Limited Edition hopes for wild card win

Port Washington High School’s Limited Edition was edged out of first place and an automatic trip to the Varsity Vocals championship in New York City by four points at the Championship of High School A Cappella Great Lakes Semifinal at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee Saturday, March 21.

But there’s still hope. 

Varsity Vocals hosts a wildcard round that allows groups that placed second in semifinal competitions throughout the country to submit video recordings of performances. The two groups whose recordings are judged to be the best earn a trip to New York for the Championship of High School A Cappella finals on April 25.

Limited Edition recorded its performance shortly before the semifinal competition “just in case” and submitted it last week, Port High Choral Director Dennis Gephart said.

In the semifinal competition, Limited Edition earned a score of 399 from the judges to place second to Off the Record from Lockport Township High School in Lockport, Ill., which received a score of 403.

Limited Edition’s Teagan Zuraw received the Outstanding Vocal Percussion award.

Many groups would be ecstatic to place second in a competition that brings together the best young a cappella talent in the region, but for a Port High program that has sent seven groups to the championship and won the title in 2010, runner-up wasn’t the title members of this year’s group were counting on.

“You always go to win,” Gephart said. “The kids did great and they’re happy with second, but they know there were some things they could have done (to earn a higher score).

“The good news is they’re happy with their set; it’s such a great set, so we’re hopeful.”

The other bit of good news is there is no time to sit around and angst about the outcome of the wildcard round. Eighty band and choir students left last week for a nine-day spring break trip to Italy and return on the day Varsity Vocals will announce the results.

“If we make it to the finals, we’ll have 10 days to plan and fundraise for a trip to New York,” Gephart said. 

On top of that, Limited Edition will host its annual a cappella festival Acapocalypse at Port High on April 10 and 11.

“April is going to kill me,” Gephart said.