On Saturday, A Cappella Night, a showcase featuring various a cappella groups on campus, opened with an audience and performer karaoke, setting the casual and light hearted energy of the performance. With the co-heads of various music groups leading, the auditorium burst into an energetic rendition of “When I was Your Man” by Bruno Mars.
According to Phoebe Adams ’22, Co-Head of Azure, the all-soprano a cappella group, A cappella Night used to be an annual performance. However, because of the pandemic, this became the first A cappella Night in two years. Adams noted how the performance was a collaborative effort to bring back the tradition, giving the Seniors a final opportunity to perform with their groups and creating a fun and casual environment that showcased the growth of various a cappella groups.
“I feel like [A cappella Night] was just coming together and singing for fun… For a lot of the performers, at least for some of my friends who are Seniors, it was their last performance, so it was fun watching them. Because I’ve been in [an] a cappella [group] since Freshman year, it was fun seeing them evolve. I’m just happy that this happened. It hasn’t happened in a long time, and I’m really proud of the Seniors because that was their last performance,” said Adams.
Sarah Zhang ’24, an audience member, added that the whole performance was quite casual, creating an enjoyable and interactive environment. Zhang mentioned that the crowd was cheering enthusiastically to show their excitement.
“I really enjoyed the casualness and the energy there. I felt like everyone was super comfortable cheering everyone else on. The energy was really hype, every single person in the audience was very engaged, and they would also cheer even in the middle of the song,” said Zhang.
Zhang also noted that A cappella Night was unique because of the performers. According to Zhang, spotting familiar faces was a pleasant surprise, since it made her realize the talent from the artists around her.
“I think what made it special was the people there. I was able to recognize a few of them. It was like: ‘Oh, I know this person. They’re in my class, and I had no idea they sang so well.’ It was really cool to recognize people I knew and see them with their special talent in their world,” said Zhang.
Kate Horton ’22 , co-head of Downbeat, an all-gender a cappella group, also reflected on the performance. She explained how, despite the short amount of preparation time, A cappella Night was a fun experience that deepened her feeling of community.
“My favorite part of performing was always just being up on stage with the people I am surrounded by, [so] the members of Downbeat: Alex Giarnese, Gabby Edokpa, April Arabian, Melanie Garcia-Alba, Serafina Shin-von Nordenflycht, Han Chin Toh, [and] Duncan Wong. The sense of community and belonging that I feel is so special to a cappella and I think [what] is so special to Downbeat is that really strong sense of family and friendship,” said Horton.
