Team

Amanda Newman has served as Executive Director of Varsity Vocals for more than a decade, dedicating her career to promoting, encouraging, and providing unique performance opportunities for young musicians. Amanda has extensive experience producing educational and entertaining concerts, festivals, and competitions, as well as handling recorded music distribution and production.

In her capacity as Executive Director, Amanda has brokered high-profile licensing and development agreements, facilitating the use of the ICCA brand and related properties in the major motion picture Pitch Perfect as well as the development of Sing It On, a docu-series produced by CORE Media Group (American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance) that follows college a cappella groups on their journey through the ICCA tournament. Amanda serves as Co-Executive Producer on the series, which debuted in 2015 on the Pop Network, a joint venture between CBS and Lions Gate Entertainment.Under Amanda’s leadership, the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) tournament has more than tripled in size and currently features 3,500 singers from more than 300 competing groups each year. Amanda was also responsible for the creation and development of the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) in 2006, a program that has significantly expanded since its inception and has helped foster a passion for a cappella in thousands of high school students.

Since 2008, Amanda has been responsible the selection of tracks for the albums BOCA: Best of College A Cappella and BOHSA: Best of High School A Cappella, along with the compilation founder Deke Sharon. Amanda manages and oversees the coordination, production, licensing and distribution of both albums.

Amanda originally joined Varsity Vocals in 2003, as ICCA Midwest Producer. In college, Amanda was an ICCA competitor herself, serving as business manager and choreographer for the University of Illinois vocal jazz a cappella group, No Strings Attached. Under her leadership, the group earned second place and accolades for Outstanding Choreography at ICCA Midwest Semifinals, as well as their first track on BOCA. Amanda has also served as Publicity Manager for the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, and as Operations Coordinator for Ravinia Festival's Steans Institute for Young Artists.

David Rabizadeh has played an active role in Varsity Vocals programming since 2008, spending his first two years as a producer for the ICCA before assuming his present role as ICCA Director. Under his leadership, the ICCA has more than doubled in size, expanding to reach more than 300 groups at 40 competitions in the US and UK this season. David's attention to detail, presence of mind, character, and genuine enthusiasm for our tournament make him a driving force in collegiate a cappella today.David began his a cappella career with the co-ed OrphanSporks at Rutgers University, where he earned bachelor's degrees in business economics and information technology. He also founded the university's first male a cappella group, Casual Harmony. Under David's leadership, Casual Harmony competed and hosted in several successful ICCA events.David is also accomplished in the a cappella recording world, having served both as a nominator and judge for the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards. He produced two full-length albums for Casual Harmony during his tenure, earning such critical acclaim as five CARA nominations and selection for the BOCA: Best Of College A Cappella album as well as other major compilations.

Elise Hackl-Blumstein joined Varsity Vocals in 2014. Elise’s music career began many decades ago, with her interest in a cappella taking off as a member of competitive show choir and Vocal Jazz groups. She began her a cappella career at Illinois State University with Secondary Dominance, serving as president, music director, arranger, choreographer, and section leader across her four years in the group, and she led the group’s effort in hosting an ICCA competition on campus. Elise has since taken on many roles in Varsity Vocals, including serving as the ICHSA producer for the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Southwest, Open Midwest Producer, serving as an associate producer for ICCA, and helping to create and run the Production and Media Assistant training programs.

By day, Elise is a school administrator in the suburbs of Chicago. In 2018, Elise was honored by the Illinois State Board of Education Teacher of the Year program. By night, Elise and her husband run an accessible arts company, providing training, inclusive performances, and services for creating more accessible spaces. In addition to articles and electronic journals, Elise's work regarding accessible music has been published by Hal Leonard, GIA, and Conway Publications.

Since joining Varsity Vocals, Elise has presented at State and National Music Education conferences on multiple occasions and led music education workshops locally. After earning Bachelors degrees in Special Education and Music Education (’14) and a minor in voice performance (’14), Elise continued to pursue lifelong learning with a Masters in Educational Technology Leadership (’17), a Masters of Music Education (’19), and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership with a Principal Certification ('22).

