For the seventh year in a row, Geneseo's a cappella groups Exit 8, Southside Boys and Hips 'n Harmony performed a concert to benefit AIDS Rochester.
The atmosphere within Wadsworth Auditorium on Friday night was generally comfortable and light-hearted. The groups each preformed six songs from various musical genres such as contemporary, doo-wop, and traditional R&B. The comical host and hostess, seniors Danny Carroll and Norma Butikofer, kept the crowd entertained with inside jokes from other concerts, even when it was their turn to sing.
The first and last performers, the co-ed group Exit 8, started off strong with classics such as "Just Like I Knew" and "I Hope You Don't Mind."
Their song "Zoot Suit Riot" broke down to scat singing and ended strongly, but Exit 8's best two performances of the night were their renditions of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" and Rihanna's "Disturbia," each of which created a stir among the audience members.
The cover of Coldplay's song had a booming background, with the singers sounding like a full gospel choir. Part of Exit 8's strength was their ability to give the impression of instruments when there were none.
"Disturbia" featured a strong soloist, senior Maggie Tagarelli, with perfect scaling. The group included the catchy voices on Rihanna's recording in their performance.
Southside Boys also had a great collection of songs to showcase their wide variety of voices. Senior Chas Hannum, the soloist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Take It On the Other Side," was spectacular. His voice was consistently smooth and not afraid to be mellow, and the group's beat boxer added a nice touch to the number.
The Boys also performed Michael Buble's hit single "Everything." The fast tempo and precise scaling made for a very impressive performance.
The all female a cappella group, Hips 'n Harmony, featured some of Geneseo's most talented female singers.
The doo-wop style number "Day By Day" was embellished with constant vocal inflections on the parts of the performers. Hips 'n Harmony's presence added to the enjoyable atmosphere of the evening.
At the end of the concert, the groups presented the $850 raised to senior Jill Rabinowitz who interned with AIDS Rochester in the "case management team" and was asked to collect the award on the organization's behalf.
According to junior Katie Zale the concert, which has been in progress since last semester, has taken a lot of planning and "intense work."
"The a cappella groups like to do it [and] we like to do it," said senior Nastassia Shaw, president of Circle K. She went on to describe the event as "a good cause."
Overall, the Circle K-sponsored a cappella show was a rousing success, providing money for a worthy cause and entertaining the Geneseo community.