AU’s four a cappella groups will show off their unique musical styles this Saturday, Sept. 12 at the fall preview concert. The event, which will be held at the Kay Spiritual Life Center, begins at 8:30 p.m. and the doors will open at 8:15 p.m.
According to Hayat Abu-Ghazaleh, the manager of female group Pitches Be Trippin’, each of the four groups will sing two songs.
“We just want to have a strong, energetic performance to get young women interested in a cappella and Pitches Be Trippin’,” Abu-Ghazaleh said. “Our big goal for the semester is to bring variety to our performances.”
Coed group Dime a Dozen will sing “Madness” by Muse and a mashup of “Nobody Love” by Tori Kelly and “Problem” by Ariana Grande. Additionally, all-female group Treble in Paradise will perform a 60s-themed number and a song by Little Mix.
After Saturday’s show, each group will hold performances on and off campus throughout the year. The groups also collaborate with each other and with a cappella clubs from different schools.
According to sophomore member Sean Reynolds, the all-male group On a Sensual Note has taken trips to to sing in Los Angeles and Disney World, and the group is looking into a trip to New Orleans over spring break.
Treble in Paradise recently performed at AU Night at Nationals Park on Aug. 28 and will be returning to the stadium on Sept. 22 to sing the national anthem. During the holidays, members have sung carols at the Walter Reed Medical Center, a facility that treats military veterans, and the group hopes to return again this year.
Despite varied musical interests, which range from pop to classical, members of each group stressed how close they feel to their fellow singers.
“First and foremost we’re friends, and then we’re singers,” Reynolds said. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Each a cappella group has a different dynamic, but leaders said they have each found their own way to mesh. The preview concert will allow other students to decide if they could see themselves joining a group, Hannah Johnson, the senior music director of Treble in Paradise, said.
“Dime a Dozen is the only coed group on campus, so that was pretty important to me,” Kaeli Patchen, a sophomore member of Dime a Dozen, said. “We’re a really close family, and we get to hang out with an awesome group of people.”
Members of Pitches be Trippin’ and Treble in Paradise, both of which are all-female groups, said they valued empowering women through their creative expression.
"We have always had a strong female empowerment vibe, singing songs by Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande and Christina Aguilera," Johnson said. "We're really open to anyone who wants to come out."
However, Johnson also wants to encourage a greater a cappella community to grow at AU.
“In the past, a cappella was kind of individual,” Johnson said. “We want to create a community including all of the a cappella groups on campus.”
Everyone is invited to attend the free concert, and students interested in joining Dime a Dozen, Treble in Paradise, On a Sensual Note or Pitches Be Trippin’ will have the opportunity to audition for their desired group on Sunday, Sept. 13.
jodonohoe@theeagleonline.com
