Meet the Mid-Valley: McKay a cappella takes second place in national competition

McKay High School's contemporary Scots-Appella group took second place at the Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella.

The group won first place in the quarterfinals and second place in the semi-finals in California, earning a wildcard slot for the national finals in New York.

This marks only the second year the 19-person ensemble began competing. The singing group started at McKay about 10 years ago. Under the leadership of choir director Peter Sepulveda, the group decided to start competing coming out of the pandemic.

It also is the second year the group competed in the international championship. Last year, it made it to the semi-finals.

On April 28, the group was enjoying a round of celebratory Ben & Jerry's ice cream after singing onstage in New York City, thinking they had finished fourth in the nationwide competition. Then came some surprising news — they had won second place.

"If you would have told us at the beginning of the year that we would be in New York singing in front of a large audience, it would've blown our minds," said senior Jaime Guerrero.

"It was amazing," Guerrero said. "We were able to create music and do art that you can't find anywhere else."

The group performed the songs "What in the World" by Cynthia Erivo, "Best Days" by Alessia Cara, and "The Feeling of Here" an original song from A Capella Academy.

Diego Gonzalez said he remembers being drawn to the a cappella group after they visited his middle school to perform. Now a senior, he said made friends and connected more to many of his longtime friends, like Guerrero, who he has known since kindergarten.

Sepulveda said the group is grateful for the support of Salem-Keizer Public School and the community, which helped make the New York trip possible for the students.

Senior Alli Xiong said the whole experience was thrilling and fun.

"I was just really excited to sing with the group," Xiong said.

Sepulveda said the students put in incredible effort and put aside distractions to be competition-ready.

"They've worked exceptionally hard this year and bought in with each other over a common vision," he said. "And I think that's so rare to see in any school."

Sepulveda said they brought a uniqueness and emotionality to their performance in New York that pushed them to the front of the pack.

"I thought they had the most heartfelt set, a very human set that resonated with the audience in a different way," he said.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at [email protected], call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Meet the Mid-Valley: McKay a cappella takes second place in national competition