Members of the Geneseo community gathered in Wadsworth Auditorium for a night of a cappella on Saturday April 25. Geneseo’s five a cappella groups each performed two songs per act. With the end of the spring semester came several senior solos.
Exit 8 started the night on a jazzy note. With her velvety smooth voice, senior Emily Rittenhouse’s effortless performance of Peggy Lee’s “Fever” had a memorable, old school vibe.
Similar to Exit 8, Hips ‘n Harmony opted to start its first set on a more relaxed tone. They began with Ray Lamontagne’s “You Are the Best Thing” before jumping into Fun.’s more upbeat song, “The Gambler.”
Emmelodics took the stage next and performed “Cups (You’re Gonna Miss Me),” a song popularized by Anna Kendrick, adding more “groove” to the concert. Soloist senior Christina Carroll gracefully delivered polished vocals while two other group members did the actual cups performance—surely bringing Pitch Perfect to the minds of many audience members.
Between the Lines began their first set with a senior solo from Liam Enright. Singing Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” Enright’s high-energy performance and quirky dancing proved to be a crowd favorite.
Looking dapper in their standard button-down shirts with matching ties, South Side Boys closed out the first act with Van Morrison’s “Moondance.” The bluesy rendition of the R&B classic left the audience on a soulful note ready for the second act.
Emmelodics opened the second half with Mayday Parade’s “Jamie All Over,” setting the audience up for another round of splendid performances. Though it seemed to be one of the lesser-known tracks of the evening, the energy of the group clearly captured the audience’s interest.
Southside Boys came next and they effectively displayed their musical ability with powerful performances of OneRepublic’s “I Lived” and Switchfoot’s “This is Home.”
Exit 8 then took the stage with Norah Jones’s mellow track “Don’t Know Why.” Soloist senior Jessica Wilner followed, picking up the pace with a charming country twang in a rendition of Billy Gilman’s “You Don’t, You Won’t.”
Hips ‘n Harmony returned for their second set in their classy black dresses with a clever mash-up of Sam Smith’s “I’m Not the Only One” and Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” Though the songs seem to have contradictory messages, the relaxed tempo and soft lyrics made the mix a success.
Following the mash-up, Hips ‘n Harmony performed Taylor Swift’s mega hit “Blank Space.” Soloist junior Nicole Peinkofer embodied Swift’s performance from the music video—going as far as smearing her eye makeup mid-performance to authentically portray Swift’s crazy persona in the video. This number provoked a thunderous applause from the audience.
BTL’s second set started with an elegant rendition of Walk the Moon’s “Aquaman.” Soloist senior Jes Kirkpatrick nailed this song with her remarkable, bluesy vocals. BTL closed the show with Muse’s “Uprising,” which was well received by the roaring audience. Soloist sophomore Matt Rapoza did a wonderful job covering Muse front man Matthew Bellamy’s unique voice.
It was a triumphant night for Geneseo a cappella, as each group put on their best performance and impressed the audience with every song.