The Singapore Management University (SMU)’s acapella club – SMU VOIX- has clinched first place in the open category at the annual national A Capella Championsips – AcaChamps 2018 held on 7 July 2018 at 222 Queen Street.

Organised by The A Cappella Society, the A Cappella Championships are the highest accolade given out annually to a cappella groups in Singapore. There are nine competing teams this year, including teams from NUS, NTU, SUTD and SIT and this is the second time in the history for the club to win the Open Category (they also won last year).

The winning team comprised eight members – Mun Puay Ling Megan (SOE, Year 2), Anastasia Tracy (LCKSB, Year 2), Laura Miracle Paiputri (SOE, Year 1), Tan Ya Hui (SOE, Year 2), Caleb Teo (SOSS, Year 1), Keith Tan Qi (LKCSB, Year 2), Dexter Choo Yun Zhang (SOL, Year 2) and Kevin Adrian Wijono (LKCSB, Year 3).

For the open category, the group had to perform three songs of varied styles, chosen wisely to create a balanced 12 min performance. They were then judged based on Musicality (60%) which includes arrangement, composition (originality), strength and suitability of soloist, blend and pitch (vocal technique), articulation, ensemble work (awareness in active listening, familiarity), and Performance (40%) which comprises performance energy, ensemble awareness, choreography, stage presence, costumes and stage banter (audience interaction and reaction).

SMU VOIX performed three numbers: “Pretty Young Thing x Adventure of a Lifetime Mashup - Michael Jackson / Coldplay”, “Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith” and “New Rules - Dua Lipa” which helped them clinch the top prize.

Here are some quotes from participants on their journey and experience:

"It was definitely a highlight of my time in SMU VOIX. I’ve learnt so much about performance, perseverance and mental preparation. It was heartening to see everyone prioritising practices even with so much on their plates. The journey wasn’t smooth, but I’m proud to say that we’ve come to embody the saying “it’s not the team of greats that wins; it’s the great team that wins”. Winning was never the goal, it had always been to put the music first; to be the best we could. That’s how we did it, that’s how we won."

- Laura Miracle Paiputri (Mezzo)

"The journey was not an easy one because we met many obstacles along the way. Thankfully, we met them with resilience and refused to give in to discouragement, choosing to focus on improving ourselves instead of letting disappointment get the best of us. This attitude, to me, played a big role in our victory on competition day. We continued making progress each practice but more importantly, it was reflected in our performance and not in others. That was the edge we had over our competition, and we are grateful for it."

- Caleb Teo (Tenor)

“The preparation for Acachamps was an extremely challenging one. As a year two (rising three) law student, that meant juggling competition practices on top of internships, and not to mention executive committee duties. I believe SMU VOIX’s competitive edge is in our commitment to overall performance excellence – while most other a cappella groups focus mainly on the musical aspect, SMU VOIX is unafraid to take risks in executing challenging choreography. This ultimately enhances the performance, helping to convey the intention and story behind our music.”

- Dexter Choo (SMU VOIX's President, Bass)

SMU VOIX was recently invited to perform at the 51^st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on 2^nd August and they will also perform at the International Women Festival on 24^th August. Do catch them at their own production Do You A Cappella 2018 at 7pm, Gateway Theatre on 15 September 2018 and you will even hear some of their winning songs there.

More photos of the AcaChamps 2018 can be found here.