All five of Geneseo’s a cappella groups gathered in front of a crowd for the WOW-Capella concert on Saturday Sept. 9 in the MacVittie College Union Plaza. The concert illustrated a cappella at its best with killer harmonies, soloists and beatboxing.
During the performance, each musical group showed the audience what styles and types of music they perform to help interested students decide which one of the five groups they should audition for.
In addition, viewers could learn more about a specific group’s dynamic in this fun promotion for on campus a cappella—because with all the stunning performances, who wouldn’t want to attend a concert and hear some amazing vocal abilities?
The first group to perform was Emmelodics, one of the three co-ed a cappella groups on campus. With awesome renditions of Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time” and Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love,” Emmelodics kicked off the concert with a huge bang. The canon toward the end of “Give Me Love” was a nice touch to an already great cover of the song.
With the concert underway, the next group took the stage. The all-male group Southside Boys was the only group to sing three songs, kicking off their set with “Good Ol’ Acappella,” a song traditionally performed by them. Their cover of Barenaked Ladies’ “Falling for the First Time” was also impressive, but the crowd really roared when the boys sang “Bet On It,” an iconic number from High School Musical 2.
The soloist—sophomore Brett Hammes—from Southside Boys sang the tune in a slightly higher key than the original version, but what really made the performance incredible was that he mimicked Troy Bolton. The soloist did the same spin and dramatic kneeling that Zac Efron does in the movie, which made the crowd go wild.
The concert continued with Hips N’ Harmony, the all-female group on campus. They kicked off their set with a crowd favorite: Jon Bellion’s “All Time Low.” The soloist—junior Hana Smith—really enjoyed herself as she danced along to the song.
The girls made the first mash-up of the night, too, combining Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” with Destiny’s Child’s “I’m a Survivor.” The combo displayed true girl power and really left a mark on the crowd.
The next group to perform was Between the Lines, another co-ed group on campus. Their style was different from the rest, as they changed the routine up with more indie rock songs like The Wombat’s “Greek Tragedy” and Bishop Brigg’s “River.”
The BTL female soloists—sophomore Destiny Parsons and juniors Tayler Nguyen and Melissa Frank—nailed their solos in “River,” as they garnered a huge response from the crowd. It was obvious that BTL are experts at a cappella with their unique harmonies and fantastic overall sound.
The final group of the night was Exit 8. They started their performance with Ben Rector’s “Brand New.” Their last song—and the final song of the night—was Sam Smith’s “Like I Can.” Midway through the song, they incorporated some of Nick Jonas’ “Jealous.”
Both songs were incredible performances, leaving the audience extremely satisfied with what they had heard.
It was inspiring to experience the support each group had for each other and the support the school had for the groups. In the words of Fat Amy from the famous a cappella movie Pitch Perfect, all of the a cappella groups certainly “crushed it.”
Geneseo’s a cappella groups performed for students in front of the MacVittie College Union on Saturday Sept. 9. Each group displayed their distinct style and energetic tunes. (Hips N’ Harmony above). (Marianna Sheedy/Staff Photographer