Home Care In Capella, NC

For UNC a cappella group The Tarpeggios, winning first place is secondary to the creative process.

On Feb. 10, the mixed-voice group received the highest score at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella South Quarterfinal, held at Durham’s Carolina Theatre.

"I just felt so proud of what we had achieved," Kai Turik, a senior at UNC and the group's president, said. "And even if we hadn't placed, that feeling was not going to go away."

The tournament is hosted by Varsity Vocals, which has held more than 85 yearly competitions around the globe for 24 years. The organization bills itself as "the real-life ‘Pitch Perfect’,” which refers to a fictionalized ICCA competition depicted in the 2012 movie of the same name.

At the South Quarterfinal, ten selected regional collegiate a cappella groups, including N.C. State University’s Ladies in Red and the University of South Carolina’s Cockappella, performed for a panel of five judges who evaluated their sets on a numeric scale.

The Tarpeggios, along with other UNC group and second-place finisher Tar Heel Voices, will advance to the South Semifinal, which will also be held at the Carolina Theatre on March 16.

This is the fourth time that The Tarpeggios have won the regional quarterfinals.

In addition to the top prize, two Tarpeggios, junior Elena Holder and sophomore Nikhil Sathyanathan won outstanding soloist awards.

At Wednesday’s rehearsal in the Frank Porter Graham Student Union, however, the group wasted little time on celebration, diving straight into preparing for an upcoming gig at the North Carolina Botanical Garden and polishing their ICCA set in anticipation of the semifinals.

Turik said the group’s next steps were to incorporate the judges’ written feedback and continue to improve upon the set as a whole.

“We just want to do even better than we did before,” they said.

Although Turik said there were parts of the set that could be fine-tuned, winning was an opportunity to appreciate how the individual members’ showmanship and dedication to theatricality contributed to its success.

Winning soloist Holder said that the group made an effort to convey a narrative and thematic through line with the set’s songs, arrangements and choreography.

The five-song set began with Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” followed by a dance-pop number by RAYE, a Michael Jackson tune and Alanis Morisette’s “Forgiven” before concluding with a gospel ballad from the band Gabriels.

“We wanted to tell a story of being broken and then leaning on to things that probably aren’t good for you, and then after that, going into fulfillment with yourself without those things,” Holder said.

Sathyanathan, the other top-scoring soloist, said that while he did not know he was going to win first place for his part in the Gabriels song, he felt that he displayed all of his emotions onstage.

“I could be myself on that stage because as much as I was nervous, I was also super excited,” he said.

Sathyanathan said that his favorite part of his involvement with the Tarpeggios for the past two years was the supportive community and learning environment the members have cultivated.

Before coming to UNC, he had never been in an a cappella group, but he said his prior training with Indian classical music has given him a distinct musical perspective that he enjoys bringing to the table.

“I’m able to surround myself with fantastic musicians every day and learn from them,” he said.

Tickets for the 2024 ICCA South Semifinals are on sale now at on Varsity Vocals’ website. Standard admission is $35, but there is a $5 discount for children under 10 as well as students.

Barden University might have “The Bellas” and “The Treblemakers,” but NC State has Acappology, the first all-gender a cappella group founded in 1994.

Emily Ramsey, a fourth-year studying psychology and business manager for Acappology, said there's a diversity of majors within the group; however, what all members have in common is their love for music.

“We’re a group of people who come from all different kinds of backgrounds and majors,” Ramsey said. “We all joined the group to just embrace and share in a mutual love of music.”

The selection process of songs involves voting. At the beginning of the year, each group member presents song ideas for upcoming performances, and then they listen to them and vote.

“What our repertoire ends up being is a very mixed bag,” said Connor Donovan, a third-year studying physics and a bass/tenor for Acappology. “A majority of it is a lot of pop music, but we’ve got a little bit of everything. We embrace the mutual interests of the group.”

What sets the group apart is its known to be one of the few a cappella groups to use a collaborative arrangement style, allowing everyone to contribute during performances.

“There is usually a moment when a song falls in place,” Ramsey said. “Sometimes, that’s the first time we sing it together, and other times it takes a lot longer for us to get it, but there’s always that moment when the first little bit of a song falls into place and everyone sounds really good together. There’s definitely something a little bit magical about all of that.”

Acappology is working to release its first single, featuring two songs, in the future.

