EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Summit Street, Eastern Michigan University’s premier student a cappella group, has qualified to compete in the quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) tournament on Saturday, March 13.

The ICCA performance will be available after the competition, but to view other performances by the group, visit the group’s media page.

Summit Street, established in 2019, is a TTBB (tenor, tenor, baritone, bass) a cappella group, which is traditionally an all-men’s chorus. However, aligned with EMU’s mission to foster a diverse and inclusive community, the singing group is open to anyone regardless of identification. The group currently consists of 13 singing members and 3 tech members that assist with all aspects of recording, video production and more.

“Summit Street was born out of a desire to create an all-inclusive competitive student a cappella group that encourages all to come and be musical without any restrictions,” said EMU Vocal Music Education senior Trevor Miner, who serves as the group’s music director. “We don’t restrict our group to those only in the School of Music. No matter what degree you’re pursuing, musical or otherwise, our goal is to be a place for anyone who is musically inclined and wants to explore that while having fun and competing in world-renowned competitions.”

While the ICCA performances are typically held across the world, the 25th season of the ICCA tournament will take place virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will feature 3,500 performers in 250 groups from universities across 33 states and five countries. This will be the second time an ensemble from EMU will compete in the tournament. The event is hosted by the Varsity Vocals, a worldwide competitive a capella program.

According to the ICCA site, this season competitors face the challenge of creating a four-minute music video in lieu of a traditional competition set, all while maintaining appropriate social distancing measures. The difficulty of learning and performing music and creating something vocally and visually artistic and appealing — without being able to come together in a traditional way — is considerable. In addition, all audio and video recording, mixing, and editing must be done by group members and their director — which means many are already working on acquiring these new skills.

“This year’s tournament certainly brings a new level of challenges to the table, but we are eager and hope to exceed the judge’s expectations,” said Miner.

To view the Summit Street tournament video when it is released as part of the quarterfinals, visit the Summit Street Linktree.

Varsity Vocals has been the home of competitive a cappella since 1995, according to the producers’ website. It gives singers in high school, college, and beyond the opportunity to interact, compete, learn from each other, get feedback from the pros, and perform in fantastic venues around the globe. For more information, visit the Varsity Vocals website.

Summit Street is also looking to expand its support team with an assistant technical director position. This position would work with the tech director this semester, with the goal of assuming that position the next academic year. For more information on the role, and to apply, contact Summit Street Vice President & Interim Tech Director David Garvey at dgarvey2@emich.edu.

For more information on Summit Street, visit the group’s Facebook Page, Linktree, or email summitstreetacapella@gmail.com.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.