 "Photo: Photo courtesy of Jane Healy")
While USC's SoCal VoCals might have brought their harmonious melodies on the road before, their trip to Manhattan's Lincoln Center on Saturday took them to new territory: an International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella first-place finish and a performance on "The Today Show."
"It was absolutely beyond any of our wildest dreams," said Adam Hutchison, the group's publicity manager and a sophomore majoring in business administration. "There were so many people giving us a standing ovation and applauding after we performed, and that really makes it worthwhile."
After taking first place Saturday night, the group performed a one-minute portion of Queen's "Somebody to Love" on Sunday morning's "The Today Show."
"It was quick and it was over before you knew it," said Joe Sofranko, a junior majoring in theatre and the VoCals' president. "It doesn't really feel like we were on TV. 'The Today Show' was really just icing on the cake; the real cake was [Saturday] night and being here and being with everyone."
After coming within two points of a perfect score and taking first place at the semifinals for the western United States, the VoCals arrived in New York for the finals and competed against a cappella groups from Northwestern University, Ithaca College, New York University, Florida State University and Oxford University.
"We were trying to go out of the box in this competition. We were trying to break the boundaries of what was expected of collegiate a cappella," Hutchison said. "We want people's jaws to drop."
The diversity of musical styles in the set reflected the VoCals' penchant for venturing outside the realm of traditional a cappella, Hutchison said.
The 12-minute musical set that earned them first place featured Michael Buble's "Feeling Good," Singers Unlimited's "All the Things You Are" and Queen's "Somebody to Love."
Besides frequent rehearsals that combined work and leisure, the road to delivering an award-winning performance often involved the experimental process of selecting the perfect songs, said Ben Bram, music director for the VoCals and a sophomore majoring in music industry.
"We spent hours and hours looking for songs - specifically for the second song in our set," he said. "We went through five or six different options until we finally settled on 'All the Things You Are,' which I think is a really great contrast in our set between the other two songs."
As a choral piece that features no soloists, "All the Things You Are" stands out in the VoCals' repertoire. Unlike other numbers, it gives all the members a chance to sing every word together and tell each portion of the musical story, Hutchison said.
The VoCals' unity also extends beyond the stage. Most of them live together in a house on 27th Street, and many members call their fellow singers their best friends.
"It's really unlike any group I've ever been a part of," said Allie Feder, a senior majoring in theatre. "It's such a family in every way, and we go through so much with each other. We really get to know people through their best and their worst."
The bonds formed among the group's 18 members often continue long after graduation, with SoCal VoCal alumni returning to USC to attend concerts and to participate in rehearsals every time the group accepts new members, Feder said.
VoCal alumni, such as founding member Brock Harris, traveled to New York over the weekend to support the current crop of singers as they competed in the ICCA finals.
"They had always been the bridesmaids and never the brides, but [Saturday] really was their day. They made it through," Harris said. "It was like we were up there on stage with them. It was really rewarding."
But the VoCals' following isn't limited to those who shared their brand of a cappella in years past: USC students and alumni said the VoCals' talent and energy keeps them coming back for more.
"They put so much work into what they do that when they get onstage, they really get to communicate with the audience. It's a more personal performance," said Tommy Bergelsen, a junior majoring in theatre.
"Once you're there, you're guaranteed a good time. There's no way not to have fun while you're watching them," he said.
Daniel Montgomery, who graduated in May 2007, said he attended virtually every VoCal performance during his years at USC and that he would continue to do so as long as possible.
"The whole energy and sense of humor and attitude about the group stays the same even though the group changes," he said.
In keeping with their nickname, "Party on Stage," the VoCals attributed their win Saturday to the passion they brought to their performance.
"It's a sense of not trying to achieve perfection," Sofranko said. "A lot of the comments we receive aren't just about people doing technical things well on stage."
"It's the heart and soul that we bring to the music that makes us different," he said.
