by Amanda Cornaglia

What happens when world-touring, Grammy-winning, ground-shaking bass singer Avi Kaplan (Pentatonix) muses about starting an a cappella summer camp?



He partners with the multi-talented, prolific arrangers Ben Bram and Rob Dietz and makes his daydream a dream-like reality.

Since 2014, Kaplan, Bram, and Dietz have assembled an Avengers-like staff to impart a cappella wisdom on some of the most talented young singers in the world while spending a week in idyllic Southern California.

This week 75 new campers (out of 588 applicants) from Canada, Japan, Croatia, Singapore, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the US will descend on the campus Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles and work with top level counselors and coaches to up their performance abilities and skills. Well, in between trips to the beach, BBQs, and a long list of other fun summer activities. 

So just what kind of talent should we expect in this Saturday's Showcase?

Here's just a small taste of the talent from previous camps:

9LIVE -- Directed by India Carney

The a cappella community fell in love with India through her many performance with the ScatterTones, but India captured the hearts of a much wider audience in her Top 5 finish on NBC's The Voice.

POP ROX -- Directed by Dave Grossman & Mario Jose

Dave Grossman has been shaping young singers for years as the choral director at Plymouth-North High School in Massachusetts. Teamed with co-director Mario Jose, a Berklee grad and Pitch Slapped alum, now touring with Postmodern Jukebox, Pop Rox was destined for success.

Pop Rox members have gone on to even bigger and better things. Jonathan Amaro-Barron went on to win The Sing-Off with The Melodores, and Quinn D'Andrea, now a camp instructor, won the ICCA Finals with the SoCal VoCals.

ORIGINS -- Directed by Jo Vinson

What happens when you get 9 budding female vocalists and you pair them with arguable one of the most sought-after female voices in all of a cappella? Jo Vinson, twice appearing on The Sing-Off, sings with Musae, Delilah, Overboard, and any other time you need the best lady bass in the business. Clearly, her influences are strong in this beautiful version of Barton Hollow.

DOMINANT 7 -- Directed by Shams Ahmed & Jo Vinson

Can't get enough of Jo's groups? Neither can we! At last year's camp, she partnered with former Nor'Easters' director and legend, Shams Ahmed, to put together this bright, sassy take on Ariana Grande's Greedy.

Academy Choir - Directed by Rob Dietz

Or, perhaps you think you can handle all this young talent all in one place? If so, check out last year's full camp performance of Wade in the Water, arranged and directed by Rob Dietz.

Catch all of the action from this year's A Cappella Academy LIVE on FloVoice on Saturday, July 8!

How to Watch

ON TV: Available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app now
Streaming: Only on FloVoice with a PRO subscription. A yearly PRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. Sign Up Now