By Bryan Guffey

Ten talented groups from across the nation converged on the third annual National A Cappella Convention High School Championships, presented by the A Cappella Education Association, in Memphis this past Saturday for a chance to win the title of 2017 AEA champion along with a $7,500 scholarship from DCINY to Total Vocal at Carnegie Hall. 

This year's show, which was hosted by AEA founder J.D. Frizzell and AJ Marino of The Vocal Company, also added a new wrinkle to the competition. While the groups performed two songs that they had been working on for any length of time, each group was paired with an arranger who tailored a song for the group three weeks out from the competition.

As the results were announced at the end of the night, it was the hometown group, Key of She, that came away with the title -- just a year removed from finishing runners-up. The kids were all very supportive of each other, and when Key of She was announced as the 2017 AEA HS champions, there was a resounding cheer from the entire stage. 

Key of She wins!

Here's a look at each group's performance:

Crimson and Slate

Up first we saw Crimson and Slate from Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  This group only formed in 2016 as the combination of two groups Crimson A Cappella and Slate Vocal Band, opened the show with "Cold" by Maroon 5. With clean crisp choreography and a strong soloist, Crimson and Slate effectively used the mixed nature of their group to portray a story of struggle and frustration between two people. The rest of the group's set was high energy, had strong visual elements, and each song had a clear intention -- although, the overall effect was not as cohesive as I might have liked. However, it was clear that the group was having quite a bit of fun on stage, and I appreciate that in an opening group of a competition. 

Madison Avenue

Our second group of the night was Madison Avenue from James Madison High School in sunny San Antonio. This group really knew how to use its members' bodies and space effectively on stage, showing us different levels and stage pictures. The first song had a great groove, and the sparkly outfits of the group really added to the sassy nightclub vibe they were giving us! Overall, Madison Avenue's much more organic style of movement really appealed to me; I prefer to see groups that are primarily focused on sharing the message through music and movement and don't look too dancy. The set finished out strongly with a soloist with a unique voice to really bring us to a pleasing end.

Sound Check

Group three was Sound Check from Oregon City High School. Sound Check was one of the groups that qualified through winning one of three AEA Regional events; Sound Check won the competition at the Bend A Cappella Festival in Bend, OR. Now, this group is BIG. It was as if a red and black army of a cappella soldiers took the stage when Sound Check came to perform! While the group's sound was quite big and pleasing to the ear, it did mean that the group was limited by what it could do on stage. However, the group executed on pictures and formations very well. There was a bit more of the "aca-bop" than I normally like to see in a group, but overall the movement was solid. I was especially impressed with the vocal percussionist in this group, who had a large palette of sounds, especially for a high school student.

Ingrid Sound

Our fourth group and our last prior to intermission, was Ingrid Sound from Danvers High School. Ingrid Sound also came into the competition from a qualifying event, NE Voices, which was held at Wilmington High School in Wilmington, MA. They were our first all-female group of the night and left no question that they were in it to win it. While I might have rearranged soloists in order to provide "Such Sweet Nothing" by Florence and the Machine a little more punch in the back half of the song, with professional execution on all three songs, and an excellent soloist covering the Bruno Mars tune "Waiting on the Other Side," Ingrid Sound showed us they were much more than an Ingrid Michaelson cover group and took us right into intermission in a satisfying way.

Key of She

After intermission, we were treated to our first competing Memphis group, Key of She, from White Station High School. Key of She was the 2016 NACC runners-up, so they were no strangers to the NACC stage, and boy did it show! The smallest group of the night, with only 10 members, Key of She gave us a tour de force performance. Opening with the John Legend song "If You're Out There" arranged by their competition arranger, Lisa Forkish (director of AEA 2016 Champions and ICHSA 2017 Champions Vocal Rush), which was performed in general simple formations, with very little staging, Key of She showed from the first moment the authenticity and vulnerability that had them taking second this past year. The group followed up that with one of the most powerful renditions of Beyonce's "Freedom" I've seen to date, and after judging six ICCA/ICHSA events this year, I'd seen a lot. Once again, Key of She found the joy and honesty in such a hard driving and intense song, and it changed the color of the performance in such a powerful way.

Bryan Guffey and Elle Brigida interview Key of She after their win:

PFC

Up next was PFC from MacArthur High School, also from San Antonio. PFC is a combination of Premiere and Final Cut, which was formed as an all-female and all-male group, respectively. This group couldn't have started out any differently than Key of She, but it was just as effective! A fairly large group, PFC began with a song I hadn't heard in a couple years, "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran from the "The Hobbit" trilogy. The arrangement used a large amount of atmospherics in a very effective way, and I found myself transfixed by the song and the amount of sound this group could produce! Then, almost on a dime, the group flipped into "Ain't It Fun," with a completely different feel and staging but one that was just as effective. The group closed out its set with a beautiful choral arrangement of "Be Still" that once again showed off its versatility and ability to sing multiple genres incredibly well. 

Bulldog Beats

Our seventh group in the lineup was Bulldog Beats, from Louisville Male High School (but not an all-male group) in Louisville, KY. Bulldog Beats made it here by winning the third regional AEA event, Voices in Harmony, at the University of Kentucky. Bulldog Beats had a unique vibe; I felt like they were a very EDM-influenced group with their dressed-down style, which reminded me a bit of a grittier Forte. Bulldog Beats' first song, "I'll Get Over You," featured some tight opening harmonies that I really enjoyed, and the set really moved along. The group closed out with "Fire and Gold," which featured a really stunning soloist and excellent bass work.

Legacy

The group from Tennessee's Germantown High School opened up with a throwback by mashing up "Take on Me" and "When I Ruled the World," which worked much better than I would've ever expected. The second song in this set, however, was really the star of the show. Taking us back to about 2007, the group gave us a soulful duet rendition of John Mayer's "Gravity." The group's final song, "Good News," closed out its set effectively. The applause was, once again, deafening!

Fifth Measure

Our penultimate group of the evening was Fifth Measure from Houston High School in Germantown, TN. With 21 singers dressed in green and black, this high-energy group kicked off its set with a powerful rendition of The Civil Wars' "Barton Hollow." The group's second and third songs were also particularly strong, leading me to believe we might have another contender for the title of AEA 2017 HS champion! The entire set was very artistic and entrancing, keeping your attention from the start to the end. 

The PopRockets

Finally, our last group of the night, The PopRockets from South Milwaukee High School came to the stage. The girls brought an excellent and powerful set about female empowerment to the stage, which was constructed to take the listener on a journey from concern and confusion to empowerment and sisterhood, and it did! The final pose of "20th Century Strong Women" made me want to jump up and cheer and was a fitting end to a competition in which the women showed up and showed the boys what the deal was!

You can find the full results HERE

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