New College presents new Acapellagos

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New College’s resident a capella group, Acapellago, recently held auditions to replenish its dwindling numbers as former members traded singing stardom for more studious endeavors. Although there is debate as to when the group was created, the general consensus is that the student-run initiative has been a part of the New College community for five or six years. With the addition of three new memebers, Acapellago’s numbers have increased to 15.

But how does one even begin to consider how to become a part the group? It all starts with the audition.

“The first round of auditions is a prepared piece, something that the student knows,” explained thesis student Tess Somerville, who co-directs Acapellago with second-year Zach Eidelman. “They are also asked to run scales to determine singing range. People who audition need to know how to read music, especially sight reading because it is very important for a capella.” After wading through the many qualified candidates, Acapellago announced the addition of three new members: first-year Lennon Grimm, third-year Marc Pittarelli and second-year Michelle Wheat.

“Smaller groups make learning new material easier and allows us to be a lot more focused,” Somerville stated. “We don’t want to appear super exclusive, but in a smaller group we function more efficiently.”

So what does the new semester hold for Acapellago? According to Somerville, they will be holding biweekly practice sessions nomadically around Ham Center wherever there is an available piano. The group hopes to focus more on student arranged materials and is very open to the idea of non-members offering to arrange material for them. Acapellago will hold one definite performance near the end of the semester, but also hopes to have surprise performance opportunities pop up throughout the next few months as well.

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