Contact Us
Varsity VocalsHeadquarters1547 N. North Park Avenue
Suite #1
Chicago, Illinois 60610
info@varsityvocals.com
The Varsity Vocals Staff
| Headquarters: | |
| Executive Director | Amanda Newman |
| South Producer | Lindsay Howerton |
| West Producer | Lucy Jackson |
| Midwest Producer | C. Jefferson Grider (college tournament) |
| Andrea Kovac (high school tournament) | |
| MidAtlantic Producer | Dave Rabizadeh |
| Northeast Producer | Maxine Sharavsky |
| Associate Producers | Sara Yood |
| Evynne Hollens | |
| Grace Jackson |
Amanda Newman
Executive Director
Amanda Newman has been on the Varsity Vocals team since 2002.
She spent a year serving as ICCA Midwest Producer before becoming Executive
Director of the company. Amanda came to Varsity Vocals after serving as business
manager and choreographer for the University of Illinois a cappella group, No
Strings Attached, and was awarded for Best Choreography at the ICCA Midwest
Semifinals. Amanda holds a master's degree in journalism from the University
of Illinois. She plays piano and cello and has sung with the University of Illinois
Concert Choir, the Augustana Choir and the Handel Oratorio Society. Amanda has
served as Publicity Manager for the Apollo Chorus of Chicago and Operations
Coordinator for Ravinia Festival's Steans Institute for Young Artists.
Lindsay Howerton
ICCA South Producer
Lindsay is beginning her first season with Varsity Vocals.
She graduated from Elon University with a double major in Psychology and International
Studies and a minor in Asian studies. While at Elon, Lindsay was a member of
the Sweet Signatures, serving two years as treasurer. During her tenure,
the group participated in SoJam ,competed and hosted two ICCA quarterfinals,
and produced three studio albums, one of which was named runner-up by the Contemporary
A Cappella Recording Awards for Best Collegiate Album of the Year. Currently,
Lindsay serves as half of a two-person campaign team for the United Way of Pickens
County, South Carolina. She is also involved in the music program at her church,
where she sings in the Chancel Choir, is lead vocalist in the Contemporary Band,
and teaches second-grade choir.
Lucy Jackson
ICCA West Producer
Lucy Jackson began her musical career performing with the
Danville Children's Musical Theater for nine consecutive seasons, but she began
singing a cappella in high school, when she performed with a Sweet Adelines
double quartet and co-directed the quartet Bel Canto. She attended
the University of California Santa Barbara, singing with the University Singers
Chamber Choir, Opera Scenes, and the co-ed a cappella group Naked Voices.
She transferred to University of Southern California, where she earned her bachelor's
degree in communication with a minor in music studies. She was a member of the
USC Concert Choir and Opera Productions and the music director for the Alpha
Phi sorority. Lucy served as business manager and then president of the SoCal
VoCals, performing with the group when they were named International Champion
at the ICCA Finals in New York. She is currently producing the group's sixth
studio album. A professionally trained vocalist, Lucy has performed in locations
across the US, including New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Philadelphia, and Alaska,
as well as at international venues in the Vatican City, Italy, China, Hong Kong,
Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
C. Jefferson Grider
ICCA Midwest Producer
Jeff is now in his first year as ICCA Midwest Producer. He
was a member o the University of Illinois Xtension Chords from 2001
to 2006, serving as musical director for two years and earning awards for arrangement
and choreography. In the summer of 2007, he appeared with Home Free,
a professional group based out of Minnesota, fulfilling a contract aboard Celebrity
Cruise Lines. Jeff is currently working toward his Ph.D. in human resource education
at the University of Illinois.
Andrea Kovac
ICHSA Midwest Producer
Andrea Kovac began her a cappella career singing with the female
a cappella group Nuance at Pine Creek High School in Colorado, where
she was actively involved in the choral program. She has gone on to serve as
president of Michigan State University’s Capital Green for two
of her three years with the ensemble. Under her leadership, Capital Green,
who has hosted and competed in ICCA events for five years, placed second at
quarterfinals and fourth in semifinals last year. Andrea arranges much of the
group’s repertoire, and her arrangement of the Black-Eyed Peas’
“Let’s Get It Started” is featured on the second volume of
the Collegiate A Cappella Music Organization’s compilation, Top Shelf
A Cappella. Andrea will graduate this year with a bachelor’s degree
in English Literature.
Maxine Sharavsky
ICCA & ICHSA Northeast Producer
Now in her fourth season with Varsity Vocals, Maxine holds
a bachelor's degree from Brown University with a double major in music and Judaic
studies. While at Brown, she studied jazz and classical voice and sang with
the Brown University Chorus and Chamber Choir, as well as the women’s
a cappella group, the Ursa Minors. During her two years as the Ursas’
musical director, she produced the group’s third studio album, The Little
Black Dress, which was recognized by the Contemporary a Cappella Society as
one of the top ten female collegiate albums of 2005. Maxine now lives in New
York City and works as a managerial associate at IMG Artists, an international
performing arts management agency. She has been a judge for the 2006 and 2007
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, currently sings with the Grace Church
Choral Society of New York, and does freelance cantorial and music education
work for Jewish congregations throughout the Northeast.
Sara Yood
Associate Producer
Sara Yood has been on the Varsity Vocals Team since 2002,
having served as ICCA Midwest Producer and ICCA New England Producer. Sara was
Concert Coordinator and Group Coordinator for the Washington University Amateurs.
During her tenure, the Amateurs placed second in the ICCA Midwest Quarterfinals
and received the Best Arrangement and Hot Lips Vocal Percussion awards. While
pursing her degree in English literature, Sara also served as the vice-president
of chamber choir, president of the Mu Phi Gamma women's fraternity and as a
representative of the university's undergraduate admissions. Sara currently
lives in New York, where she is a client relations agent for The Harry Fox Agency,
a subsidiary of the National Music Publishers Association.
Grace Jackson
Associate Producer
Grace Jackson's a cappella career began with the University of Southern California Reverse Osmosis. While serving as the group's president, the group hosted and won first place at ICCA quarterfinals, taking home accolades for outstanding arrangement, choreography, and soloist. She also appeared with the group at ICCA Finals at the Lincoln Center and produced their fourth full-length album. After graduating magna cum laude with a double major in communication and psychology, Grace became the ICCA West Producer for Varsity Vocals. She has spent the last several years choreographing for musical theater in the San Francisco Bay Area, and she currently resides in Brooklyn, studying for her master's degree in psychology from New York University.