduce you to the rest of the a capella groups who will vie for the VoiceJam Champion title on Saturday, April 9!
In addition to the highly anticipated a cappella competition, Walton Arts Center will host a day of masterclasses and workshops. More information about those events is available on our website.
Without further aca-do, here are the final three competitors that are sure to knock your socks off on Saturday.
KeyHarmony
WAC: Tell us about the musical background of your group.
KeyHarmony: We are an all-female collegiate group from the University of Central Florida. While we do all have some sort of musical background, we are not exclusively music majors. Our group has a multitude of majors including education, aerospace engineering and theatre.
WAC: Tell us about the different levels of a cappella experience in your group.
KeyHarmony: Our group has a range of a cappella experience. We have women who have never done a cappella before and women who have been doing a cappella for up to seven years.
WAC: Tell us about your competition set.
KeyHarmony: Our competition set is a mix of alternative pop and R&B and our set contains three soloists. The theme of our set is moving on from heartbreak and realizing your worth. What makes our set special is that each piece was arranged by our current members.
WAC: Does your group have any pre-performance rituals?
KeyHarmony: Before each performance, we stand in a circle and harness our energy by doing "power poses."
WAC: Tell us about your group’s most memorable performance story.
KeyHarmony: Our most memorable performance story is winning our first first-place award at SoJam! We performed “Muddy Waters” by LP, “Women (Oh Mama)” by Joy Williams and “Freedom” by Beyonce ft. Kendrick Lamar.
Fifth Measure
WAC: Tell us about the musical background of your group.
Fifth Measure: Everyone in our group has some kind of musical background, whether we’ve taken vocal lessons, grown up doing school choirs, been in theatre, are part of a band or just love the camaraderie of being part of a group that loves music.
WAC: Tell us about the different levels of a cappella experience in your group.
Fifth Measure: Our group ranges from people who have been part of the a cappella group for almost three years now to people that are doing it for their first year.
WAC: Tell us about your competition set.
Fifth Measure: Our set has a lot of funk to it. It is very upbeat and groovy, but the songs still have a lot of meaning and purpose packed into the lyrics. Our set is special because we have chosen some unique pieces that people wouldn’t expect to hear as a cappella arrangements, and we have a nice selection of one classic song, one popular modern song an unknown song.
WAC: Does your group have any pre-performance rituals?
Fifth Measure: The most important pre-performance ritual is our whole group warming up together. We take the time before going on to really get into the mindset of our performance. It really bonds us together before we go on stage!
WAC: Tell us about your group’s most memorable performance story.
Fifth Measure: We can’t think of a specific memory but It we all love being around and are very supportive of each other. At the end of the day, this is just fun for all of us and we like working together and sharing the music we make with people!
A-Side
WAC: Tell us about the musical background of your group.
A-Side: A-Side is a high school group. All students have been in choir for several years and are enrolled in both choir and the vocal ensemble during the school day. These students are very involved in the music program. They perform in musicals, many have been in the all-region choir for several years and just this year 4 of the members were members of the Texas All State Choir (a very high honor in the state of Texas). Many are graduating and going on to study music in college.
WAC: Tell us about the different levels of a cappella experience in your group.
A-Side: The experience of the students in this group is very different. Some have been a part of the group since before COVID-19 and have performed numerous times on various stages for a cappella competitions. Some have been in since COVID-19 and have worked on recording projects and local performances.
WAC: Tell us about your competition set.
A-Side: Our competition set is taking competitive a capella back to the basics; it lets the music speak for itself. It has become a trend to have a consistent theme or story. We aren’t doing that anymore. Each song has a story to be told and they don’t have to coincide. We have two soloists and a featured soloist. Our set is special because we completely stripped the idea who A-Side used to be. We reinvented ourselves and our sound. Mostly importantly, we did it together as a team.
WAC: How did your group hear about VoiceJam?
A-Side: We have heard about VoiceJam for years but have never had time in our schedule to apply. We decided to do different events and competitions this year and try to do bigger things! Getting into VoiceJam has been such an amazing experience. We have challenged ourselves in ways we never have before and have worked harder than ever. We can't wait to share and learn at VoiceJam.
WAC: Does your group have any pre-performance rituals?
A-Side: Before we compete, the boys always go to a dark/quiet spot to listen to the entire album of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.
WAC: Tell us about your group’s most memorable performance story.
A-Side: Our most memorable performance has to be getting picked for the wild card performance for Acatex and having to go from soundcheck to performance in less than an hour.