The 10th annual VoiceJam A Cappella Competition on April 11 brings the best a cappella groups from across the country to compete at Walton Arts Center. We asked each of the seven competing groups a few questions to learn more about them. Get to know four of these competitors: Decibelles, A Cub Bella, VIBE and Final Measure!
Click here to see part one with responses from the other three competitors.
Tickets to the Voctave concert and the VoiceJam Competition are on sale now. Want to see both shows? Purchase a combo ticket for just $31.85. Tickets are available online at waltonartscenter.org or by calling the box office at 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am-5 pm.
Decibelles – Fort Smith, Ark.
What kind of music do you enjoy singing together/what is in your repertoire?
As we are all high school seniors, we are on top of every social media trend. We often find ourselves recreating singing trends and challenges for fun, building team spirit and keeping our music fresh as we typically perform the older style of “Sweet Adeline” singing. As we navigate the complex harmonies of the barbershop society, we also love to sing jazz and pop music. Our repertoire for this competition is going to display all of our strengths, highlighting the accumulation of our time spent together.
Does your group work with precisely notated music, or do you improvise?
As choir kids, it’s in our nature to stick to precisely notated music, but in the world of a cappella, we are trying to get acclimated and comfortable with musical improvisation! We love trying new things and trying to conquer new skills as a group.
How did you come up with the name for your group? What is the story behind it?
The name Decibelles came from a playful twist on the musical term “decibel,” combined with the Southern phrase “Southern Belle.” We loved the idea of blending music and femininity into one name. “Decibel” represents the strength, power and impact of our sound, while “Southern Belle” reflects our grace, charm and love for getting glamorous. By combining the two, we created a name that captures both our fierce stage presence and the confident femininity we bring to every performance.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or warm ups? If so, what are they?
Before our performances, we find peace and reassurance in saying a prayer over our voices and minds. We typically warm up on lip trills and breathing exercises including suspensions and pressured release of breath. Much of the warming up happens as we run our music a few times, and then once full out. Before it all, we make sure to drink unlimited throat coat or ginger tea with lemon and honey to ensure smooth and luscious harmonies!
What songs, artists or genres of music are you currently listening to on your personal playlists – give us your top 5?
As a group, we are super into dramatic and pop contemporary a cappella, especially anything performed by GQ. Arguably, we are GQ’s biggest superfans! That said, we’re also trying to expand our musical tastes a little. Our current top five a cappella songs are “Pity Party“ arranged by Patrick McAlexander, “Hot Knife” arranged by GQ, “Man I Need” arranged by Kate Crellin, “Natural Woman” and “Ebb Tide” arranged by Fred King.
What does your group like to do in your free time?
In our free time, the Decibelles love spending time together as friends outside of rehearsal! We’ve been best friends for a long time, so our time together is effortless. During fellowship, we enjoy Bible studies or getting dressed up just to take pictures — just because! We also have fun traditions, like exploring local coffee shops for a sweet treat or getting post-practice milkshakes from Sonic. And of course, like any other a cappella group, we love karaoke! What we love most about the Decibelles is that we can bond not only over our love for music, but also over our love for each other.
A Cub Bella – Missouri State University
What kind of music do you enjoy singing together/what is in your repertoire?
Our repertoire includes pop, jazz, folk and country! We always select repertoire based on our member’s interest for the year!
Does your group work with precisely notated music, or do you improvise?
We read notes from a page and try to make them come to life! We love to improvise in small form whether that be a silly chant or harmonizing on the spot!
How did you come up with the name for your group? What is the story behind it?
We are proud Missouri State Bears! All of our fellow a cappella groups on campus are bear puns, so we had to join in! Established in 2002, we wanted to make sure our name was a part of the “c(l)ub”.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or warm ups? If so, what are they?
We are all about emotional connection to the show you are about to present. We always circle up and encourage each other to be the best musicians and humans we can be! We always warm up our voices with lots of sirens!
What songs, artists or genres of music are you currently listening to on your personal playlists – give us your top 5?
