Nestled inside the St. Marks Episcopal Chapel on a chilly Friday evening, the University of Connecticut A Cappella Association (UCACA) held their annual spring rush concert on Feb. 6, 2026.
In an effort to entice potential singers to join UCACA, 10 groups belted out two songs each, featuring a wide variety of solos, tenors, basses and vocal percussion.
First up was Drop the Bass, an all-treble-voices group, who kicked off with a 1980s mashup of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper and “Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston. The highlight of this mashup was when both soloists started belting out the respective chorus of each song, making for a euphoric ending and an energetic start to the concert.
The competitive group A Minor took the stage next. This group went with two RnB songs and showed off their vocal chops with the spacious “Cherry Wine” by grentperez and the emotive “Stay for a While” by Victor Ray.
Next up was Extreme Measures, who received a jubilant round of applause for their first song “Oscar Winning Tears” by RAYE, thanks to the otherworldly singing from soloist Meredith Godfrey. Nick Jokl, the president of Extreme Measures, took the microphone to deliver an amazing and high energy cover of “Killing Me” by Conan Gray.
It was no wonder Jokl, a fourth-semester communications major, said over text “I told the group we could have performed them 3 rehearsals before the rush concert and we still would have sounded amazing. […]We have sung these songs countless times but still feel the same if not more excitement and joy come over our bodies each time we perform it together.”
Hus-Key’s started their set off with a rendition of “Supercut,” by Lorde, a song they released a music video for on Saturday, Feb. 7. They capped off their set with three excellent soloists trading parts on the upbeat and folksy “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer.
For a change in pace, the UConn Conn-men performed a little doo-wop ditty, “Run Around Sue” by Dion. The scatting and bouts of fake cries throughout the song, adding an element of humor to their performance by these flannel-clad Conn-men. Their second song was a staple of their repertoire, a cover of “Animal” by Neon Trees.
“The two songs we originally set out to do were not what we originally ended up doing, but we did these two songs because we thought it showed off our repertoire the best,” Conn-Men president Kevin Liu said. Liu is a sixth-semester student studying social work and psychology.
That wasn’t the only surprise the group had, as Liu announced a new studio album — their first in six years — titled “Back to the Start,” featuring a mixture of current members and alumni.
Without a moment’s delay, Husky Hungama, UConn’s lone South Asian fusion a cappella group, took the stage with an English-Hindi mashup of “Apple Pie” and “Zaalima.” For their second song, they went with an interesting choice and sung Bollywood hits “Vaseegara” from the eponymous movie, “Manohara” from the movie “Minnale” and “Zara Zara” by Bombay Jayashri in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi respectively.
Husky Hungama president Shrinithi Kumar was worried the audience wouldn’t enjoy a non-English composition but was glad to see the audience’s response.
“The crowd really seemed to appreciate the beauty in an all-South Asian piece,” Kumar, a six-semester English and secondary English education student, said over text.
Performing the songs live was also a challenge, but was one that Kumar and her group were willing to go through.
“Sometimes working through the nerves of that is really hard, but I think the excitement that comes along with those nerves can really bring a song new life when we’re singing it on stage,” Kumar said.
One of the oldest UConn a cappella groups, A Completely Different Note, took the stage with matching blazers in tow. Their experience shows, as they delivered intricate and masterful performances of “Still Feel” by half alive and “Dine” by Olivia Dean.
Next, Rubyfruit took the stage. The moment that stood out was in their second song “Love Came Down” by Karl Jobe and how the soloist sang the lyrics “love came down.”
Rolling Tones strolled in and performed the first of two Michael Jackson covers for the evening with “Rock with You.” This cover was certainly one of the best performances of the night, as the group fully embodied Jackson and the disco groove.
The final group to serenade the St. Marks crowd was Notes Over Storrs (NOS), another competitive a cappella group. Their first composition, “Vanish Into You” by Lady Gaga, was a marvelous showcase for the talents of the soloist Sophia Vieria, who delivered one of the best performances of the night. The last song of the concert was Michael Jackson’s silky smooth “Human Nature.”
“This song was tricky to learn due to its intricate parts, but we managed to mesh it together and support our amazing soloist Bryce Blodgett who embraces every ounce of Michael Jackson he can throughout the song,”UCACA and Notes Over Storrs president Nicole Jessel said. Jessel is a communications student in her seventh semester.
After a round of applause for NOS’s performance, Jessel took to the microphone and thanked everyone who spent their evening watching 10 different groups sing and signaled that signups for auditions would happenafter.
“I hope people were able to see and take away the beauty and pride in our culture that we work hard to bring to in our performances,” Kumar said.
“Joining [UCACA] was the best decision I ever made and I hope this concert sparks the same ambition in you!” Jessel said over text. “If you love to sing this is the place for you. People find their friends here, create a family and of course make incredible music!”