VOICES, the vocal jazz ensemble at the U of A, won the a cappella VoiceJam Festival Competition on April 5 at Walton Arts Center. Competing with songs "Never Let Go" by Rob Dietz and an arrangement of "This Will Be" by James Rose, VOICES rose to the top of the scoreboard and triumphed over groups that included the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; the University of North Texas; and the University of Houston.

"I was really scared until they said we had the win, not gonna lie," said VOICES member Jess Hicks, a junior at the U of A. "I didn't know what to expect from the competition, but it was exhilarating! I couldn't breathe!"

Another VOICES musician, sophomore Bianca Euler, praised the competition and the group dynamic: "It was a good time. The group felt really connected, and it was such a fun experience."

The day began early with workshops for all festival attendees. Each workshop was taught by a cappella professionals and covered topics like arranging, choreography, technique and vocal percussion. Hicks said she especially enjoyed the percussion workshop: "I hope we will be able to incorporate some things we learned into our future performances."

VOICES Director Lauren Clare was overjoyed her group had such a positive experience at this year's festival: "As an instructor, it's rewarding to see all the hard work we put income to fruition and have the students see how amazingly capable they are. I could not be prouder of them as a group and as individuals."

One of the judges at this year's competition happened to be Rob Dietz, who got to listen to VOICES rehearsing one of his own songs before everything got underway. He later posted to his Instagram account that he'd never heard a small ensemble sing this piece, as it was usually performed by large groups.

When asked what they hoped the future might hold for VOICES, Euler grinned. "I would love it if we could travel out of state at some point to sing."  

Clare also seemed excited at the idea. "I have some ideas. Things to think about for the future. It's amazing to think about what we could potentially do!"