Chapman a cappella takes center stage in collegiate competitions

Photo Courtesy of Richie Amarillas (Soundcheck) & Isha Patel (ChapTones)

ChapTones and Soundcheck took home first and second place at the collegiate a cappella quarterfinal, which means they were able to advance to the next stage of competition this past weekend.

The Southwest Quarterfinal of the 2025 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) was held in San Diego on Feb. 22. Three of Chapman’s very own groups took home awards; ChapTones took home first place, Soundcheck got second and Simply Vocale won the Outstanding Soloist award. ChapTones and Soundcheck went on to compete in the next stage of competition, the Southwest Semifinal, on March 8.

Chapman has consistently won big at regional ICCAs of the past, with both teams competing in last year’s Southwest Semifinal and the ChapTones coming in second. 

Senior screenwriting major Teddy Anagnostopoulos, president of ChapTones, said that the group has been working hard to improve their sets each year. 

“My freshman year, we didn’t even place in the top three at our quarterfinal,” Anagnostopoulos said. “So to be placing in the top three in semifinals these past years, it’s been really reassuring for us and it’s also just been a huge motivation boost to get better and better.”

ChapTones took home second place at the Southwest Semifinal this year, along with the Outstanding Soloist special award. 

The teams that win each of the nine regional semifinal competitions advance to the national finals, which are held in New York. Winning first place will secure a team a spot in the finals — but Anagnostopoulos explained that there’s another way to make it to Manhattan. A wild card round begins after the semifinals are complete, allowing for one more group to compete in the finals. 

Anagnostopoulos believes that the key to the ChapTones’ success is their group’s closeness and genuine friendships. Before each show, they engage in a compliment circle, where everyone compliments the person next to them on talent, character or anything else. 

“We party together, we go on retreats together, we’ve traveled together and we’ve just gotten really close,” Anagnostopoulos said. “This group really is like a found and chosen family for all of us. I think that’s what the magic has been.”

Soundcheck placed second at the quarterfinal, meaning that they also competed at the semifinal. 

Richie Amarillas, a junior political science major and member of Soundcheck, says that the key to success for the group has been in working collectively on the creative processes and in performing together.

“We’re thorough, intentional and emotionally driven by the set that we work on,” Amarillas said. “We approach competition with a sense of gratitude, and with so much trust in one another to be the best versions of ourselves.”

The members of Soundcheck like to tell stories through their sets, and this year’s is called “I’ll Be Kinder To Myself.” Amarillas explained that this theme is meant to represent “self-love, perseverance through diversity and finding belonging.”

“This year for our pre-show ritual at quarterfinals, we talked about what the set meant to each of us,” Amarillas said. “There was such a beauty in hearing everyone’s different personal experiences, and hearing about how their interpretation of the same art varies from yours.”

Senior public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major Cora Synnes, a member of ChapTones, also shared what makes the world of collegiate a cappella so special to her. 

“We genuinely are just so happy to be performing together,” Synnes said. “When we’re up on stage, it’s an indescribable feeling, like nothing else in the world matters besides singing with each other.”