The best of the best in college a cappella were on hand at the Northeast semi-final round of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), as the six groups thrilled the packed auditorium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with their amazing musical talent. The Amherst College Zumbyes, Brandeis Voicemale, Boston University Allegrettos, MIT Chorallaries, BU Dear Abbeys and Northeastern Downbeats pulled out all the stops as they competed to win the chance to be the one group to receive a bid to the ICCA finals on Broadway in New York City on April 26. The six a cappella groups got to the competition tonight by finishing in the top two at one of the three ICCA Northeast quarterfinals.The rules and judging for the competition followed the same format as the previous rounds. A group's score was based half on musicality and half on performance. Three judges critiqued the a cappella ensembles on their pitch, blend and solos in the music category, while evaluating their stage presence, energy and costuming in the performance category. In addition, the audience was told to limit its applause and cheering as the groups would be dropped a rank in the final standings if they exceeded the 15-minute time limit to perform.

The judges took an exceedingly long time to determine the semifinal results and awards, as each of the a cappella groups was outstanding. The first prize awarded, the judge's choice for MVP, went to Voicemale's own Drew Cohen '05 for his incredible solo in "Walking in Memphis." Best Arrangement went to BU Allegrettos for their beautiful performance of "One Thousand Oceans," and Brandeis Voicemale received second for their skillful rendition of "Walking in Memphis." Top soloist honors went to the Amherst Zumbyes with the Northeastern Downbeats finishing in the runner-up spot.

When the competition winners were announced, the BU Dear Abbeys received third place with Voicemale finishing in second. The night's big winners though were the Amherst College Zumbyes, called by The New York Times "the most dangerous college a cappella group alive." For the Zumbyes, who were disqualified in last year's ICCA Northeast semifinals for exceeding the 15-minute time limit, the night proved to be sweet revenge.

Interestingly, the three all male a cappella groups in the ICCA Northeast semifinals finished in the top three, with coed ensembles in the competition finishing in the remaining spots. (No all-female ensembles competed).

The eventual ICCA Northeast champions, the Amherst College Zumbyes, opened the competition. Their humorous version of "You Spin Me Right Round" brought the audience to roaring laughter as the guys disco-danced and sensually groped the song's soloist. The group additionally revealed that the reason they were all wearing swim trunks was that they had just returned from performing in Florida, and the airline had lost their pants. If anything, the guys in the loose, bright shorts and formal, dressy jackets added the humor in their already comical, entertaining set.

Voicemale performed next, singing old group favorites like "Let Me Entertain You" and their award-winning arrangement of "Walking in Memphis." While the group lacked the humor and extensive choreography of the Amherst College Zumbyes, the guys of Voicemale were certainly much more musical. Seth Herring '03 said, "We would like to thank all our fans for their support. We just hope all our hard work has paid off."

The BU Allegrettos followed Voicemale, their set highlighted by a retro-style performance of "I Touch Myself." Yet it was the MIT Chorallaries, performing on their home turf, who received the loudest applause of the night. The group members cleverly introduced their songs, such as Tori Amos's "One Thousand Oceans" and The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go," like they were radio announcers.

Next were the BU Dear Abbeys, whose song selections ranged from a cartoon medley from shows Gummy Bears and Duck Tales to "Ave Maria," the competition's only classical piece performed. The Northeastern Downbeats, who finished ahead of Voicemale in the ICCA Northeast quarterfinals at Brandeis, rounded out the night's competitors. The audience was entertained by a professional pop a cappella group, Six Appeal, while the judges took their time debating the competition's results.

Voicemale impressed audience members as well as the judges for their performance in the semifinal round. Joelle Lurie of BU Terpsichore, the group that finished behind Voicemale and out of the top two in the ICCA quarterfinal round held at Brandeis, had high praise for the all-male group. "I personally thought Brandeis Voicemale and the BU Dear Abbeys were the best. What's so amazing about Voicemale is that they are such as small group, but musically they are so strong which means individually they are such powerful singers," Lurie said.

Judy Marks '06 added, "Voicemale demonstrated their consistent vocal strength as a group who may never be rivaled in their musical talent. However, the arrangements and extreme enthusiasm of the Amherst group may have influenced the judges' final decision.