Ladies First wins 2nd at local vocal competition

The Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., came alive Saturday night with voices of a capella groups from universities across the Midwest.\nSponsored by IU, the semifinal round of the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella ended with one group continuing to the final step of the competition -- New York City's Lincoln Center in April. \nThe groups were judged on vocal arrangement, quality of sound, choreography, performance and costume. Because the groups were given a time limit, the audience was asked by ICCA Midwest Producer Shawn Pearce to keep the applause to an "enthusiastic minimum." Pearce said more than 160 groups applied, and that number was narrowed to six for the final round in New York. \n"Once you reach the semifinal level, the groups are all phenomenal," Pearce said. \nDelusions of Grandeur, one of IU's three a capella groups, emceed the evening's event. While the judges tallied the scores, the five men of Delusions entertained the audience with their own renditions of songs such as 'N Sync's "I Thought She Knew," and a crowd-pleasing "Jenny and the Dorms." \nThe third place trophy went to University of Michigan's Amazin' Blue, with one member, Marie Chung, named runner-up for Best Vocalist. The group also received the award for Best Choreography for their rendition of 'N Sync's "Bye, Bye, Bye." \nThe second place trophy was awarded to IU's Ladies First. After a lively set of songs including "It's Rainin' Men," "Ready to Run" by the Dixie Chicks and an adaptation of Destiny's Child's "Independent Women," Ladies First also took home awards for Outstanding Background Vocals and Best Vocalist for sophomore Lauren Orenga. \nTaking home the first place trophy was Milliken University's Chapter 6, who also received Best Arrangement for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." The group performed "Jump, Jive, and Wail" as an encore. \nThe awards were not restricted to the three top groups. Judges gave a Hot Lips award for outstanding vocal percussion to Todd Anderson of the University of Wisconsin's Fifth Element. One member of the group said mid-performance, "I promised the group if we got first place, I'd name my kid Buskirk-Chumley … I'm serious." \nWashington University's Mosaic Whispers received runner-up for Best Arrangement for a haunting rendition of Alanis Morisette's "Uninvited"; they also performed an energetic "Rhythm Nation." One group was overlooked when awards were presented: Michigan State's Accafellas asked for audience participation during their athletic version of "Shout" and performed a calmer "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi.\nThrough each act, Pearce said the audience remained "lively and enthusiastic." Senior Brian Fullerton, said he came to see friends who were performing. \n"I've heard that Ladies First is pretty good, but I haven't seen them yet," Fullerton said. He also said some groups seemed to have a little better performance than music and vice versa.\nWhile mostly students and fans filled the seats, many supportive parents of performers were also in attendance. Tom Koenig, whose daughter Alissa Koenig, senior, is a member of Ladies First, said he thought this was the best a capella show he'd seen by a wide margin. \n"There were six winners here tonight," Koenig said, "You can tell these groups work their hearts out." Koenig said it was the most fun competition he'd ever attended. \nAlissa Koenig said the group's main goal that night was to give the best performance they could. \n"I think we were pretty close," Koenig said. "I think everyone tonight was exceptional"