Emily Flanders has been with Varsity Vocals since 2008, and has served as Director of Adjudication, ICCA Midwest Producer, ICCA Northeast Producer, ICCA Central Producer, ICCA Great Lakes Producer, and as an Associate Producer for ICHSA. Emily has served as the Artistic Director and Competition Producer of CASA’s BOSS festival since its inception, inventing the festival’s unique competition format and expanding it over the last 10 years. An alumna of The Washington University Amateurs, Emily served as both Concert Coordinator and Group Coordinator while in the group. She is also the voice of the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, and she is happy to record your outgoing voicemail -- even if it's in Finnish. Emily is a proud resident of the city of Chicago, where she raises chickens, enjoys trips to the beach, and virtually never gets asked if that really was her on Sing It On.

Andrew Poole has been the voice of Varsity Vocals in our social media and on our website since 2013. His work creating and promoting our events on Facebook, managing our website, designing our print media, posting competition results in real time, and live-tweeting the ICCA and ICHSA finals has been invaluable in bringing our content not just to the thousands of students who participate in our programs each year, but to our tens of thousands of fans around the globe.By day, Andrew works as an Educational Program Coordinator for Michigan State UniversityStudent Health Services. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Michigan State.Andrew has been involved with a cappella music for as long as he's known his wife, Andrea, who he met in 2005 when she was a member of Capital Green. His favorite singing role is that one time in the car when he had the volume turned up really loud.

Sara Yood has been a producer for Varsity Vocals since 2003 and has been singing a cappella since her high school years. Sara currently serves as Producer for ICCA Finals, ICHSA Finals, and The Open Finals. She is also a regional producer for The Open as well as ICHSA Northeast Producer. She has previously served as ICCA Midwest Producer and ICCA Northeast/New England Producer.Sara served as both Concert Coordinator and Group Coordinator for The Amateurs at Washington University in St. Louis, leading the group to their first appearance in the ICCA.After moving to New York City in 2004, Sara sang with Treble, New York's all-female a cappella group. Sara then attended Fordham Law School, where of course she directed the law school's co-ed a cappella group The Tortfeasors. She is now an intellectual property lawyer in Manhattan, where she also sings with the New York City Master Chorale.

Emily (they/she) dabbled in a cappella throughout high school and college, singing in all-gender and treble groups. While their schedule prevented them from staying on with her college group long-term, the experience instilled a deep respect for their dedication, creativity, and musicianship. (Plus, they'll always "da-da" along to the guitar part whenever Sara Bareilles' “Love Song” is playing).

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Emily holds a B.A. in writing and a minor in theatre arts & studies. They currently work in the arts world as an actor, intimacy director, and teaching artist, and in medical schools as a clinical skills educator and standardized patient. Check out their professional news and updates at www.emily-sucher.com.

Emily is thrilled to rejoin the a cappella world with Varsity Vocals.

Lucy Jacobs joined Varsity Vocals in 2008 as ICCA West Producer, after a lengthy and successful career in student a cappella. She first entered the world of collegiate a cappella at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she sang with the co-ed a cappella group, Naked Voices (as well as the University Singers Chamber Choir, Opera Scenes, and Opera Productions). After transferring to the University of Southern California, Lucy joined the SoCal VoCals, where she served as the group’s business manager, album producer, and president leading into the group's first ICCA Finals win in 2008. Lucy was also a member of the Concert Choir and Opera Productions at USC, and she served as director of music for Alpha Phi sorority. After graduating, Lucy sang with a few contemporary a cappella groups for fun, but most notably appeared in the first season of NBC's The Sing-Off as a member of The Socals.

During her tenure with Varsity Vocals, what was once the West region has now triple the number of groups competing, leading to the creation of the newer Southwest region. In 2016, Lucy became the founding director of the International Championship of A Cappella (“The Open”).

Today, Lucy lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons, continues to produce the ICCA West Region, and sings with San Ramon Valley Chorale.

