The Quintessence Wins Aca Open Wild Card
The Quintessence Wins Aca Open Wild Card
The Quintessence from Tbilisi, Georgia wins Varsity Vocals' Aca Open Wild Card round and heads to Carnegie Hall on 9/23 for Finals!
The Quintessence are moving on to New York City after winning the Wild Card Round of Varsity Vocals' first-ever Aca Open on Tuesday.
Ranging from 17 to 21 years old, this extraordinary sextet of singers from Tbilisi, Georgia, was chosen among the second- and third-placing groups from each semifinal for the opportunity to compete at Carnegie Hall for $25,000 on September 23.
In the Wild Card Round, each eligible group submitted a live video to a panel of judges to score based on the live show competition rubric.
Judging a Varsity Vocals Wild Card Round is very different than judging a live show. In theory, the judges have more than the 12-minute allotted set times to furiously scribble comments and score the groups. There's also usually more than the usual 7-8 groups per round.
"It's different experiencing the groups from the computer screen instead of the live show," Aca Open Wild Card judge Hannah Juliano told FloVoice. "The rush isn't there, but I can focus on things like tone and timbre and blend and balance better with headphones on.
"And things like stage presence and energy are harder to read, but the groups and individuals that are really comfortable with themselves and their set will pop off the screen just like they do on a live stage. Ability to rewind is also clutch."
"Definitely not our best," said Buka Kartozia, the group's artistic director and arranger. "Our tenor had a high fever, but we are happy about the final outcome."
How is The Quintessence so tight? They practice for 3-5 hours every single day!
In 2014, the Georgian group won the New York Harmony Sweepstakes under its old name, the Quintessential Five. Kartozia, who runs The Quintessence in their current form, also took first place at the New York Harmony Sweeps in 2002 with 2x2.
"I will say trying to judge groups on different sound setups, in different settings, does make it tougher too to judge from an even playing field," Juliano continued. "Some were off mic in a stairwell, some were on a stage with mics for everyone, some couldn't do full choreo.
Don't miss the first-ever Aca Open Finals on Saturday, September 23, at Carnegie Hall in NYC!
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Ranging from 17 to 21 years old, this extraordinary sextet of singers from Tbilisi, Georgia, was chosen among the second- and third-placing groups from each semifinal for the opportunity to compete at Carnegie Hall for $25,000 on September 23.
In the Wild Card Round, each eligible group submitted a live video to a panel of judges to score based on the live show competition rubric.
Judging a Varsity Vocals Wild Card Round is very different than judging a live show. In theory, the judges have more than the 12-minute allotted set times to furiously scribble comments and score the groups. There's also usually more than the usual 7-8 groups per round.
"It's different experiencing the groups from the computer screen instead of the live show," Aca Open Wild Card judge Hannah Juliano told FloVoice. "The rush isn't there, but I can focus on things like tone and timbre and blend and balance better with headphones on.
"And things like stage presence and energy are harder to read, but the groups and individuals that are really comfortable with themselves and their set will pop off the screen just like they do on a live stage. Ability to rewind is also clutch."
The Quintessence Wild Card Winning Video Submission
"Definitely not our best," said Buka Kartozia, the group's artistic director and arranger. "Our tenor had a high fever, but we are happy about the final outcome."
How is The Quintessence so tight? They practice for 3-5 hours every single day!
In 2014, the Georgian group won the New York Harmony Sweepstakes under its old name, the Quintessential Five. Kartozia, who runs The Quintessence in their current form, also took first place at the New York Harmony Sweeps in 2002 with 2x2.
"Wrestling Tune" apb The Quintessence at Harmony Sweeps
The Quintessence returned to New York to host the 2015 Harmony Sweepstakes Regional after winning the previous year."I will say trying to judge groups on different sound setups, in different settings, does make it tougher too to judge from an even playing field," Juliano continued. "Some were off mic in a stairwell, some were on a stage with mics for everyone, some couldn't do full choreo.
So, you have to get a little creative in hearing and seeing beyond that stuff to what's really going on underneath, to judge them fairly across the board.
Don't miss the first-ever Aca Open Finals on Saturday, September 23, at Carnegie Hall in NYC!
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