Voices, formerly known as Voices in Your Head, is a student-run a cappella group from the University of Chicago. Founded in 1998, the group consists of both undergraduate and graduate students whose studies range from Economics to Music to MD/PhD programs. Voices arranges all of its own music, spanning several genres. Its unique repertoire includes original pieces, as well as an eclectic mix of pop, R&B, rock, and alternative music. Voices competes regularly in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, and travels nationally for a cappella festivals and tours.
History
Voices was formed in the fall of 1998 by members who realized there were no 'funky' performance organizations at the University of Chicago. They released their first live album, Sesquipedalia, in 2000, their first studio album, On Point, in 2002, and their second studio album, ‘’Songs for Padded Rooms,’’ in 2005. ‘'Note To Self'," released on May 23, 2008, received a strong Recorded A Cappella Review Board review and contained a track selected for the 2008 edition of the international a cappella compilation, Voices Only. Noted author Nick Hornby also included "Magic" from Note To Self in his 2008 playlist for the New York Times. On February 17, 2009, Ben Folds announced that "Magic" would appear on his 2009 album, calling it "a hell of a cool place to live for three and a half minutes". NBC Washington commented on the group's contribution, "Magic," saying "the arrangement is so different from the original that the song is a completely unique artifact–which should be the goal of any group, a cappella or otherwise, when attempting a cover." In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ben Folds commented: "There’s a group from the University of Chicago called Voices in Your Head that sings 'Magic' on the record, and to me they’re in a different league from the rest of the groups." As part of the tour to support the album release, Voices in Your Head performed live with Ben Folds on March 19, 2009 in Milwaukee, WI at the Eagles Ballroom. That year, Voices competed for the first time in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, a competition featuring groups from all over the country and overseas. In 2011, Voices finished third at their Midwest Quarterfinal; in 2012, they came in first at both the quarterfinal and the semifinal, progressing to ICCA finals in New York City, where they finished fourth overall. In addition, they competed in the inaugural Boston Sings collegiate competition, where they came in first. The group's next album, I Used to Live Alone, was released on May 21, 2011, and marked Voices' emergence into the national a cappella scene. Several tracks met critical acclaim in the a cappella community up to a year before its release: the tracks "I'd Like To," "Boomerang" and "Sharp" were all selected for national a cappella compilation albums. "Boomerang" was also the winner of the 2011 CARA in the category of Best Scholastic Original. After its release, the album received positive reviews from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board, and was selected as one of RARB's picks of the year. In 2012, "I Used To Live Alone" was nominated for five CARA awards, winning Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement and runner up places for Best Mixed Collegiate Album, Song, and Solo. Voices returned to ICCA competition in 2014, falling short at the Midwest semifinal after placing second at the quarterfinal stage. The next year, however, after finishing first at their Midwest quarterfinal and semifinal, the group returned to Finals. The 2015 ICCA Finals, held on April 18 at New York City's Beacon Theatre, saw Voices finish 2nd to the University of Southern California's SoCal VoCals, as well as win Outstanding Soloist at Finals. The group took 2016 to tour in California and on the East Coast, where they performed for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House holiday party. 2016 also saw the group complete LIGHTS, its sixth studio album, which was released in July of that year. LIGHTS would go on to win the group's CARA award for Best Mixed Collegiate Album, along with the CARA for Best Collegiate Original Song, out of four nominations. Voices competed in the ICCA again in 2017, this time in the Great Lakes region. After placing first at their quarterfinal and semifinal, the group again advanced to Finals. At the Beacon Theatre, Voices finished 2nd to the Northeastern University Nor'easters on April 22, 2017, and won the award for Outstanding Arrangement at Finals. 2018 marks the 20th Anniversary of the founding of Voices. To celebrate, they competed in the ICCA with an entirely original set, being the first group to ever do so. The group advanced to Finals once again, placing first and winning Outstanding Arrangement at both their Quarterfinal and their Semifinal. Voices placed 3rd at the event, behind The SoCal VoCals of University of Southern California and Upper Structure of Berklee College of Music. The final event of the year, their 20th Anniversary Concert, reunited all alumni to celebrate the group's growth.
