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News Release

Last modified: Thursday, April 21, 2005

IU a cappella group Straight No Chaser to compete for international prize

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2005

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Straight No Chaser, a men's a cappella group comprised of Indiana University students and sponsored by the IU Alumni Association, will compete in the finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. The competition will be held April 30 in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York.

Straight No Chaser will compete against five other a cappella groups from universities across the country. SNC earned first place in the divisional competition at Penn State University on Feb. 5 and in the Midwest Regional finals held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Feb. 19.

In the international finals, each group will have 12 minutes to perform a set of songs of any music style. In a cappella, vocalists perform without instrumental accompaniment or a soundtrack.

Straight No Chaser will perform a choreographed medley reflecting "The Life and Times of Straight No Chaser" -- songs spanning the years from SNC members' births to their college years. The set was arranged and developed by SNC's 11 members. (See a roster of members below for hometown information.)

Founded in 1996, Straight No Chaser has released five CDs and performs frequently at IU Bloomington, other IU campuses, and events throughout the country. In 1998, the group earned second place in the ICCA international finals.

"We are proud to have been the sponsor organization of this outstanding group since shortly after its founding," said Ken Beckley, president and CEO of the IU Alumni Association. "So much attention is given to athletics at a university, and rightfully so, but Straight No Chaser is an outstanding example of student achievements in other areas of talent and skill."

Ladies First, an a cappella group of IU women also sponsored by the IUAA, earned fourth place in the ICCA divisional competition and third place in the regional semifinals. Sarah Schmidt and Joanna Jacobs earned individual awards for outstanding soloist at the divisional and at the regional semifinals, respectively. Ladies First was the only all-female group in the Penn State divisional to advance to the regional.

At the ICCA international finals, Straight No Chaser will compete against the Achordants from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Dear Abbeys from Boston University, Divisi from the University of Oregon, the Duke's Men of Yale from Yale University, and the Midnight Ramblers from the University of Rochester.

The New York Chapter of the IU Alumni Association is hosting a reception to welcome current and past members of Straight No Chaser on April 29 from 8 to 11 p.m. All IU alumni are invited to attend. The reception will be at CYBERCAFE Times Square, 250 W. 49th St. (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue) in New York. There is a $12-per-person minimum for food and/or drink purchases.

The IU Alumni Association serves the university and its more than 466,000 living graduates through programs, services and communications. One of the nation's largest alumni organizations, the IUAA strives daily to connect alumni and serve IU.

For tickets, call CenterCharge at 212-721-6500 or go to the ICCA Web site: https://www.varsityvocals.com/icca/index.shtml.

For more information on the alumni reception, contact David Roberts at davidowenroberts@gmail.com.

For more information about Straight No Chaser, visit https://www.sncproductions.com.

For more general information, visit https://www.alumni.indiana.edu or call 800-824-3044.

Members of Straight No Chaser:

• Adam Basey, senior from Shelbyville, Ind., majoring in informatics
• Corey Frye, sophomore from Indianapolis majoring in voice
• Sargon Isho, senior from Detroit and Las Vegas majoring in trumpet performance
• Andrew Landau, freshman from Northbrook, Ill., majoring in psychology
• Lucas Mechling, junior from Bloomington, Ind., majoring in sociology
• Adam Rich, sophomore from Urbandale, Iowa, majoring in business
• Christopher Ryan, senior from Indianapolis majoring in cognitive neuroscience
• M. Adam Stulberg, junior from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, majoring in telecommunications
• Jeffrey Tanski, senior from Buffalo, N.Y., majoring in music education
• Tyler Trepp (SNC's director), sophomore from Urbandale, Iowa, majoring in telecommunications
• Steven Wolf, senior from Chesterfield, Mo., majoring in telecommunications

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