After winning the Great Lakes Semifinal Competition on Saturday, March 5, Echo Effect, West’s male acapella group, leaves for New York City this Thursday to compete in ICHSA National Finals on Friday, April 15.

Adam Gruezo, a senior and long-time member of Echo Effect, said, ” the new competition will be on a whole new level, it’s the best in the country. ”

Amy Branahl, the choir teacher who helped guide and teach Echo Effect, is very proud of her singers, and expressed her excitement for Echo Effect.

“Us winning is four years if work, because of that growth we could train all these singers,” she said. “I think about these boys about how much time they have worked. It was my most excited moment when I heard they had won, I am so happy for them, they have worked so hard.”

The next competition will be hard, but Echo Effect believes they have a chance to win finals.

“Any group who has made it to the finals could win it. It’s about who invests the most time,” Branahl said.

“If we keep practicing like we have, I have no doubt we could win it,” said senior member Ravi Patel. “It’s been a trip for all of us. We had such high expectations from last year we were frustrated when we weren’t rolling as smoothly, but it just motivated us even more to work harder.”