Described as the real-life “Pitch Perfect,” Vox Nova, formerly known as “New Group,” will compete in the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) at Ann Arbor Skyline High School on Friday, Feb 21, at 7:00 p.m. While the competition consists of various rounds, this will be the first round of the Midwest Quarterfinal.
“So one of my big goals as a first-year choir director here was to try and make sure that the seniors got to do all the things they love,” Mr. Anthony Funaro said. “So when they said that they wanted to do this group kind of separately and they were going to practice on their own and do all the other things because they wanted to go to ICHSA, I said that I would support them, and I said that I would help them in whatever ways I could do that so that they could have that experience one more time.”
With Vox Nova only being a 13-person group, Howell High School might be considered at a disadvantage with most other groups averaging 20 people. However, Howell is taking on the challenge. Co-captains senior Kaiyah Luethy and senior Mason Burley have previous experience participating in this competition, their familiarity helps lead the group.
“We had a lot of fun last year, and we decided that it’d be fun to take on the challenge to do it student-run this year,” Burley said.
Due to it being student run, scheduling has been an issue that has arisen. With members being involved in other extracurriculars, especially those within the performing arts, Vox Nova has had to work on ways to comply with these constraints.
“…we always have to meet at other people’s houses or some other time out of school, which is hard. And the choreography that I’ve been doing is complex,” Burley said.
Even though there have been challenges, the group has fostered a camaraderie. Members have expressed that rehearsals and the pressure to perform well still carry moments of joy.
“Dane just crawled under Mason’s piano and just appeared out of nowhere. And it was really funny. And sometimes we would be around Mason’s piano in his house, recording a song, and then we would listen back to the recording, and we thought we ate, but then we listened to the recording and we did not eat,” junior Lily Rozmys said.
However, they also can get down to business.
“I like to make sure that everybody knows their part well. And I just want to make sure that everybody understands what’s going on, that they can sing the part well, and that everybody is working together well as a team. There are only so many people on each part, so every single person is a very integral part of the group, and we are all needed to be able to make sure that we can put on the best performance that we can,” Burley said.
The repertoire that they are working on consists of songs “Like a Prayer” by Madonna, “Zombie” by the Cranberries, “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish, and “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga.
“Man, they’re amazing kids. They did it all. Super impressive, and it’s good music too. They’ve picked good music that I think highlights the strengths of the people in the group, which I think is awesome,” Mr. Funaro said.
Additionally, soloist opportunities are incorporated throughout the songs to further allow each member to shine.
“I really like ‘Wildflower,’ because Lydia has a solo, and she sounds gorgeous. The song is just so cool. The arrangement is good and the choreography is really fun and cool. I think that’s probably our best song,” Rozmys said.
In these performances, groups not only judged on vocals but also cohesive movement. Unlike other schools, Vox Nova does not have a hired choreographer. However, research has been done to design the choreography for their set.
“I would say I’ve been researching a lot of other people’s sets and watching other groups perform from past years, and I’ve been taking all of the best formations and coming up with new ideas to be able to make the best choreography, and then also just the songs, making sure that all of them fit together,” Burley said.
As Vox Nova takes the stage at ICHSA for the final time this weekend, the members are confident they are prepared for the competition.
“I would say preparing for the competition has taught me that working with a group can be difficult at times because a lot of people have different opinions, but overall, part of it is compromising and making sure that everybody has a say in what we do,” Burley said.
These months of preparation mark the final time that Vox Nova will be competing in the ICHSA competition. Even though this is the second year they compete, due to administrative reasons the group will have to disband.
“This journey of getting ready for ICHSA has helped me realize how insanely far we’ve come with our positive leadership, mentality, and teamwork. It makes me so proud of everything we are prepared to accomplish and so sad that the legacy we’ve all helped build won’t continue next year,” Luethy said.
