Penn Masala to fight it out at the A Cappella NCPA Championship

One of the most renowned A cappella groups across the globe, Penn Masala, has been selected to compete in the UpStagedAID: One World, Every Student Voice, NCPA (National Collegiate Performing Arts) a cappella championships closing quartet. It was a virtual competition where more than 5,000 college A cappella groups, 64 of the nation’s most acclaimed and award-winning groups were invited to compete. Penn Masala is one of five South Asian college groups who fought their way to the top in this competition. Formed in 1996, this all-male group has performed worldwide for celebrity audiences from the White House to different Bollywood music awards.Talking about achieving this feat, a Penn Masala member said, “We are delighted to be in these Upstaged Championships. We perform a mashup song of Castle on the Hill and the Hindi song Ilahi. It’s a perfect representation of both western culture and our south Asian roots. Through our performance, we are also supporting a local NGO that works towards mental health.”To reach the closing quartet, Penn Masala dominated fellow NCPA A Cappella All-American, Midwest Region Champion, and Big 10 A Cappella powerhouse Illinois No Comment after stunning last-minute come-from-behind victories over NBC’s The Sing-Off competitors Howard Afro Blue and Ivy League rival Princeton Footnotes. The finalists were judged by a panel of judges, which included Emmy Award-winner Annette Philip, acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, producer, and co-founder of international touring group, The Exchange, Christopher Diaz and global talent scout, Karen Lee Grybowski.In the closing quartet, Penn Masala will face NCPA New England Champion and NCPA All-Americans Harvard Opportunes. In addition to Penn Masala, four other south Asian groups had been selected from over 5,000 participating groups in this historic collegiate championship, which included Rutgers Raag, University of Miami’s Tufaan, University of Texas’ Hum and Texas A&M’s Swaram.