Emily Culbert
  • Class of 2018
  • Schenectady, NY

Emily Culbert Competes in Collegiate A Cappella Quarterfinal

2017 Mar 28

Emily Culbert of Schenectady, NY, competed in an International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Northeast Quarterfinal on Feb. 25 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as part of SUNY Oneonta's Hooked On Tonics group.

Culbert, who is majoring in Biology at SUNY Oneonta, sings alto in the group.

The 14-member ensemble performed a set that included "All Time Low" by John Bellion, "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys and a Michael Jackson medley. “All Time Low” and “I Want it That Way” featured original arrangements by group member Sydney Kurnit, who is a sophomore at SUNY Oneonta. Associate Professor of Music Paul Carter, who founded Hooked On Tonics and serves as the club's advisor, arranged the Michael Jackson medley.

"We started this group in 2002 and I've never seen it as successful as it is now," Carter said. "We had to up the game to be able to compete and do well. It's something that I've never seen happen in this group until last year, and now in the second year of competing, the group is even better."

To qualify for the regional competition, the group had to submit a 15-minute audition video last semester.

Although the group did not finish in the top two and advance to the ICCA Northeast Semifinal, the students had fun networking with a cappella groups from other schools and got a lot of good feedback, said Hooked On Tonics President Troy O’Brien.

"The pride I have for the amount of work we, as a group, put into preparing and perfecting our set goes beyond words," he said. "The memories I made in the weeks leading up to the competition and being on stage with such an amazing group of people are ones I'll cherish forever."