VERONICA PENOYER
Staff Writer
For the uninitiated, it can be difficult to understand why people love a cappella. For those who actively enjoy singing it, it can be difficult to put into words why this art form can be so mesmerizingly beautiful to sing, as well as listen to.
The week of April 20 in Fredonia was a busy one for vocal groups such as Whitachoir, Some Like It Hot, The Riveters, Much More Chill, Premium Blend and Vocal Point.
To start the performances off, on April 23 Vocal Point performed in the Williams Center Multi-Purpose Room. Vocal Point combines singing to popular songs with choreographed dance routines, making them the only show choir on campus.
But one way in which they are similar to other vocal groups on campus is that they identify themselves as a family.
“Even outside rehearsal, we are always singing together and enjoying one another’s company,” said President of Vocal Point Allisa Butlak. “Members go out of their way to make sure everyone feels included, and we also go out of our way to express how much we care about one another.”
The Spring showcase demonstrated the group’s growth and improvement throughout the year, as well as the new elements that make the show more unique than the last.
“Since I’ve been in the group, we’ve added soloist performances, changed venues and have even gotten Vocal Point alumni to host our shows,” said Butlak.
Members sang well-known songs, such as: “Why God Why” from “Miss Saigon,” “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” from “Footloose.”
One of the most memorable and compelling performances of the night was by Miki Toda, who sang the song “Quiet” from Matilda.
Toda started the song with obvious nerves, typical of any performer in front of an audience. As the song progressed, the nerves dissipated, and the lyrics overcame the nerves. The raw emotion within the song clearly compelled Toda, as well as some of the audience members, into tears.
In addition to strong vocals, Vocal Point also dances. They danced to “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift, which was upbeat and energetic.
Despite the success performing provides, a cappella can be very demanding, especially for students with full schedules. That doesn’t stop groups like Some Like It Hot and The Riveters from providing some of the best vocal performances on campus.
Derived from composer Eric Whitacre’s last name, Whitachoir is a student-run choir devoted to the music of Whitacre and other similar works.
Different from a cappella groups on campus, Whitachoir prides themselves on singing only choir music accompanied by a piano. Singing choir music shows off the voice through many high and low ranges, as well as vocal harmonies.
“After weeks of hard work, having an audience share these wonderful musical moments with us is extremely exciting,” said Whitachoir director and new conductor, Kayleigh DeBrine. “The best memories of Whitachoir are those moments when everything ‘clicks,’ and the choir creates a spectacular sound. After this happens, there are a few seconds of speechlessness and awe. Those moments are the reason I sing in choir.”
Unlike Some Like It Hot and The Riveters, Whitachoir only sang four songs during their performance on April 22 in McEwen 209. Despite the limited number of songs, they were able to perform a mesmerizing performance filled with alluring harmonies and beautiful vibratos.
The first couple of songs were of a slower beat with plenty of harmony ranging from deep male vocals to high-pitched female vocals. These songs were: “Set Me as a Seal” by René Clausen and “The Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre. Both songs were beautifully and rhythmically hypnotizing.
“Jenny Kiss’d Me” by Eric Barnum, performed a capella, was the final song of the evening that changed pace with a more upbeat tempo. It ended the evening with everyone united as one.
“This was the first time we have been united together throughout the entire performance. I’ve never been prouder to lead them all in this experience,” said DeBrine when asked to speak a few words after the show ended.
Some Like It Hot is the first, oldest and premier all-female a cappella group that performed this week. McEwen’s lecture hall was filled with family and friends who came to see the exhilarating performance.
Founded in 2001 under the name “Out of the Blue,” the name did not pick up as well as the founding members would have liked it to; so in 2002 the group started fresh with the new name: Some Like It Hot.
To kickstart the show, Some Like It Hot had help from Fredonia’s original co-ed a cappella group, Premium Blend. As a relatively large group, Premium Blend was able to warm the audience with its energetic body language and song choice.
Just like the other a cappella groups on campus, Some Like It Hot is very much family-oriented.
“Some Like it Hot is a place where girls come in as strangers and leave as sisters,” said business manager Stephanie Willis.
To go along with the incredible amount of support given to these girls, each year alumni revisit the campus to perform the alumni song “Shoop” by Betty Everett. The group made this rendition look endearing and fun with vocals and dance routines combined. The number ended the show with a group kiss that was blown towards the audience.
Among some of the songs performed were: “No Place I’d Rather Be” by Clean Bandit and “All of Me” by John Legend.
“All of Me” set the tone of the room with raw emotion of love and sadness. It was sung with a single vocalist who was accompanied by backup singers who created a beautiful version of the song.
Overall the girls displayed spontaneity derived from entertaining love and laughter.
To end this week’s musical performances was The Riveters, the newest all-female a cappella group. Formed in 2011, these girls are the image of women’s rights. With major influences such as Rosie the Riveter, Saturday’s performance was themed around personal influences of women through history and each Riveter decorated the room with pictures of their own female influences.
The performance started much like Some Like It Hot’s, with the opening act of Much More Chill, one of Fredonia’s all male a cappella group, which was founded in 2000. Their performance was entertaining and full of energy. They were a wonderful introduction to the peppy performance by The Riveters.
The Riveters sang renditions of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by Carole King; a medley of Amy Winehouse songs, which included “Back to Black” and “Valerie”; and “California King Bed” by Rihanna.
Despite the admirable performances, the most memorable song was “Like Real People Do” by Hozier. This song was extremely passionate with the clear range of vocals.
The Riveters were a perfect ending to the musically packed week.
As the semester comes to a close, music groups are sorrowfully anticipating the absence of their seniors.
“I think that when we are able to get as close as we do, it will always be hard to adjust when some of our girls leave,” said Willis.
“I’ve loved nothing more than coming into rehearsal with 20 of my very best friends and working together to create something truly wonderful,” said Butlak. “This group has come so far in the past couple of years, and I know that once I’m gone there will always be people who care about [the group] and are willing to bring it further.”