An alumna of James Madison University‘s School of Theatre and Dance, Holli Kitching was a member of the BluesTones for five years, serving as music director and president.

Since graduation, Holli has served as an event coordinator and workshop instructor for multiple a cappella festivals. While living in New York City, she was the music director for Empire, while also serving as the ICCA Northeast Producer. In 2012, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she lived for six years and founded and directed the post-collegiate upper voices group, The District.

Currently, she lives outside of Philadelphia in South Jersey, where she works at an independent school teaching middle and high school theater. Holli is a member of the pro group, VXN, and continues to coach and arrange for collegiate and high school groups.

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Leah Alrutz joined the Varsity Vocals team in 2012, and she has since been unparalleled in her enthusiasm and support for ICCA competitors in her region.

Leah started singing a cappella at Parkway South High School, where she founded and directed the all female group, Bella Voce. At Missouri State University, Leah served as Music Director, Business Manager, Publicity Director, and Tours Chair for A Cub Bella, leading the group to many ICCA quarterfinals and semifinals.

After graduating from Missouri State in 2011 with a degree in vocal music education, she moved to St. Louis, where she now teaches vocal music in the Ladue School District. Leah is a member of the Missouri Music Educators Association, the Missouri Choral Directors Association, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Missouri State Teachers Association.

Leah adores the Midwest a cappella community and is always eager to hear what groups have in store each year!

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings has been on the Varsity Vocals team as ICCA South Producer since 2008. She has also taken on additional roles throughout her tenure to help grow our programming, including tournament director and judge coordinator. Lindsay graduated from Elon University in 2008 with degrees in Psychology and International Studies and a minor in Asian Studies. While at Elon, Lindsay sang with the all-female a cappella group Sweet Signatures, serving as their treasurer for two years. Lindsay currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina, where she is Development Manager for Public Education Partners, a nonprofit that raises money for public schools. She is working on her masters in Clinical Mental Health at Clemson University. She also owns a catering company and writes a food blog about her kitchen disasters. She is active in her church music ministry as a lead singer for the contemporary band.

Arvin Zabalerio joined Varsity Vocals in 2017 as the ICCA Central Producer and is ecstatic to be working with this amazing and beautiful team! Arvin is one of the first people to successfully complete the inaugural Varsity Vocals Production Assistant Program, through which he supported the ICCA and ICHSA Mid-Atlantic regions as well as the ICHSA Northeast region.

Arvin began his career in a cappella at Rutgers University with the all-male group Casual Harmony. He loved the a cappella community so much that he also joined the co-ed OrphanSporks at the beginning of his second year at Rutgers. Between the two groups, Arvin competed in the ICCA six times and hosted ten ICCA events. Arvin has won multiple awards for Outstanding Vocal Percussion in the ICCA, and his groups have placed at semifinals numerous times.

After graduating top of his class in chemical engineering, Arvin now works for PepsiCo as a Supply Chain Operations and Process Improvement Resource at a manufacturing factory that makes Gatorade!

Jillian Kimberlin is an alumna of Rutgers University and was a member of its all-female a cappella group, ShockWave, where she served as the Business Manager and President for the majority of her time. Through close personal connections and her group's participation in the ICCA during her time, she joined the Varsity Vocals team back in 2012 as ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Producer (when the competition was so new there weren’t even quarterfinals)!

Since she can remember, Jillian has been involved in the arts, mostly thanks to her sisters and her mother. She has been heavily involved in New Jersey community theatre, where she ran multiple performing arts youth programs alongside her family and close friends. Though her time in the community theatre world has come to an end (for now), she is grateful to continue to be a part of the a cappella community to give more young artists the opportunity to do what they love, just as she did when she was their age.

Jillian lives in Mount Laurel, NJ, with her partner, Saqib, sweet daughter, June, and their crazy pup, Sansa. She spends her days in marketing, her nights cooking and playing, and her weekends with the ones she loves (at least when it’s not a cappella season).

Emily “Em” Benjamin is a clinical researcher working in the Boston area, where she grew up. She began singing a cappella in high school and continued through college with The University of Chicago’s Voices (previously Voices in Your Head.) With Voices, Em competed in the ICCA, placing second in both 2015 and 2017. While in the group, Em nurtured a love of songwriting and served as group treasurer.

After graduation, Em moved back to MA, where she began volunteering with CASA’s BOSS festival and the Varsity Vocals ICCA, ICHSA, and Open competitions. She currently resides in Charlottesville, VA with her partner and dog.

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Gemma Davies joined the world of a cappella in 2015 via a then-brand new endeavour led by rebellious barbershoppers called The Bristol Suspensions. Many mashups, choreo sessions, and terrible puns later (plus a short stint in an all-female group, Pitch Fight), Gemma moved back home to London and formed her own group with a fellow Suspension. Though short-lived, this helped to keep her fire for a cappella singing burning, alongside organising social mixers for aca-graduates in London, including the UK A Cappella Ball.

Gemma began her Varsity Vocals journey as a Production Assistant in 2018 and 2019, and she is excited to support and build upon the rapidly growing ICCA UK region.

Chris has been involved with Varsity Vocals ever since the first show in the UK, eventually becoming UK Producer for the 2020 season. Alongside Gemma, he has continued to grow the UK region with more shows and competitors, and they are excited to see what the region has to offer in the future.

He began his a cappella journey in high school, and eventually joined Imperial College’s The Techtonics, touring the world and performing in incredible venues, making hundreds of new friends along the way.

Chris is a full time event producer, working in science education in prestigious London venues. In his spare time he sings, plays piano and runs a charity dedicated to expanding a cappella opportunities to underrepresented groups.

Chris is incredibly grateful for the opportunities a cappella has given him, and is keen to pass that on to the next generation.

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Adam McNeil joined the Varsity Vocals team in 2022 as the ICHSA Great Lakes Producer and is incredibly excited to be a part of the team. Adam began his a cappella journey in high school where he sang bass in the group Voicemale. He went on to study Communication and Psychology at Northern Illinois University where he was a founding member of the NIU Huskie Hunks. In 2015, Adam helped lead the Huskie Hunks to their first ever ICCA Midwest Semifinal appearance at Washington University in St. Louis. To this day, it remains one of his favorite singing memories of all time.

Now, Adam works at Loyola University Chicago where he oversees New Student Orientation. Helping high school students transition into college is one of his many passions and he is thrilled to continue doing similar work with the ICHSA and the Varsity Vocals team.

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An instrumentalist for most of his early life, Chris Hoffman found his calling in vocal music as a member and eventual president of Hofstra University’s Sigma’cappella. After bringing the group to ICCA Semifinals twice in its first three years of competition and earning individual awards for Outstanding Arrangement and Outstanding Vocal Percussion on the way, Chris went on to coach and arrange for various college and high school groups in the area. He’s also performed with groups like Satellite Lane, competing in tournaments such as the Aca Open and the Harmony Sweepstakes.

Chris enjoys helping students reach their potential and find their voice, both as the ICHSA Northeast producer and as an admissions counselor for the University of Minnesota.

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Alaina Wegner joined the Varsity Vocals team in 2023 and enthusiastically serves as the Southwest ICCA Producer from her base in Tucson, Arizona.

Alaina began her a cappella journey with Amplified at the University of Arizona, where she competed in ICCA for four years. She quickly fell in love with the artistic process of creating an ICCA set. For two years, Alaina served as the Music Director and arranger for Amplified, earning several Outstanding Arrangement awards, a CARA nomination, and ultimately leading the group to become the first from Arizona to advance to the ICCA Finals in 2023. From organizing concerts and workshops to spearheading the acquisition of a live sound system for her school, she jokingly “majored in a cappella,” focusing on creating the best experience for all the a cappella groups at the University of Arizona.

Alaina holds a degree in Family Studies and Human Development and is currently pursuing a second degree in Music Education. Alongside her studies, she works as a freelance arranger, voice teacher, and Assistant Director for the Tucson Girls Chorus, which has inspired many of her musical endeavors.

