Marquette University’s co-ed a cappella group is ready for a jam-packed year.
Gold ‘n Blues—one of three a cappella groups at Marquette—plans on being more competition-focused for this school year.
Specifically, they have their sights set on the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella—ICCA—which will take place during the spring semester (dates have not been announced).
Varsity Vocals hosts ICCA over nine regions. The competition consists of three rounds: quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
Groups apply to compete in quarterfinals, and then six to ten groups are chosen to compete at a quarterfinal in their respective region (three to five quarterfinals occur in every region). The top two groups advance to the semifinals.
One semifinal occurs in each region, and the winner from each semifinal advances to the finals in New York City.
The anticipation for ICCA has been growing for over two years, as the Gold ‘n Blues did not participate in 2024 and had to withdraw from the competition in 2025 due to it overlapping with National Marquette Day.
Charlie O’Neill, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and president of Gold ‘n Blues, spoke on how the group first began competing in 2022, but due to a rushed 2023 season, they decided to step away from ICCA for a year and attend a smaller competition—Acapocalypse.
Acapocalypse is a college competition hosted by Port Washington High School in Port Washington, WI.
“Going up to Acapocalypse, competing at a high level and putting our best foot forward showed everyone how competition does not need to be about being better than everyone else,” O’Neill said.
With this new attitude towards competing, the Gold ‘n Blues are ready for the 2026 ICCA. They have begun planning arrangements for the competition earlier than they have in past years.
Maggie Gnorski, a senior in the College of Engineering and the public relations chair for the Gold ‘n Blues, shared her excitement about expanding the group beyond performances and showcases.
“In the last couple of years, we have been taking competitions more seriously,” Gnorski said. “Our younger members have more experience with doing a cappella in high school, so they are guiding the group to be more competitive.”
The Gold ‘n Blues added four new members from the 39 people who auditioned, expanding the number of younger members and bringing the group’s total to 18. Now that the group has been finalized, it is time to begin performances.
The annual Acatoberfest will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 pm in Varsity Theatre. It will feature all three of Marquette’s a cappella groups—The Naturals, The Meladies and Gold ‘n Blues—along with guest appearances from Fundamentally Sound (from UW-Madison), Pitches & Notes (from UW-Madison) and Public Hearing (from UW-Milwaukee).
Acatoberfest will be the first time that Gold ‘n Blue’s newcomers will take the stage with the group.
London Downey, a first-year in the College of Communication, shared his excitement about becoming a member of the Gold ‘n Blues ahead of Acatoberfest.
After his Marquette acceptance, Downey immediately researched the potential singing-based groups he could join. After his research, he was drawn to what the Gold ‘n Blues had to offer.
“They [Gold ‘n Blues] had this amazing photoshoot from the group last year,” Downey said. “The feeling of community that picture gave me made me know that I could surround myself with like-minded people.”
The welcoming community within Gold ‘n Blues has set them up for an exciting season to come.
More information about the Gold ‘n Blues can be found on their website.
This article was written by MaryKate Stepchuk. She can be reached at [email protected].
