December is the season of a cappella concerts. This past weekend Vocal Chords and Octopodes preformed to packed houses in Bloomberg, and the Mental Notes and Allnighters are performing Dec. 9 and 10. For a school with little support of the arts the huge participation and audience turnout was impressive. But given the talent of the many a cappella groups on campus, it is no great mystery that Hopkins a cappella has so many avid fans.
Friday night the Vocal Chords entertained the audience with their wide variety of music, ranging from pop to rock to classics. The group conists of fifteen members from all different grades. The group was formed in 1995 and since their inception has released four a cappella albums. Their final performance of the year will be at the Harmony Music Therapy Club on December 10th.
Opening with the powerful Bonnie Raitt classic "Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk About," sung by senior Jess Brandt, the Vocal Chords kicked off the show in good form. The catchy oldies song was a refreshing break from all the pop and rock that a cappella groups usually perform.
A tribute to the talent of the Vocal Chords was the guest group, the Captial Greens from all the way out at Michigan State. Groups just don't make 12-hour drives for nothing.
The Caps, as they call themselves, sang a few pop songs. Their highlight was Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now," sung by a dark-voiced female soloist. Though they came from afar, the group did not measure up to the energy and talnt of the hometown Vocal Chords.
Perhaps what makes the Vocal Chords such a great crowd pleaser is their chemistry on stage. As described by sophomore member Lauren Links, "I think it is our love and enjoyment of each other that makes us so successful. We're really growing musically, but our chemistry is exploding this year, especially with the addition of three wonderful freshmen." No freshmen had solos, so the strength they add to the group is yet to be seen.
The rest of the Vocal Chords set was characterized by a variety of music, not always perfectly executed, but obviously difficult, with complex arrangements and wide vocal ranges. An excellent example of this was the group's closing song, Queen's "Somebody to Love." Sophomore Laura Peralta's stunning solo voice was often overshadowed by the intricate arrangement.
But the risks the group took to perform different and sophisticated music are worth all the effort when they nail it, as they did with U2's "Beautiful Day," sung by Kris Kortez.
The concert was broken up by the comedic relief of senior Roy Blumenfeld pantomiming and doing sound effects such as, "a goat at the dentist" and "a chicken at the gynecologist."
Group members also read e-mails they received from their Web site's contact link. DeVre Online University asked all the Vocal Chords to transfer. And in keeping with the friendly competition between a capella groups, the Mental Notes sent a brief note: "Your mom." To which the Vocal Chords replied: "Who's your daddy?"
Octopodes sang on Saturday night to another packed house of avid fans. The Octopodes are a relatively young group of fourteen singers, mostly freshmen and sophomores who are just as enthusiastic about a cappella as ever. The group has released two albums and has a repertoirethat consists of mainly top-40 pop hits.
They opened with three songs, the best of which was Michelle Branch's a cappella staple "Are You Happy Now," sung by freshman Sarah Feinmark. With six new Octopodes, the ensemble relied heavily on the recent members to energize the group, and Sarah did not disappoint. The Cornell Chordials then took the stage. Dressed almost exactly like the Octopodes, except in red and black instead of the Octopodes' sginiture blue ensambles, it seemed like a scene from a parallel universe.
However, the Chordials showed that the resemblance stopped there with a set of blues, gospel and rock songs. They stole the audience's attention with strong, bold soloist and less complicated but well blended back-ups.
Despite occasional intonation problems, the Chordials were excellent crowd pleasers and received a standing ovation. Someone yelled, "Top that, Octopodes!"
The Octopodes returned to a revved up audience and didn't disappoint on Rachel Burkey's "My Last Breath," by Evanescence. However, the subsequent songs dwindled in energy, with the soloists too quiet and the arrangements too complicated to figure out what was going on. That is, until the boys kicked the girls out for an Octopodes original, "The Hollander Song." Seems the group discovered something the Allnighters already knew -- no one can resist a bunch of guys singing.
The concert ended on a strong note with its last few songs. Junior Kyle Menze's beautiful and cutting soprano drew the most applause on "Black Roses Red" by Alana Grace, and junior Shivank Gupta brought much needed energy to the set with Maroon 5's "Through With You." Driven by the high-powered soloists the Octopodes came together and blended to create that intense and professional sound that the group is known for so well.
The effort that went into both the Vocal Chords' and Octopodes' concerts was extremely evident in both performances. Groups suffered "hell weeks" of daily multiple hour rehearsals, but it was definitely worth the effort.
Hopkin's all-male group,The Allnigthters, and the Mental Notes perform in Bloomberg on Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 10, respectively. Admission is free.
