All are invited to attend Houghton A Capella’s final concert of the year, tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Wesley Chapel. Admission is free, but the ensemble urges audience members to “bring a can if you can.”
Alto Michaella Aliperti ‘19 commented, “It’s going to be like nothing we’ve ever done before—we’re really excited to share all of our hard work with everyone…and the fact that we’ve turned it into a food drive is really cool and exciting, because we get to take something that’s already bigger than ourselves, and turn it something into even more. We can’t wait to see everyone there!”
Despite being a relatively new ensemble in the Greatbatch School of Music, Houghton A Capella quickly gained an elite status and a reputation for both high-quality and highly entertaining performances. Professor Rebekah Brennan, director of the group, titled the concert “Episode 1,” with the anticipation of creating a series of episodic concerts that are more elaborate than most traditional productions.
The repertoire of this concert is highly varied, ranging in genre from pop, to country, to worship music. It features songs by Reba, Michael Jackson, Walk the Moon, and more.
Music and equestrian studies double major (and soprano) Lauren Grifoni ‘19 stated, “This concert is going to be a fun experience for everyone to enjoy. We’re having so much fun putting the program together and we know the audience will enjoy it too. It’s going to be staged somewhat like a production with fun choreography and set pieces.” Saxophone performance major and bass Derek Chase ‘19 added that “There’s moments that give me chills and moments that get me really lit. You’ll have to come and see all the emotions!”
Houghton A Capella, formerly known as the Houghton Singers, is a group of 16 highly skilled vocalists, comprised of both music majors and non-music majors. “I hope other students at Houghton can see they can all audition and it’s not a ‘music major exclusive’ activity,” commented Chase. He went continued, “The whole group is really cohesive and we all work together very well. I think this show really demonstrates how this group has helped us form a really special friend group.”
Houghton ACapella includes a beatboxer, Ross Atherton (Bass) ’21, and three graduating seniors: Kingsley Kolek (Soprano), Ellenore Tarr (Alto),Vera Motley (Soprano), and Andrew Welch (Tenor). Both Kolek and Tarr are planning to return to Houghton next year to continue their studies at the graduate level. Motley is currently working on her first EP, Scream, which will be available on iTunes and Spotify on April 30. Welch, a theology major, described plans to become a youth pastor after graduation.
When asked about the concert, music education major Ethan Bast ‘21 (Tenor) ’21 coolly replied, “Bruh, it’s gonna be groovy like a drive-in movie.”