Halftime Magazine Intern Sings Her Way to the Top
Former editorial intern Janel Healy recently won the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Capella as a member of the SoCal Vocals, one of the most prominent vocal groups at the University of Southern California.
The SoCal Vocals were named International Champions on April 19 during the ICCA finals at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan. With a score of 454 points, the group beat out the second-place ensemble from Florida State to become the first ensemble from Southern California to win the competition. During its semifinal performance, the group earned 463 points, the highest total in ICCA history and just two points away from a perfect score.
“We’re much more of a cohesive unit than ever before,” Healy says. “We have a great blend musically. We were able to sound good while we were doing intense choreography. Our choreographer is Lili Fuller. She’s basically a god of choreography. The choreography didn’t detract at all from our sound.”
The ICCA Championships begins with quarterfinal and semifinal competitions in six regions throughout the United States and Europe, with the winners moving on to the finals in New York. The SoCal Vocals performed against groups from Northwestern University, Ithaca College, New York University, Florida State University and Oxford University in the finals. The Vocals performed a set featuring music from Michael Buble, Singers Unlimited and Queen.
“The night of semifinals we did a run through, and as soon as we finished we almost all started crying,” Healy says. “We knew we had something special that other groups didn’t have. It’s fun to bask in the glory now because next year some other group will be the best in the world.”
Following the group’s finals victory, the SoCal Vocals performed a one-minute arrangement of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” on “The Today Show” on the morning of April 20.
Healy worked at Halftime from May 2007 to May 2008 as an editorial intern. Her articles include:
“We’re so proud of Janel and all the members of her a capella group,” says Christine Ngeo Katzman, Halftime Magazine publisher and editor-in-chief. “She has an amazing voice and an even more amazing presence on the stage. She also has a great deal of dedication—every minute she wasn’t at school or here working, she was with the VoCals. She and her classmates truly deserve this wonderful honor.”
Healy graduated from the University of Southern California in May. She currently works as an intern for Nickelodeon and plans to sing in revue productions for Holland America Cruises beginning in the fall.
For more information, contact Christine Ngeo Katzman, founder/publisher of Halftime Magazine, on our Contact page.
