OU's Gold Vibrations Among Top 10 Finalists in International A Cappella Competition

This past Saturday, Oakland University's Gold Vibrations a cappella group took first place at the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Great Lakes Semifinal at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. The group posted a score of 394 points, beating second-place University of Illinois by 18 points and third-place University of Wisconsin by 54 points.

"We are overwhelmed with all the support," the group tweeted following its win. "We're so proud of what we did tonight and we will forever remember this."

Gold Vibrations advanced to the semifinals last month with a first-place showing in the ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal. With its latest first-place finish, the group will represent the Great Lakes Region in the ICCA final, which takes place April 30 at New York City's Beacon Theatre. Oakland is one of only 10 schools from the United States and United Kingdom to earn a spot in the final. The winner of this competition will claim the ICCA's top prize, the Gooding Cup.

At ICCA competitions, groups are given 12 minutes to perform their set, which usually consists of three or four songs. They are judged based on a variety of factors, such as intonation, vocal percussion, phrasing, vocal blend, vocal dynamics, overall tone, choreography, general effect, arrangement and interpretation.

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