HOLLY BURDICK
Special to The Leader
Hard work and dedication truly pay off. Vocal Point, Fredonia’s show choir, proved this to be true this past weekend. Its Fall Showcase was held on Saturday Nov.14. All of the passion, work, sweat and persistence exerted throughout the semester finally paid off.
Vocal Point is Fredonia’s only show choir, meaning not only do members sing, but they dance as well. This group has been performing for 17 years.
The event opened with a performance by Much More Chill, who readied the audience with Nick Jonas’ “Jealous,” Justin Beiber’s “What Do You Mean?” and The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face.”
The Vocal Point show consisted of a balanced mix of group performances, solos and duets. A well-deserved applause followed each of them. The charismatic host, Maxwell Smith, kept the audience involved with a candy incentive by asking them to partake in a quirky trivia game, where they learned fun “facts” about some of the members.
One Vocal Point member, as it turns out, is actually “10 grumpy cats in a Hollister tee-shirt.” Who knew? Another member “secretly has over 1,000 small fish hidden in his dorm room.”
Performance-wise, there was a wide range of music genres. Modern-day hits, oldies but goodies and show tunes were performed. Each was very different from the next, yet hit the audience in a wonderful way each time. Each act was opened and closed with performances from the mixed choir and the women’s choir.
The group’s choreography was just as synchronized as their harmonies — “Forget You,” “Turn the Beat Around” and a James Bond piece, to name a few. Within the group numbers, the choreography was unique and creative, the use of props helped set the scene well, and the group’s sound was phenomenal and very powerful.
“Once the first dance was done, I was so happy,” Vocal Point member and sophomore film studies major Matthew Pantano claimed. “It was so difficult.” This was his first semester involved in Vocal Point, and his first performance with the group. “Obviously doing it for the first time you get nervous.”
Although it was his first performance, he did not get tripped up. The Vocal Point pieces became second nature.
“We prepared so much so it becomes something you just get used to,” he said.
There were many featured soloists including Liana Kaplan, Matthew Clark, David Wentling, Ryan Norton, Brook Mellon, Julia Costa, Matthew Pantano, Tala Harden and Chikako Takano. Each solo prevailed in its own way — power behind the voice, charisma in the performance, pulling at the heartstrings of the audience, or even singing to make the audience smile.
Other pieces in the mix were performed as duets. “Phantom of the Opera,” originally performed by Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton, was performed by Ryan Norton and Rachel Schank. Sarah Mannion and Rachel Schank sang Sam Smith’s “I’m Not the Only One” and Brook Mellon and Julia Costa performed Twenty One Pilots’ “Tear in my Heart.” Each singer harmonized well and worked together to share their piece of art.
“Yes!” “Absolutely!” and “They killed it!” were a few phrases heard throughout the audience following Vocal Point’s artists. Audience members were caught smiling, dancing in their seats and nodding during different songs that were being performed. The performers and the audience worked together to create a memorable event.
“It was great!” said junior English education major, Mads Goc. “They had a lot of energy, and I genuinely enjoyed being a part of the audience. I danced and was even brought to tears, which is a lot to accomplish in one performance.”
Overall, the show was very well done. It included an abundance of talent, a wide-range of music for all ages and a bit of humor. Everyone was engaged and enjoying themselves the whole time. The audience seemed to have had a great time and enjoyed everyone’s take on their song of choice.
After the performance, Vocal Point seemed more than grateful for all of the support given by fellow students. They are a team who gather together with the same love and the same passion.
In order for the showcase to become fine-tuned, the group had to rehearse and work hard throughout the semester. Consequently, the final performance proved very rewarding.
“The final show, for me, was the best,” Pantano explained.