UPDATE:
Exciting News! Sonic Edge made it to the ICHSA Varsity Vocals Finals held in New York City on April 26. Here's a quick update from CCCEPA Director of Choral and Vocal Music Trey Giddens:
"Our students traveled to Winter Park, Florida, for the ICHSA semifinals on March 23. There, Sonic Edge went up against the top 9 other groups in the southern region and placed third. This qualified us to audition for the Wild Card competition. We sent our audition video, competing against 14 other schools, and claimed one of three Wild Card slots. Now we head to the ICHSA Finals in New York on April 26!"
Please consider supporting Sonic Edge by donating to their NYC trip here.
Great job, and best of luck in NYC, Sonic Edge!
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Sonic Edge is an a cappella sing and dance group of boys and girls from Pebblebrook who are part of the incredible talent found at the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA). This is the group's second year since being formed last year, and they are already on their way to putting CCCEPA and Pebblebrook on the map.
In fact, there are two, and hopefully three, distinct points on the map that Sonic Edge can now claim. The first is the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The group won the South Region Quarterfinal in the Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA). They beat six other groups from surrounding states to punch their ticket to the South Semifinals this weekend at Trinity Prep in Winter Park, Florida, which is their second distinct map point. In the Sunshine State, Sonic Edge will compete against five other Southern a cappella groups for a chance to pin the map a third time and take their musical chops to the ICHSA Finals in New York City in late April.
The ICHSA was founded in 2001 out of the growing interest in a cappella singing at the high school level. There has been an explosion in participation and talent, and many of the high school groups could hold their own competing at the collegiate level. The competition has grown to include 150 groups in 8 regions nationwide.
Sonic Edge was also selected to perform at the National A Cappella Conference in early April. The group will return to central Florida to be featured as a Showcase Performer on Friday evening, April 5, at the Wyndham Orlando Resort.
"They are the newest performing ensemble for CCCEPA. This is their second year in existence and first year competing," said Trey Giddens, CCCEPA's Director of Choral and Vocal Music. "ICHSA is an internationally recognized competition, so this is a great way to share the talents of our students along with Pebblebrook and CCCEPA to a larger audience. The students have been working hard all year on refining their skills and learning choreo."
Working hard is an understatement. There is no room for error in a cappella since there are far fewer singers in these groups than in a usual choral performance, and there is constant movement and dancing while trying to stay on pitch and on time. These students must know their part, as well as everyone else's, and look and sound flawless every step of the way. Practice, practice, and more practice make perfect.
Or, as CCCEPA Director Robert Connor likes to say: "Practice Makes Permanent," meaning that the right amount of practice will create habits and muscle memory, making the performance look natural and organic.
"CCCEPA has done it again!" said a proud Director Connor about Sonic Edge. "Under the leadership of Mr. Giddens, they outpaced their competition and brought home first place in the quarterfinals. If they have a successful run at the semifinals, they will move on to the finals at New York City's Town Hall Theater in April. Congratulations, Sonic Edge and Pebblebrook High School!"
Sonic Edge competes in Winter Park, Florida, this Saturday (March 23, 2024) at 7:00 PM. The finals in New York will be held on April 26, and the winner of the finals gets to compete in September for the international competition held at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City for a grand prize of $20,000! Great job, and good luck, Sonic Edge!
