Overview
BYU Vocal Point, or simply Vocal Point, is a nine-member, male a cappella group at Brigham Young University (BYU). Founded by two students, Bob Ahlander & Dave Boyce, in 1991, Vocal Point was under the direction of Emmy award-winning director and former member, McKay Crockett. However, in December 2022, Crockett decided to leave as director for a new job opportunity. He is replaced by former member Carson Trautman.
The group has won three Pearl Awards and it was the winner of the 2006 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). In 2011, the group placed fifth on NBC's third season of The Sing Off.
History
Vocal Point was founded in 1991 by two students at BYU, Dave Boyce and Bob Ahlander. Boyce and Ahlander became introduced to modern a cappella while visiting the Eastern United States, where a cappella had become popular among colleges. Jill Petersen-Lex became the group's first artistic director as the group hoped to introduce the Western United States to contemporary a cappella. The three held auditions in the fall of 1991. Although the group intended to have eight members, a double-quartet, they could not choose between two singers so they accepted both and became a group of nine. In 1992, the group recorded its first album, "If Rocks Could Sing" on cassette. In 1994, Vocal Point was absorbed into BYU's School of Music.
The group won the ICCA semifinals for the 2003–04 and 2004-05 competitions, but the group chose to not participate in the finals in New York, because they took place on Sundays. In 2004, Vocal Point performed eighteen shows in Nauvoo, Illinois, for three weeks at the Joseph Smith Academy Theater. James Stevens became the group's director in 2004, directing the group until 2012. In 2006, Vocal Point received three Pearl Awards from the Faith Centered Music Association for "Best Sacred Recorded Song of the Year", "Best Group Recording Artist of the Year", and "Best Performing Artist of the Year" for their newest album "Standing Room Only".
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