Counterparts places in a cappella competition

Bouncing to the rhythm and bopping their heads to the beat, performers and audience members alike immersed themselves in music Saturday night. Along with groups from five other colleges, Penn's Counterparts vied for a spot as the nation's top a cappella group, ultimately taking second in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Quarterfinals.

With judges praising their polished vocals and invigorated performance, the 16 members of Counterparts defeated some of the area's best a cappella groups, earning them a place in the Regional Semifinal in March at Cornell University.

"I was really happy with how it turned out," said Counterparts member and College freshman Evan Schapiro. "The combination of our energy and overall performance with our great vocals and blend allowed us to beat some of the best known collegiate groups around."

Counterparts -- which was one of 18 groups selected from a pool of 40 applicants to qualify for the quarterfinals -- is hoping that this sound will propel them through the field of six competitors in the semifinal round.

After the semifinal round, the final will be held in New York City. This round will give the country's top five groups the opportunity to claim the title of top collegiate a cappella group and to gain exposure.

"There aren't a whole lot of big off-campus opportunities for these groups," said ICCA Mid-Atlantic Region Producer Sean Berg. "The competition puts them on an international level and gives them a launch pad to get recognition -- not only as a group, but as an art form."

Though Penn's group fell just short of the standard set by the first-place Mass Transit from New York University, Counterparts members were extremely pleased with their performance.

"We performed really well and did the best that we could," Counterparts President Jackie Schafer said. "Now that we're one step closer to the championship, we're going to work even harder, and I think we definitely have a shot."

To prepare for the semifinal round, the Counterparts are going to increase their already intense rehearsal schedule, in which they have practiced their three songs for four hours, four times per week since returning to campus.

"They have been working so hard for the past month," said Neha Sachdev, College junior and chairwoman of Penn's A Cappella Council. "The competition really gave them a chance to shine and was a great way to showcase all their talent, hard work and unique sound."

In addition to providing them with a forum to gain exposure, the competition so far has instilled a sense of unity which may help the group in upcoming rounds.

"Competing definitely brought us together and really united us as a team," Schafer said. "Our newfound unity will definitely help us succeed at the semifinals."

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