Danvers High School’s co-ed a cappella group, Falconize, travelled to the University of Hartford, CT, on Sunday, March 15th for the ICHSA (International Championship of High School A Cappella) semi-final round. Although they didn’t end up moving on, their experience preparing for this event was unforgettable.
From five quarter-final sites around the Northeast, ten a cappella groups were able to move on to this semi-final round in Hartford (two groups from each site advanced). Falconize had previously competed in their quarter-final round at Danvers High School at the beginning of the month, and scored second place, earning themselves a spot.
After Falconize found out they would be travelling to Hartford, they started to rehearse rigorously, almost every day, changing what they needed to and running things repeatedly in order to perfect their set.
At the University of Hartford, Falconize performed their meticulously prepared set of three songs, just as they had at their quarter-final round a few weeks before. Their first song, performed at their quarter-final round, was originally “I’m Tired” by Labrinth and Zendaya from the Netflix show Euphoria. But Falconize made the collective decision to change their first song in order to make their set more energetic for ICHSA. They opened with “Now” by Paramore including a solo by senior Dailin Martinez, followed by “Innocent” by Taylor Swift, with a solo by junior Brooke Willichoski, and finally “Light On” by Maggie Rogers, which is a duet between Dailin Martinez and Brooke Wilichoski.
“Our group, as hardworking as we are, don’t really put our value into a title or award,” commented the student Music Director of Falconize, senior Kaelin Hampe. “We love focusing on our own connections and the process that shapes our set as a whole. We’re excited to work on some new songs for the rest of the year!”
The Flying Onion congratulates Falconize on their stunning performances, and commends their representation of the Danvers High School arts program.
