Harmonies, powerhouses and flannels everywhere — The UConn Conn-Men, an all-male identifying a capella group at the University of Connecticut, performed their final concert of the semester on Thursday, Nov. 20.
The concert consisted of eight songs performed by the Conn-Men, featuring a mix of solos backed by tenor voices, baritones, basses and vocal percussion. Notes Over Storrs, a gender-inclusive competitive a capella team at UConn, performed two songs to open the show.
“I am extremely proud of every single member of this group,” Kieran Liu, the president of the Conn-Men, said. “Everyone in this group played a pivotal role in this concert both musically and non-musically.”
There are eight members of the Conn-Men, ranging from freshmen to seniors. The low number of singers places extra importance on each singer to carry their part.
The set showcased the group’s range in style, opening with the classic up tune hit, “Good Old A Capella,” an energetic doo wop-esque song. The Conn-Men did not fail to put on a performance short of the song’s fast-paced nature, with members snapping and jumping around throughout the duration of the number.
The Conn-Men demonstrated that they were having fun throughout the show, putting energy into performances and cracking jokes between songs.
“The Conn-Men always put on a great show, and I love how they incorporate fun jokes and bits into their performances — other groups in UCACA [UConn A Capella] don’t really do that, so it really sets them apart,” Lara Koushouris, a spectator and member of Extreme Measures, a gender-inclusive a capella group at UConn, said.
The Conn-Men also took the time to introduce new members of the group, Chaitanya Bommisetty, Owen Kelley and Christian Ansley-Reis, referring to them as “noobs.”
“We always try to be ourselves and have fun regardless of if we are in front of an audience,” Liu said.
Soloists, like Brayden Kramer, Christian Ansley-Reis and Luke Ranicar shone throughout the night. Ansley-Reis and Ranicar each sung multiple solos during the concert.
One throwback song, “Animal” by Neon Trees, stuck out to audience member Koushouris. “Animal” was soloed by Ranicar.
“I loved ‘Animal,’” Koushouris said. “I hadn’t heard [the Conn-Men] perform it before, and the soloist, Luke, sounded awesome. That song is super nostalgic to me and they definitely did it justice.”
The Conn-Men prepared for their final concert over the course of the fall semester. Liu explained that the group began learning songs from the first week of classes until the Monday before the show.
Another notable throwback performed was “The Man” by Aloe Blacc, soloed by Ansley-Reis. This song was arranged for the concert by Jonah Weber, a member of the Conn-Men, making it the only piece of the night arranged by someone in the group.
“It means so much to show off what we worked on this semester,” Liu said, showing his gratitude for the audience and supporters.
The Conn-Men closed their concert with “Bring It On Home To Me” by Sam Cooke. This is the group’s alumni song and seven former members of the Conn-Men joined the group to powerfully sing the piece together. Every member of the group had a solo in this song.
Liu noted “Bring It On Home To Me” as his favorite song of the set.
“This is the first song anyone in the Conn-Men learns when they first join the group, the most performed by our group long-term and the last one many of us will perform at our final concerts respectively,” Liu said. “Every alumni knows this song by heart.”
Seeing old and new members come together to wrap the show was a full-circle moment and an example of lasting community being built at UConn.