“One of my favorite [songs] … is a mashup of ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley and ‘Bellyache’ by Billie Eilish,” Ramsey said. “We have a single that will be coming out in the near future … that will have two songs on it, and that’s one of them.”

The single will also include “I Found” by Amber Run.

Both Ramsey and Donovan joined Acappology in 2021.

“In high school, I sang with an all gender a cappella group,” Donovan said. “I had a great time doing it, and then I came here to NC State and thought Acappology was an awesome fit.”

Ramsey’s interest in a capella started after watching Pitch Perfect.

“I was like, ‘That's really cool,’” Ramsey said, talking about Pitch Perfect. “And then I came to college, and I was looking for clubs and extracurriculars to involve myself in. I was like, ‘Oh, there's a capella, that's a real thing,’ and I was like, ‘I want to do that. I love it.’”

In the past, Acappology has performed at Parents and Family Weekend, the Grandparents’ Tea, several last day of class celebrations and Homecoming. In October, the group held a Halloween-themed fall concert, in which group and audience members dressed in costumes, conjuring a sense of community and festivity.

Next semester, Acappology will be competing in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, and will present its 30th anniversary concert March 3.

Donovan said Accapology has not only helped him make connections with others, but also improve his voice.

“The best part for me is not only growing close to one another but also watching myself grow as a singer,” Donovan said.

Acappology is currently raising money to record tracks for an EP through a Krispy Kreme fundraiser. For more information, visit its Instagram or website.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The three-time Grammy-winning quintet, Pentatonix, announced Tuesday that they will be embarking on a North American Tour and Charlotte made the list of stops.

The A Capella group will play at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC, on Sunday, Aug. 13.

You can stream WCNC Charlotte on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, just download the free app.

This announcement comes as the group just received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. They are the first A Cappella group to receive such honor.

The general on sale for Pentatonix: The World Tour will start on Monday, Feb. 27 at 10 AM at Ticketmaster.com, with presales starting on Thursday, Feb. 23. Visit PTXOFFICIAL.com for more information.

? Subscribe to WCNC Charlotte on YouTube to be notified of new videos

Wed Aug 09 — Jacksonville, FL — Daily's Place

Thu Aug 10 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sat Aug 12 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live

Sun Aug 13 — Charlotte, NC — PNC Music Pavilion

Tue Aug 15 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Thu Aug 17 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Blossom Music Center

Sat Aug 19 — Raleigh, NC — Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek Park

Sun Aug 20 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center

Tue Aug 22 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage

Wed Aug 23 — Saratoga Springs, NY — Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Thu Aug 24 — Syracuse, NY — St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview

Sat Aug 26 — Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center

Mon Aug 28 — Maryland Heights, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Tue Aug 29 — Cincinnati, OH — Riverbend Music Center

Thu Aug 31 — Milwaukee, WI — American Family Insurance Amphitheater

Sat Sep 02 — Tinley Park, IL — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Sun Sep 03 — Clarkston, MI — Pine Knob MusicTheatre

Wed Sep 06 — Dallas, TX — Dos Equis Pavilion

Thu Sep 07 — The Woodlands, TX — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman

Sat Sep 09 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre

Sun Sep 11 — Irvine, CA — FivePoint Amphitheatre

Tue Sep 12 — Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheatre

Thu Sep 14 — Ridgefield, WA — RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater

Sat Sep 16 — Puyallup, WA — Washington State Fair *

Related Articles

Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts

All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 25, 2022) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University announced Dawn M. Nail ‘93, Ed.D., has been named interim associate vice provost for enrollment management and head of undergraduate admissions.

“We are pleased to have Dr. Nail in this role as our university celebrates its eighth consecutive year of record-setting enrollment,” said Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tonya Smith-Jackson, Ph.D. “Dr. Nail already has planned and implemented large-scale, high-impact collaborations with campus and industry partners to boost enrollment, retention and student success. We are confident she will guide our efforts toward achieving our strategic plan enrollment goal of 14,000 students by 2023.”

This is Nail’s second experience in A&T Undergraduate Admissions, which she served associate director from 2009 through 2015, overseeing the budget, planning, organization and direction of the communications strategies and activities for the Division of Enrollment Management, supervising, hiring and managing admissions processors, administrative and temporary staff, and managing 10 recruitment territories.

She also established and managed the telecounseling program, organized and facilitated recruiting events, including the Aggie Information Series, University Day, Admitted Student Open House and Senior Send-Offs, conducted admissions presentations for prospective students and parents, and coordinated student volunteers and the Aggie Student Ambassador Program.

