A cappella groups hit right notes at first collaborative show of year
The Mandarins is one of the six groups that performed in the first annual A Cappella Meet ‘n’ Greet hosted by the Syracuse University A Cappella Council inside Hendricks Chapel. The other five groups were Orange Appeal, Main Squeeze, Groovestand, Oy Cappella and Redemption.
A Cappella Council President and Mandarins member Deanna Payson said the purpose of the event was to expose interested students to the a cappella community on campus.
‘The event enables freshmen and transfer students to see the unique styles and talents of each group, plus an opportunity to find out what it’s like to be a member of these groups,’ said Payson, a senior political science major. ‘This will help them make an educated choice of which a cappella group is right for them.’
Payson said because this was the first time the A Cappella Council sponsored a Meet ‘n’ Greet, no one knew how many people would attend the event. Once the event ended, however, performers were pleased with the number of people in attendance, said Carly Blane, a Groovestand member and sophomore musical theater major.
Students from every grade were present, but the event attracted the highest number of freshmen. One of those freshmen was Duane Ford, a earth science education major.
‘I am very interested in joining Orange Appeal,’ he said. ‘I love the sound of all male a cappella groups. If I wasn’t an education major, I’d be a music performance major.’
Not all audience members were a cappella hopefuls.
‘I have a terrible voice, but I just think a cappella singing is awesome,’ said Michelle DiLella, a freshman biology major. ‘I enjoyed the show and am absolutely going to support the a cappella groups in their future performances.’
Many of the groups performed with smaller numbers than usual because many members from last year graduated or are abroad this semester. All of the groups emphasized that they are looking for new members and encouraged interested singers or beat boxers to audition.
Wearing all blue, Oy Cappella enthusiastically performed ‘Cecilia’ by Simon and Garfunkel and the Hebrew song ‘Nachamu.’
‘Oy Cappella is just a lot of fun. We’re a group of people who don’t take ourselves too seriously but love to sing,’ said Milly Millhauser, a senior acting major. ‘When we perform we are just there for the fun of Oy Cappella and not about a competition. We are here to sing and not to be judged.’
Even though Oy Cappella is known as the Jewish a cappella group, only half of Oy Cappella is of Jewish descent, so auditions are open to anybody, Millhauser said.
One highlight of the show was when the ladies of the all-female group Main Squeeze invited past members of their group on stage to perform Dave Matthew’s ‘Baby,’ a staple in Main Squeeze’s repertoire.
‘It’s a song that connects us to our alumni members and welcomes the newcomers,’ said Main Squeeze member Jesstina Allinger, a sophomore music education major.
The audience reacted well to Orange Appeal’s performance of Cee Lo Green’s ‘Forget You,‘Groovestand’s rendition of Jay-Z’s ‘Empire State of Mind’ and Redemption’s version of Kanye West’s ‘All of the Lights.’
After the show, the groups held informal sessions around the stage to give students information on audition times and pointers. Members of the a cappella groups and interested students both found the information sessions informative and enjoyable.
‘As a member of Groovestand, the information session was extremely beneficial,’ Blane said. ‘It was great being able to interact with interested students after the show.’
Published on September 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm
