VoiceJam A Capella festival is always a favorite event at Walton Arts Center. We’re so excited to get back to a full-swing, in-person event this year on Saturday, April 9. In addition to the competition, expect a day of masterclasses and workshops that are sure to be fun, educational and aca-awesome!

The headline event is the VoiceJam competition, which sees a cappella groups from schools and communities across the country compete in a vocal smackdown. Keep reading to get to know just a few of our 2022 competitors!

The Ozarks

WAC: Tell us about the musical background of your group.

The Ozarks: Founded during the height of the pandemic, The Ozarks A Cappella is an organization dedicated to providing a unique educational and musical experience for high school students in southwest Missouri. In 2020, we noticed that students were unable to have musical experiences in the traditional classroom sense. We wanted this group to be an outlet and opportunity for any high schooler in the Ozarks to make musical excellence, forge friendships, and grow as people.

WAC: Tell us about the different levels of a cappella experience in your group. 

The Ozarks: Our current members are all grades 10-12 coming from nine different high schools in the southwest Missouri area. Three members will be attending the A Cappella Academy this summer in Los Angeles; and one member, Zach Liesen, won outstanding Vocal Percussion at ICHSA quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals last year. This group was recently nominated for two Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards for Best High School Solo and Best High School Song. Our directors are/were members of collegiate a cappella groups, The Beartones and Sound Bearrier at Missouri State University.

WAC: Tell us about your competition set.

The Ozarks: Our specialties cover a wide range, but since we have started, we have stayed in the pop and R&B range. In our set we will have three soloists. Emily Jenkins will start our set with a song called “From Fire” originally performed by the artist Perta. Next, Lilly Jackson will solo the song “War In Your Arms,” originally by Australian artist Ben Abraham. Finally, we will close with Michael Thurston soloing the tune “Higher Power,” original performed by Coldplay. There is not a particular theme to our set this year but, in it you can sense the pain that is created when there is lack of trust in a relationship.

WAC: How did your group hear about VoiceJam? 

The Ozarks: In past years our directors attended and competed with the group The Beartones. From that experience we saw how immersive and educational this festival is, and wanted to come back with The Ozarks. Being so close to Fayetteville and NWA we think it is very important to foster the continued growth of a cappella in the region.

WAC: Does your group have any pre-performance rituals? Tell us about them!

The Ozarks: This will actually be one of our first live performances and first live competition ever. So not yet! We were lucky enough to win the International Championship of High School A Cappella in its virtual format last year, and we are looking forward to competing in-person.

­­­­­­­­­­­VIBE

WAC: Tell us about the musical background of your group.

VIBE: We are a supergroup of different collegiate/high school a cappella groups from various regions of Texas. The ages range 17-30.

WAC: Tell us about the different levels of a cappella experience in your group. 

VIBE: We consist of 12 members - some currently active in high school/collegiate programs, others continuing involvement through festivals/competitions. Most of our members have competed in the Varsity Vocals ICCA/Open finals, been featured in a national Cheerios campaign and recorded for Patti LaBelle’s Christmas album Home for the Holidays.

WAC: Tell us about your competition set.

VIBE: We have no theme for this set - we sing what we love. We are passionate about creating a series of magical moments that we can invite the audience into. Our style lends to the pop/R&B sound, and we love to travel the decades with our song choices. For this set, we will feature a powerhouse trio for our middle piece and a mesmerizing showman for our finale.

WAC: Does your group have any pre-performance rituals?

VIBE: We LOVE a show circle! Feeling that sensation together right before heading out on stage is so special. We remember why we love what we do and promise each other that we’ll enjoy the next few minutes as we leave it all on the stage and create new memories for years to come.

WAC: Tell us about your group’s most memorable performance story. 

WAC: Definitely performing at Carnegie Hall for the 2018/19 Varsity Vocals Open Finals. Such a humbling experience being on a stage with so much rich history.

Green Tones

WAC: Tell us about the musical background of your group.

Green Tones: Green Tones was founded in 2008 as a contemporary a cappella group at the University of North Texas. Green Tones has evolved since then to become more than your average collegiate a cappella group. The group now gigs across around the DFW area, competes in competitions nationwide and produces professional-level content.

WAC: Tell us about the different levels of a cappella experience in your group. 

Green Tones: A portion of Green Tones members were heavily involved in high school a cappella -- competing in competitions like ICHSA and TVAC -- but for some of the group's members, Green Tones is their first step into the a cappella world. Green Tones cultivates an environment for each individual musician to constantly flourish and effortlessly evolve.

WAC: Tell us about your competition set.

Green Tones: Our set, entitled "The Eden Project," represents the duality of man and the human experience. Each song illustrates a unique, complex emotion. The group's first song, "The Feeling," represents a detached, escapist state. "All My Life" represents the chaotic confusion of overwhelming emotions. The closer, "Flesh and Bone," represents the acceptance of maturity.

WAC: How did your group hear about VoiceJam?

Green Tones: In our last competition season, Green Tones competed in VoiceJam 2019.

WAC: Tell us about your group’s most memorable performance story. 

Green Tones: In 2020, Green Tones had the exciting opportunity to open for Pentatonix and Jay Leno at the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, TX.

 Essence

WAC: Tell us about the musical background of your group.

Essence: We started as a student group about five years ago. After we all graduated, it took about two years for us to decide to try again and now we are a community group. What brought us back together was really just going out in the world and realizing that what we had was a super experience and we weren't going to replicate it with anyone else.

WAC: Tell us about the different levels of a cappella experience in your group. 

Essence: Our levels of experience are generally very similar. Some of us have about one to two years difference of experience on each other. But as far as a group, what we’re doing now has us all on the same level, it seems.

WAC: Tell us about your competition set.

Essence: We currently have five soloists all at different parts of the set. Our set is created of three songs from three separate genres. I think that really is a good example of the sort of group we are. We collect all sorts of styles, stories, and songs to make a performance that may be unpredictable or surprising. Our direction is to hopefully highlight the growing pains that come with being a young adult and maybe some of the first times we've ever had to figure things out truly alone. Our music now revolves a lot more around the struggle of having to fill your own space and figuring out exactly what to do with our new-found freedoms and adulthood. The confusion of isolation, the desire to rekindle, and to concede to the fact that we still need others and make mistakes despite how hard we try to be independent.

WAC: How did your group hear about VoiceJam? 

Essence: This will be some members third time performing in VoiceJam, and others their second time. We all participated in the past as member of Natural State of Mind high school group in one iteration or another.

WAC: Does your group have any pre-performance rituals?

Essence: This specific group of singers hasn't found one yet, but I look forward to seeing what that might be. It's a new era for us with a new temperament of people