Notes Over Storrs performed ‘Mine’ by Bazzi and ‘The Chain’ by Fleetwood Mac at the concert on Friday. Photo by Julie Spillane for The Daily Campus.
The Fall A Cappella Rush Concert took place on Friday at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. The concert was hosted by the UConn A Cappella Association (UCACA), which serves as an umbrella organization for ten UConn a cappella groups. The groups who performed at the rush concert were A Minor, The UConn Chordials, Rubyfruit, Conn-Men, A Completely Different Note (CDN), Extreme Measures, Rolling Tones, Notes Over Storrs, Drop the Bass and Husky Hungama. A percentage of the proceeds from the concert are donated to HuskyThon.
Each group, in a randomized order, sang two songs and gave a brief introduction to get students interested in auditioning on Sunday and Monday.
“I came out to rush last year and it was a great experience. I auditioned for the Conn-Men because I loved how they sounded and I loved the camaraderie between them,” said Noah Frank, a third-semester political science and economics double major.
The first group to perform was Notes Over Storrs, a co-ed a cappella group that released a new EP on iTunes and Spotify. They sang “Mine” by Bazzi and “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac.
The next performance was from Drop the Bass, an all-female group that sang “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” by Adele and “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine. Husky Hungama was next with performances that fused Western and South Asian music. The choreography added an interesting visual element to the group’s performances that matched the songs’ lyrics.
The UConn Conn-Men took to the stage in casual wear which was a noticeable difference from the rest of the groups’ formal attire. The all-male group performed “Cough Syrup” by Young the Giant and “Best Friend” by Rex Orange County.
The following group was Extreme Measures, a co-ed group who has released multiple albums on Spotify, they sang “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe. The UConn Chordials, an all-female group who recently released a new EP, was next and sang “God is a woman” by Ariana Grande.
One of the songs that The Rolling Tones, the next group, performed was “still feel.” by Half Alive. The Rolling Tones is co-ed a cappella group who released their third album on Soundcloud last year.
Rubyfruit, an all-female group performed “Bust Your Windows” by Jazmine Sullivan. Many of their songs are available on YouTube. A Completely Different Note, an all-male group, performed “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
A Minor, a co-ed group, performed part of their set from when they competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. To the audience’s amusement, they emphasized that it was the same competition that the characters from “Pitch Perfect” took part in.
Auditions take place on the Sunday and Monday following the concert. Students sign up for an audition with a specific group. According to Katrina Charitonuk, a fifth-semester biomedical engineering major, each group has their own way of running auditions that may include singing scales, excerpts of a song or pitch recall.
“If a group decides to give someone a call back, they come back Tuesday or Wednesday to sing with the full group. Once someone is accepted in the group, their new group comes to their dorm room to serenade them,” Charitonuk said.
Brandon Barzola is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at brandon.barzola@uconn.edu.
