The sounds of scales, arpeggios and breathing exercises can be heard in the air at the Mattin Center as the members Hopkins' only trilingual vocal group, Ketzev, enter final preparations for their largest concert to date. Ketzev is the name of the only Jewish a cappella group on campus.
Gathering in a circle the eleven-member group begins warm-up scales that are just the start of an intensive two-hour rehearsal. Despite the work ahead, there is a light and friendly atmosphere in the practice room.
Member Stacey Smith believes this is part of the reason the group is so successful. "We always have such a good time joking around and having fun together," Smith explains. Even without an audience present, the members of the group put energy and passion into their singing.
The name Ketzev comes from the Hebrew word for "rhythm." The group performs songs in Hebrew, Yiddish and English. The group has roots in Jewish history and culture, but is seeking to reach outside of those boundaries. Sophomore Peter Yee is not Jewish, yet keeps coming back to the group. "It has given me a fun environment to receive great exposure to a new culture," Yee says.
Sophomore Jamie Spangler, Ketzev's Business Director, explained that the group's mission is to "introduce the Hopkins community to new languages, a new culture, a different country, and a different region of the world." The common factor that this group shares with other campus vocal groups is an appreciation and understanding of music. The styles of the songs they perform vary from traditional prayers in Hebrew to modern Israeli top hits.
The group is making a stunning comeback after starting last fall with only two returning members. Spangler was able to help revive interest in the program after auditioning last fall.
"It was a tough job," Spangler reflects. "However we were able to recruit friends from Hillel, the campus's Jewish community group, as well as non-Jewish friends. We now have a group of people very enthusiastic about what we do." Membership was up to eight by the end of that fall semester, and has blossomed since then. Members currently range in age from two freshmen to a lone senior.
There are few prerequisites for membership. A love of music and singing is all that most members started with. Freshman Julie Anderson did not understand some of what she was singing at first. "There is no language requirement. You don't need to know Hebrew or Yiddish. We meet often to go over exact pronunciations of words."
Ketzev will be presenting their fall concert this Sunday at 8 p.m. in Bloomberg Auditorium. The program will consist of eight selections that have been either musically arranged or vocally rewritten by group members. Spangler is excited by a song Ketzev will be performing that was rewritten by group members. "It is a reworking of a song by the group Rockapella, which in its new form is a humorous parody about typical Jewish stereotypes."
Three other Jewish a capella groups from the East Coast will be featured as well. NYU's Ani V'Ata, SUNY Binghamton's Kaskeset, and U. Penn's Shabbatones will be performing alongside Ketzev. This Fall Concert will be the fifth performance the group has given this year. Members of the group itself and the community have noticed significant improvement in Ketzev over just a few months of time.
"After the O-Show, we developed somewhat of a bad reputation," Anderson lamented. "However, after performing during Parent's Weekend for both the Hillel Shabbat Dinner and the PAC Show, we were complemented over and over again about how improved we sound." The group spends more time at rehearsals working on precise tuning and pitch as well as the quality of their overall sound.
The members of Ketzev are eagerly anticipating the chance to show off their new skills. Freshman David Golan promises those in attendance, "We have a great lineup... Ketzev is better than ever."