More than 13,300 students enrolled at A&T for the Fall 2021 semester, marking the university’s eighth straight year as the nation’s largest historically Black college or university (HBCU) and the largest headcount in its 130-year history.

The entering fall class boasted an average GPA of 3.7 and average SAT score of nearly 1,079, and was 37% larger than the Fall 2020 first-year students. With almost 11,600 undergraduate students enrolled for Fall 2021, A&T continued to exceed its Fall 2023 goal of 10,750 undergraduates.

Graduate student enrollment also climbed, from 1,623 in Fall 2020 to 1,726 in Fall 2021 – an increase of 6.35% and A&T’s largest graduate enrollment. A 12% increase in new doctoral students was a principal driver of the growth. This spring, the university will welcome its first students seeking a Ph.D. in agricultural and environmental sciences through its College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, which already produces more Black agriculture graduates than any university in America.

Nail has led A&T’s Center for Academic Excellence, a position she held since February 2020 after serving as associate director for two years. She has been responsible for the center’s strategic planning, including overall program effectiveness, managing its $1.5 million budget, leading a team of 30 professional advisors and administrative staff members, establishing student success metrics and First-Year Experience competencies, and improving advising, retention, persistence and graduation rates.

Nail earned a B.A. in public relations from A&T, an M.A. in corporate communication from Austin Peay State University and a Doctor of Education in educational leadership and management from Capella University. She has been an active member of the National Academic Advising Association and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society since 2016, serving as public relations chair for the latter in 2021 and is a charter member of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Young Alumni Council.

Kadir Ozbey puts a fresh pizza into a box during the grand opening at Capella Pizzeria in Inverness Village on Jan. 10.

At Capella Pizzeria, more than just the inspiration for the dish comes from Italy.

The ingredients do, too, as well as the training to make the authentic wood-fired pizzas.

Because of that, owner Mehmet Ozbey said he hopes the restaurant — located at 4700 U.S. 280 in the Inverness Village Center — will “feel like a little corner of Italy” for everyone who visits.

“We make Neapolitan-style pizzas,” said Ozbey, who learned the business from his uncle. “My uncle went to Naples and learned there how to make authentic pizza in a wood-fired oven.”

Ozbey worked alongside him in North Carolina for eight years making this type of pizza before expanding the business to the Birmingham area recently. Capella Pizzeria, which opened in December, boasts two wood-fired ovens imported from Italy.

“We are so grateful to be here,” Ozbey said.

The menu offers nine signature pizzas along with the opportunity to personalize them. It also has three Italian-inspired salads — a Roman salad, which Ozbey said is their most popular; a blue salad, which features blue cheese, blueberries and honey roasted pecans; and a caprese salad, made with fresh tomatoes, basil, buffalo mozzarella, olive oil and vinaigrette.

Ozbey said his favorite item on the menu is the Palermo pizza, which is topped with sausage, sweet peppers and caramelized onions.

He said the Monica — a vegetarian and sauce-free pizza — is also delicious, made with mushrooms, fresh spring onions, garlic, mozzarella and truffle oil.

Many of the ingredients for their menu — including their tomato sauce, flour, sweet peppers, pepperoni and sausage — come straight from Italy, and all the food made on site is made fresh every day, Ozbey said.

“Everything is fresh,” he said. “The salad dressings, cannoli and everything is made daily.”

In addition to the cannoli, they have another popular authentic Italian dessert — gelato — as well as a few other options. Drink options include Italian wines and international bottled beers.

Inside the restaurant, the kitchen is open so pizza lovers can watch their dough get tossed, dressed and put into the wood-fired ovens. Italian music adds to the vibe, European sports play on the televisions, and European soccer jerseys are hung around the room.

And like the kitchen, the dining space is also open — there’s plenty of room to move tables around and make long community-style tables if you like.

“It’s great for parties or family dinners,” Ozbey said.

That fits with the restaurant’s fabric — Capella Pizzeria is a family-owned business. In addition to learning the ropes from his uncle, Ozbey also works alongside his cousins.

“We’re so grateful to be a part of this community,” he said. “Business has been great; the people here are so supportive, telling everybody they know.”

Ozbey said he’s enjoyed meeting people in the community and seeing them enjoy his family’s craft.

“I love seeing people’s reaction when they try the pizza and love it,” he said. “That’s my motivation for what I do.”

For more information, follow them on Instagram @capellapizzeria.