This past February, the Brown Jabberwocks placed second overall and received the “Outstanding Arrangement” award at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella’s northeast quarterfinal. Founded in 1949, the Jabberwocks are one of Brown’s oldest a cappella groups.
Their quarterfinal success secured them a spot in the upcoming northeast semifinals on Mar. 30 at the Berklee College of Music, marking the group’s first appearance in the competition since 2010. They’ll compete against groups from eight other schools for the chance to advance to the national tournament in April.
The Jabberwocks’ quarterfinal performance came to life through a rigorous rehearsal schedule and a collective passion for the craft.
In an interview with The Herald, Lev Sheinfeld ’25 said the group’s recent win is a “great sign” for the team’s future. Sheinfeld is known as the group’s “slithy tove” — the group’s equivalent of president, stemming from Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky.”
Sheinfeld attributes the recent win to the team’s collaborative nature, “sacred” rehearsal time and their shared commitment to soulful, alternative “music we think is beautiful.” Sheinfeld also mentioned the benefits of having a “group-first” mentality, viewing the ICCA competition as an opportunity to come together in pursuit of a specific goal.
Each member has a “specific and invaluable role,” Sheinfeld said. “Everyone’s voice is critically important in a group like this.”
For Maddalena Honablue ’27, the Jabberwocks’ current representative in the Intergalactic Community of A Cappella at Brown, the Jabberwocks are “very dedicated to improving our sound.”
“We’re very serious about our music,” Honablue added.
Jamie Nguyen ’27, the team’s music director, joined the Jabberwocks after her time in high school choir. She said the Jabberwocks have taught her “how to be a leader,” a role that, while initially intimidating, she has “really grown into.”
For her, the quarterfinal win was “incredible.”
Walking off the stage was the “craziest high I’ve ever felt,” Nguyen said. “I’m super grateful that we get to do it again” in the semifinals.
In 2021, the group faced criticism following racist comments written during auditions between 2017 and 2019. Some of the revealed comments read “spanish & arabic ← downvote” and “giggles ‘terrorism,’” The Herald previously reported.
The group became coed in 2019, and Honablue said this transition helped change the group’s culture.
Over Sheinfeld’s nearly three years with the group, he told The Herald that “it’s been a top priority to maintain a culture of inclusiveness and care.”
Since their February win, the Jabberwocks have been refining their set by cleaning up choreography and conducting dress rehearsals in spaces at the Moses Brown School in exchange for leading workshops for students. While rehearsals have largely remained the same, Honablue noted that practicing for the upcoming competition has allowed the group to become “hyperspecific” in evaluating their three-song set.
“We’re really just focusing in on tiny portions of the songs,” Honablue said. “We’re not so much looking at our set holistically anymore, but piecing apart each song and really getting into the weeds of it.”
As the group enters its final weeks before the competition, Honablue also noted an increased focus on the group’s choreography and “making sure it becomes muscle memory.”
While Sheinfeld told The Herald that he “can’t possibly choose” his favorite memory from his time in the group, he highlighted the joy that accompanied their recent win.
“It was a really wonderful moment of recognition for the work and care we’ve put into this,” Sheinfeld said. “But that’s one of a hundred awesome memories that I have.”