Olivia Dean, Sammy Rae & Friends, Joy Williams, Megan Maroney and Fiona Apple.
What does your group like to do in your free time?
Besides singing, our group stays involved on campus and hanging out with our friends and investing in our future careers! You’ll find Bella’s in every academic building including biology, fashion, entertainment management and musical theater!
VIBE – Nashville, Tenn.
What kind of music do you enjoy singing together / what is in your repertoire?
We love pop music with a soulful flair. Our repertoire spans contemporary pop, R&B and even choral influences - really anything that fits our voices and allows us to connect emotionally. We’re drawn to music that grooves, that builds and that gives us space for rich harmonies and strong storytelling. Soul and vibe are at the center of what we do.
Does your group work with precisely notated music, or do you improvise?
We primarily work with fully notated arrangements. Our music director and arranger provides detailed scores and often sends part tracks demonstrating exactly how each line should feel stylistically. While there’s room for individuality and flair in the solos, we prioritize cohesion and blend in the backing parts. Precision creates the foundation and expression builds on top of that.
How did you come up with the name for your group? What is the story behind it?
A majority of our members performed together for six years in a group called RISE at the University of Texas at Arlington. Others come from programs like Baylor VirtuOSO, Texas A&M HardChord Dynamix and UNT Green Tones.
Because so many of us have sung together for years, we developed a natural chemistry, a shared musical instinct. That energy, that connection and that vibe is what defines us. The name VIBE reflects both our musical style and the chemistry that propels us forward in every competition.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or warm-ups?
Before a performance, we stand in a circle and focus on grounding ourselves. We begin with breathing exercises like a deep inhale, holding for a set count and then exhaling on a “K” sound to release nervous energy. It helps us center our breath, calm our bodies and walk onstage unified.
What songs, artists or genres of music are you currently listening to on your personal playlists – give us your top 5?
RAYE, Holly Humberstone, Charli XCX, Zara Larsson and Prince.
What does your group like to do in your free time?
We’re primarily post-collegiate, so many of us work full-time jobs, some are married and a few even have families. We live in different parts of the country and lead very different lives.
But whenever we have the opportunity to come together (especially for VoiceJam) it feels special. We look forward to those moments of reunion, creativity and performance.
FINAL MEASURE - University of Houston
What kind of music do you enjoy singing together/what is in your repertoire?
Final Measure are R&B, pop and jazz lovers! We pick classical pieces and modern music that shows off our skills and how versatile we can be!
Does your group work with precisely notated music, or do you improvise?
We are a strictly-notated music group, but we do like to improvise music during our breaks.
How did you come up with the name for your group? What is the story behind it?
Final Measure was created by Wedler Lordeus and James Stillwell during a random encounter at a gym! Lordeus wanted to make opportunities for folks who still wanted to be in music but didn't want to spend their entire school schedule in choir (Our music school expects members of a cappella groups to be in one or more other choirs). Wedler wanted to be one of the only a cappella groups to not require singers to be in a choir. This group ended up being the first ever student founded and led a cappella group in University of Houston.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or warm ups? If so, what are they? Final Measure has a chant called "I feel so good." It's a pre-show ritual literally right before we are called on stage to get the whole group's nerve system jumping and running. This also relives some of the ball of nerve energy before hitting a big stage!
What songs, artists or genres of music are you currently listening to on your personal playlists – give us your top 5? We are currently in our Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Beyonce and Michael Jackson eras.
What does your group like to do in your free time? We love to do movie nights and post-rehearsal hangouts! Final Measure also enjoys making TikToks, playing laser tag and hosting big major events (Superbowl parties, birthdays,etc).
VoiceJam Festival Schedule
VoiceJam Kickoff Concert - Voctave | Friday, April 10 | 7:30 pm | All tickets are $10
VoiceJam Workshops | Saturday, April 11 | 9 am - 1 pm | Free
VoiceJam Competition | Saturday, April 11 | 7:30 pm | Tickets are $31.05
Free Community Event One-Day Choir | Sunday, April 12 | 10am-noon | Register here