Alaina is passionate about her role at Varsity Vocals, as she is dedicated to providing students with an accessible space to create, perform, and achieve what they never thought possible. “I love the unique experience of ICCA, where students are encouraged to create their own art and have the opportunity to showcase and be recognized for their hard work and talents. It’s incredibly empowering.”

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As an emcee turned West ICCA & ICHSA Producer, Jake Yoakum is elated to return working with this talented team!

Jake began his a cappella journey at Western Oregon University with the all-male group 15 Miles West, leading them to their first semi final appearances. Upon transferring to George Fox University, he created their first-ever a cappella group, Quakers & Notes. It was there that he met his future wife, resulting in their very own aca-baby. Jake has continued his love for a cappella music by competing in the Barbershop Harmony Society at the international level.

After his brief stint as a music educator, Jake now works for his brother and sister-in-law’s YouTube channel, Rebecca Zamolo as their Merchandise Manager.

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Valentyna Simon (she/they) has been a long term cheerleader for Varsity Vocals, even before she ever got the chance to compete. She fell in love with Varsity Vocals after attending the 2017 AcaOpen finals at Carnegie Hall, and as a Jersey City, New Jersey native, she was sure to never miss a local competition weekend after that.

Valentyna began her competitive a cappella career with The ChapTones, a mixed voice group from Chapman University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Under Valentyna’s leadership, The ChapTones placed 3rd in the 2023 ICCA West semifinal. The following season, the ChapTones returned to the podium, placing 2nd in the 2024 ICCA Southwest semifinal, which later granted them a 3rd place win in the wildcard round.

Now residing in Southern California, Valentyna is thrilled to be producing shows for the ICHSA West! She is looking forward to fostering a family-centered environment at every competition, leading to lifelong memories and friendships. She thanks the a cappella community for getting her through the tough times, and is eager to give back!

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Ben Garza joined Varsity Vocals in 2021 as the ICHSA Southwest Producer and is thrilled to be a part of the outstanding Varsity Vocals’ team. Prior to officially joining the Varsity Vocals’ staff, Ben successfully completed the Varsity Vocals Production Assistant Program, where he supported the ICCA and ICHSA Southwest Regions.

Ben began his career in a cappella at The University of North Texas where he joined Green Tones. During his time competing, Ben traveled throughout the country, competing in several a cappella competitions and was awarded outstanding choreography for his competition set at Sing! Texas, BOSS, VoiceJam and NACC in 2019.

More recently, Ben has earned his master’s degree in Performance Studies from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers) and works at Deloitte in Dallas, Texas.

Ben eagerly looks forward to competition season and is always amazed with the talent each group showcases every year!

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Bryce McCracken has been with Varsity Vocals since 2020. After competing in the ICCA as a freshman in college, Bryce wanted to be more deeply involved in the a cappella world. He applied to be the production assistant for the central region, and the rest is history! After four years of working under the wing of Arvin Zabalerio, Bryce officially joined Varsity Vocals’ ranks as the associate producer for the ICCA Central region in 2024. Professionally, Bryce is a registered financial representative and is building his own financial services practice.

Bryce was cast in his high school musical and became obsessed with singing and making music, or more specifically, the power that making music has to bring people together. Throughout college, Bryce sang bass in Mic Drop A Cappella at Duquesne University, and now sings in Euphoria, a group formed online with former ICCA competitors from all over the country. His ultimate goal is to foster young musicians and give them a space to participate in this wonderful art form.

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Angelina Corbin is a 2024 graduate from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, majoring in Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship with a minor in Music Industry.

Angelina was first introduced to a cappella when she studied at A Cappella Academy during the summers of 2017-2020 in high school. Most recently, Angelina served as President and Co-Business Manager for the University of Miami’s BisCaydence A Cappella, where she was responsible for booking gigs and events, organizing and budgeting travel, and fundraising for the group. BisCaydence was lucky enough to have advanced to the ICCA 2024 Finals in New York after winning their Semifinal in Durham, NC, where Angelina was also awarded “Outstanding Soloist”.

