UPDATE (7/9/2020)
Presenting THE BONES from the Varsity Vocals Collective:
When you call on the a cappella community, they come together. This video is 500 singers strong (more than, actually!) and features past and present competitors from 24 years worth of tournaments. All coming together to bring attention and support to other artists in the community struggling amid the pandemic.
This video was produced with the help of our current and former ICCA, ICHSA, and AcaOpen competitors to help raise money for the Recording Academy's MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, which provides grants to musicians who have been adversely affected by the pandemic. If you enjoyed this video, we encourage you to join our community in donating to the fund and support fellow artists. Visit our fundraiser page now to contribute if you are able to at this time.
Our a cappella tournaments were cut short in 2020, and we likely won't see a 2021 season due to the ongoing global public health crisis. Our hearts are broken thinking about the empty stages and missed opportunities for singers whose time in student a cappella is limited. The loss of live music in a time of crisis is particularly profound, but we know the bones are good. Let it rain, and in the meantime, we will mask up, speak up, and lift each other up any way we can.
Originally Performed By: Maren Morris
Arranged & Produced by: Ben Bram & Shams Ahmed
Engineered by: Ted Trembinski
Mixed and Mastered by: Ed Boyer
Additional Audio by: Tehillah
Video Produced by: Shams Ahmed
Graphics by: Erica Tackett
Video Edited and Animated by: Parker Wright
4/17/2020
It's Varsity Vocals Finals Weekend, and our ICCA and ICHSA Finalists should be gathering in New York City to compete for The Gooding Cup. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic forced our 2020 season to an abrupt close, and our 10,000 competitors this year have dispersed to their homes to #stopthespread.
But, despite our distance, we in the a cappella community can still come together (virtually, of course) and do what we do best: lift spirits through the power of the human voice.
Presenting the Varsity Vocals Collective: 24 seasons of Varsity Vocals a cappella performers, coming together to sing in support of their fellow artists.
We're virtually gathering 24 years of Varsity Vocals a cappella performers to social distan-sing their hearts out and raise money for the Recording Academy's MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, providing grants to musicians who have been adversely impacted by the pandemic.
All current and former Varsity Vocals competitors — that's ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open, 1996-2020 — are invited to participate. We'll be creating a virtual a cappella choir video to share on social media and raise funds for MusiCares.
SINGERS: Follow instructions below to access an amazing arrangement of "The Bones" by Maren Morris, courtesy of Grammy Award-winning Ben Bram and the incomparable Shams Ahmed. Learn your part, record your performance, and upload to join us. Submissions due April 24 at 10 pm EST.
A CAPPELLA FANS: You can help too! Visit our fundraiser page now to contribute in advance, and we're counting on you to help spread the word using #vvcollective.
The Varsity Vocals Collective "The Bones" in benefit of MusiCares drops in early May.
We may be apart, but we can raise our voices together.
#vvcollective #musicares
VIDEO RECORDING
STUDIO AUDIO RECORDING (optional)
SOLO SUBMISSION NOTES
VOCAL PERCUSSION NOTES
QUESTIONS
Please send questions or concerns to Amanda Newman, Varsity Vocals Executive Director, at amanda@varsityvocals.com.
Submissions due April 24 at 10 pm EST!