A Cappella Arrangements
Starting in high school, I have been arranging songs in a variety of genres for a cappella. My first performed arrangement of Level Up by Vienna Teng was nominated for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA). In 2023 my 10 minute arrangement for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) was awarded Outstanding Arrangement at the Midwest Quarter Finals and placed second overall in the Midwest Semifinals. The following are some highlights of my arranging history presented chronologically.
PRE 2020
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01
Level Up by Vienna Teng
My first arrangement was of Level Up by Vienna Teng. The arrangement was completed in 2016 when I was a sophomore in high school. The original song features layers of electronic sounds and a 7/8 time signature. My arrangement turns the song into a duet, adding additional vocal harmonies. The song was nominated for the CARA of Best High School Arrangement. It was recorded and released by GFS A Cappella on the album Resolution. I also feature as one of the soloists on the track.
To see more of my work with GFS A cappella click here.
02
If I Go by Ella Eyre
This arrangement, created in my sophomore year of college, was recorded virtually during the covid pandemic for Case in Point A Cappella (CiP). Post-pandemic this song became a regular at gigs the group performed across campus through my senior year. The song features induvidual moments with just upper or lower voices in order to feature different parts of the group and added harmonies throughout. It was released on CiP's third EP, Inertia. The video to the right is of the song being performed live in 2023.
2020 — 2021
2021 — 2022
03
No Roots by Alice Merton
No Roots is a folk/electronic song featuring an iconic bassline and a somewhat barren original arrangement. The challenge for this arrangement was creating interest with the repeated parts of the song while maintaining the openness of the original and making it easy to memorize for the group.
04
Dead to Me by Kali Uchis
One of two Kali Uchis songs I arranged, this was one of the first arrangements we learned coming out of the pandemic.
05
Close to You Medley (ICCA)
This was the first ICCA set I attempted. The concept was to create a 10 min continuous set using songs that were named or contained the words "close to you." This included, "Overlove" by OLY, "Close to You" by Us the Duo, "Close to You" by the Carpenters, "Close to Me" by Diplo, and Ellie Goulding, and Swae Lee. This was a difficult set as the group recovered from the pandemic and was fewer in number than usual. The successes and failures of this set lead to the following years success.
06
Your Teeth in My Neck
This was second Kali Uchis song I arranged. Though the arrangement was completed during my sophomore year, it was not performed until my senior year. The song features alternating rhythmic feels which made it both and interesting song to arrange and perform.
07
River by Charlie Puth
River was originally arranged during my freshman year and learned by the group just before the pandemic hit. We did not have an opportunity to teach it to new members and perform it until my senior year. This was unique in the fact that I was able to make some adjustments over time and also see how my arranging style had developed over that time.
08
2023 ICCA Set
The arrangement I am so far proudest of is the competition set made for CiP in 2023. I worked for over a year arranging, choreographing, and teaching this set. The group won Outstanding Arrangement, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Soloist (Zion Thomas), and 1st place in the Midwest Quarterfinal as well as 2nd place in the Midwest Semifinal. The 10 minute continuous set was built to tell a story of dark feelings coming into bright feelings and togetherness.
The first song, "I Know What They're Thinking" originally by Amahla, talks about social anxiety. This began by letting the group talk as if in a party and then the soloist singing over them. This song was also soloed by myself. After an operatic interlude, the second song "Miss You" by Jérémie Makiese, originally from the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, begins a tale of heartache and dark times after a relationship ending. Zion Thomas won Outstanding Soloist for this song. This then transitions into "Don't Lose Sight" orginally by Lawrence.
After two songs about struggle, this song opens with the lyrics "This mess if gonna kill me but I won't let it" and "so I tell myself when I sleep at night, don't loose sight." This upbeat duet contrasts the energy of the first two songs and allowed the group to celebrate getting through life's troubles and not letting negative emotions change who you are ending with the lyric "This mess ain't ever gonna change, so I'm never gonna change."A recorded version of the song was released in 2024 on the EP Breakthrough.