Currently, Angelina is living in Orlando where she is working as a private Voice and Piano Instructor for the Orlando School of Music, as well as an educator for Fine Arts Matter, where she leads an after-school program called Kidz Keys. In her free time, Angelina is an avid songwriter with plans to release new music and play local shows. She is absolutely thrilled to be joining the Varsity Vocals team and can’t wait for the upcoming competition season!

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Nicole Palmetto, a proud alumna of CUNY Hunter College, earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Health and Public Policy. During her time at Hunter, she served as the Music Director of the a cappella group Hawkapella. Nicole’s love for a cappella began in high school, where she had the opportunity to be the Music Director for her school’s treble choir. One of her favorite experiences was showcasing her team’s hard work at the ICCA and making lifelong “aca-friends” along the way. Now, she’s thrilled to join the Varsity Vocals family and take on the exciting new role of associate producer!

After graduating from Hunter in 2024, Nicole stepped into her current role as an Admissions Advisor at Hunter College’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment. She is also continuing her academic journey as a master’s student at Baruch College (Go CUNY!).

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Tyandria (she/her) is an actor and singer/songwriter born and raised in Virginia. Since a young age, she has been heavily involved in the arts and first entered the a cappella world as a freshman at Appomattox Regional Governors School. There, she sang with Dragon Scales and served as the group’s Vice President and Co-Choreographer.

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Tyandria holds a B.A. in Music, Theatre, and Black Studies. Since graduating, she has been seen performing at The Apollo Theatre and working with regional theatres throughout the DMV. She recently served as the production and event management apprentice at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

She is an active volunteer in the Virginia arts community, loves spending time with her incredibly supportive family and friends, and is thrilled to join the Varsity Vocals team!

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Rebecca got involved with Varsity Vocals in 2023 through the Production Assistant program and has been day-of producing events in the ICCA South region since then. Prior to joining Varsity Vocals, Rebecca attended Duke University and performed with Out of the Blue, the school’s oldest treble group. She was the group’s president for two years and also served as president of Duke’s A Cappella Council for one year.

By day, Rebecca works in a university investment office in North Carolina. In her free time, she performs the National Anthem at athletic events in the broader Raleigh-Durham community. She also is the 2024 Competition Coordinator for SoJam, an annual festival which takes place in the Triangle.

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Bri Decerio joined the Varsity Vocals team in the 2021 season after missing a cappella dearly. An alumna of West Chester University, she competed with Under A Rest A Cappella in the Mid-Atlantic region from 2015-2018 before relocating to sunny Los Angeles to pursue a career in Sports Marketing at the NFL. In the 2018 ICHSA season, she participated in the PA Program which taught her everything she needed to know to become an associate producer as soon as an opportunity opened up in the So-Cal area!

When not in the a cappella-verse, Bri stays singing with her worship team at church & is the biggest Philadelphia Eagles fan you’ll ever meet.

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Andrea Poole has served as ICHSA Director since 2009. Under her leadership, the ICHSA has grown from a handful of small semifinals to the robust, full-fledged tournament it is today, featuring 150 groups competing at sold-out events nationwide.Andrea's commitment to providing organized, engaging, and educational programming in the ICHSA, coupled with the thoughtful, personalized attention she gives to high school directors and students, is what makes her among the most influential people in the exponential growth and incredible vitality of high school a cappella today.Before becoming ICHSA Director, Andrea served as ICHSA Midwest Producer from 2007 to 2009. She is also a regular producer of ICCA and ICHSA competitions around the Midwest.

Andrea is an alumna of Michigan State University's Capital Green, having served as president for two of her four years in the group. During her tenure, Capital Green hosted and competed in the ICCA each year and advanced to the Midwest Semifinals in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Before singing with Capital Green, she was part of Pine Creek (Colo.) High School's female a cappella group, Nuance, and was actively involved in the choral program.Andrea graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in English in 2007 and a master's degree in public relations in 2009.