The Niles West A Capella group Resolve competed at the quarterfinals for the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) on Feb. 17, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The group competed against eight schools in the Great Lakes region, placing first with a score of 380 points.
The first-year coed team sang four songs, “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae, “Killing Me Softly With His Song” by Roberta Flack, and a mashup of “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor” and “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child. The performance was accompanied by choreography and features from four soloists.
“I thought it was such a surreal experience and feeling to have such a valuable role in my group and then knowing that I am part of the reason the group won, even at times when I wasn’t singing a solo it was just as important. It’s just so cool to know that each and every person’s effort went towards us winning,” sophomore Sarah Van Hees said.
Resolve’s musical skills without the use of instruments was awarded as senior Max Spector won Outstanding Vocal Percussion For the Entire Set. His usage of beat boxing proved to be an important factor in their victory.
“I think I act as a sort of backbone to the rest of the group. I try to keep myself crisp and on tempo so that the rest of the group’s musicality can really show itself off,” Spector said.
The 19-member ensemble has been preparing for the competition since November, initially sending an audition tape to be accepted into the competition. Following their win, they now advance to the semi-final stage of ICHSA. Choir Director and sponsor Justin de la Cruz notes the singers’ growth and development throughout the past months.
“I’m really proud of the growth this group has made this year, in the sense of them coming together and of course musically. [They have] put the time in, sacrificed a lot, and preserved through, so it was really special to see them win and their work pay off,” de la Cruz said.
As they practice for the semi-finals, the musicians continue to improve on their dancing and vocalizing skills.
“As a group I think we are doing really good and I’m so proud of the work we have done but we can improve on small things in our music and choreography to sound and do even better than we did at quarterfinals carrying our hard work onto our semifinals,” sophomore Angie Zaya said.
Congratulations to Resolve for winning their section at the ICHSA Great Lakes quarterfinals. They are now headed towards semi-finals on March 23 in Larkin, Wisconsin at Pat’s Theater. Students and staff are able to show support at the group’s send-off on Friday, March 22 at the Oakton Lobby in the morning.
