CASA - The Contemporary A Capella Society

On Saturday, January 28, Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, NJ played host to the International Championship of High School A Cappella Mid-Atlantic Semifinal. The event featured 10 competing groups. Before we get to the review, a quick summary:

The Competitors:
Montgomery Blair high School InToneNation
The Mardela Middle & High School Insongniacs
Rye High School Rhythm on Rye
The Mahopac High School PACapellas
The The Hun School Edgertones
The St. Andrew's School Noxontones
Haddon Heights Baptist Regional School Vocal Forte
The Northern Highlands Regional High School Highlands Voices
The Masters School Dobbs 16
The Ridgewood High School Maroon Men

Guest Groups:
Ramapo College of New Jersey 4GotteN SuitCase
TheWestminster Choir College The Deaftones

Photos of the event are available now here and on our Facebook page.

The show turned out to be a sell out—quite a statement for the state of scholastic a cappella! Ramopo College’s co-ed 4GotteNSuitCase kicked off the evening, performing while the audience filed into the auditorium. This is a neat alterative the BOCA or BOHSA CDs—it gives the audience a more dynamic form of pre-show entertainment and gives an additional group some exposure. I couldn’t help feeling a little bad for the lack of attention the group received while it sang, though. Selections included “The Lions Sleeps Tonight,” “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “The Lazy Song,” “Runaround Sue,” a lovely mostly choral version of “That Lonesome Road,” an ambitious treatment of “Welcome to the Black Parade,” and “Rolling in the Deep.”

The Montgomery Blair High School InToneNation kicked off the competition portion of the evening. The coed group wore black and red for a sharp look, and started its set with Sade’s “Smooth Operator”. Nice percussion on this one, and well-plotted out movement—the way in which the group crept to spread out the stage was really engaging, and with more experience on stage, I think the rest of the choreography the group had conceived of will come off all the smoother. The group incorporated an excellent soaring soprano line to back up the closing measures of the song.