by Jen Oemig
CHELMSFORD – The Crescendos are getting ready to take Manhattan. Following a first-place finish at the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) Northeast Semifinals in March, Chelmsford High School’s all-treble voiced group has advanced to the final round of the competition, which will be held at The Town Hall in New York City on April 26.
“This is the first time The Crescendos are advancing to the ICHSA finals,” said senior Cailin “Kiki” Deutschmann, co-president of the group. “It’s been a really amazing journey since September. … This whole entire process has been so fulfilling, knowing all of our hard work and dedication and passion for what we do has paid off in the long run.”
Junior Jocelyn Pica, co-president of the group, said she and the other members of the group are thrilled to be given the opportunity to perform on a national stage.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize how much work is put into a cappella,” she said. “It’s not just singing a song and dancing to it. We have to think about what the song means and what parts we can add a dynamic to. I think all of our contributions as a group is what got us this far.”
And when they take the stage Friday evening, The Crescendos will be up against the best a cappella groups from across the country, which sophomore Karen Khela said is an honor.
“I think it’s going to be a really good experience for us to be able to see these groups, see the way they do their choreography and see their stage energy,” she said. “I’m excited to gain more insight into what a cappella is by seeing all these really talented groups.”
For several members of The Crescendos, it’s still sinking in that they are advancing to the ICHSA Finals.
“We’re literally going to go compete with the nine best groups in the country,” said Sahithi Chaturvedula, a senior. “Seeing other people and how talented they are, I think, is going to show us how great we really are. … I’m proud of us and I want us to realize how far we’ve come.”
Freshman member Ananya Bharti said it’s surreal to think that, out of over 200 high school a cappella groups across the nation, The Crescendos are in the top 10.
“Being one of the very few groups to be moving onto New York and to be able to experience this with people you love is amazing,” she said.
Isabella Travers, a junior, describes the experience as a full-circle moment.
“I remember when I was in middle school, we would watch The Thursdays in our fifth-grade classroom,” she said. “And I remember always wanting to do that and saying to my chorus teacher at the time that I would love to perform in New York and be in a cappella.”
Ahead of this weekend’s competition, Milo Betton, a junior, said the girls have been working on connecting with each other.
“We’ve found that we tend to do a lot better when we really just focus on giving a good performance and basically falling in love with what we do,” she said. “To prepare, we just have fun, we have parties where we watch a bunch of different a cappella sets and we eat food and joke around. It’s very helpful because it lessens the stress.”
Regardless of the outcome for ICHSA Finals, Amanda Roeder, CHS music teacher and advisor for The Crescendos, told the girls they had already won the prize.
“Getting to go to New York and be on stage as one of the top 10 groups in the country, that’s it,” she said. “You’ve won. You don’t even need to worry about the results of the competition. … This is the reward for many, many years of hard work.”
While in New York, group members will also be doing some touristy things, as well as watching the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Finals on April 27.
To learn more about The Crescendos, visit https://www.chelmsfordacappella.org/the-crescendos.
For more information and a ticket link for this Friday’s competition in New York, visit https://varsityvocals.com/event/2024_ichsa_finals.
