Obertones Take Second Place in Competition by Douglass Dowty ’05
			The Obertones, Oberlin’s all-male a cappella group, triumphed in the Midwest regional quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella (ICCA), taking second prize in the competition. The February 2 event, held at Pennsylvania State University, was the first ICCA event in which the group has participated. The ICCA competition is sponsored by Varsity Vocals, an organization dedicated to a cappella singing. The Obertones now advance to the ICCA semifinal round, to be held March 9 at the University of Illinois. “The whole experience was a great success,” said Obertones singer Jacob Adams. “Competing against groups from state schools that had never heard of us made us feel that we were the underdogs. I don’t think any of us expected to be as successful as we were. We’re excited about our group’s capabilities.” Founded in 1984, the Obertones comprise 11 singers from the College and Conservatory who perform genres ranging from 1980s pop music to arrangements of songs by Radiohead. The group even performs customized skits. The group makes annual national tours during spring break and has been to California, New England, Washington, D.C., and many college campuses in between. The Obertones pride themselves on being unique, and member Joshua Mason believes that quality made them winners in the ICCA quarterfinals. “We offered the judges and audience something different, and in the end, it really paid off,” Mason said. The Obertones will compete in the semifinals against Ladies First, an ensemble from Indiana University that took first place in the Midwest quarterfinal round. Groups that win the semifinals in each of the six ICCA regions advance to the finals, held each April at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. In addition to their second-place finish as a group, individual members of the Obertones were recognized. Singer Jason Gross won “Runner-Up, Best Soloist” for his rendition of “Crazy Love,” and Jacob Adams and Ben Shirley-Quirk won “Best Arrangement” for their adaptation of Radiohead’s “Exit Music.”
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