The Sirens, the University’s all-female a capella group, commemorated their 20th anniversary with a concert Friday evening in Bloomberg Hall. Keeping with the Spring Fair festivities, the crowd was lively and excited as students, faculty and parents cheered on the singers.
The group opened with an energetic rendition of the Boys Like Girls song “The Great Escape.” The concert continued to feature diverse songs with a multitude of soloists.
After a few more numbers, the Sirens invited guest performers the Mental Notes, an a cappella group that performs song parodies, to the stage, where they performed Rob Cantor’s “Shia LaBeouf” as well as parodied songs from the movie Frozen.
The Sirens then took the stage again to perform “Feeling Good” as well as “Heartbeat Song.” Both of these numbers included some alumnae who were formerly part of the group and returned for this notable performance.
“The best part of the night was having all of our alums come up on stage to sing ‘Heartbeat Song’ with us,” senior Sirens member Jordan Gray said. “It was truly touching to have so many Sirens, past and present, all singing together once again. It was a special night, that’s for sure.”
As Sirens alumnae performed alongside current members, the chemistry between the past and present singers, as well as their mutual respect and admiration, was evident and created a truly strong performance.
“The alums performing with us was really special,” sophomore Sirens member Ana Moszkowski said. “Seeing that many girls come up on stage and sing their hearts out like they never left was so moving. I personally hadn’t met all of them, but I felt like I knew them because of the experienced we shared. It also sounded really good which was a pleasant surprise considering how many people there were. That’s just a testament to how committed and talented the sirens are.”
The Sirens finished the show on a heartfelt note, playing videos made both by members of the group themselves, as well as by their family members. The videos presented touching well-wishes for Sirens members. The group then proceeded to conduct “senior send-offs,” in which the senior being honored sang as the solo vocalist in the following song.
The crowd applauded and called the group back out for an encore, a request which the Sirens readily heeded, singing “Showstopper.” Altogether the show was received as well-rehearsed and well-executed.
In preparation for their historic concert, the Sirens utilized their team dynamic to coordinate the show’s intricacies from song choices to vocal assignments.
“The Sirens is a group based on collaboration. We all decide what songs we’re going to sing, who will solo, who holds positions, etc.,” Moszkowski said. “Preparing for this concert was really amazing. It was a lot of work and time, but it was well worth it because in the end we were so prepared and able to just relax and enjoy the concert.”
Although the Mental Notes often perform their own full-length concerts, they decided to keep their guest performance brief yet assertively funny in order to add variety to the overall concert atmosphere.
“We usually stick to funny songs when we’re featured guests so we can give the audience a little change of scene,” sophomore Mental Notes member Hannah Melton said. “‘Shia LaBeouf’ and our Frozen parodies aren’t something you’d normally hear at an a cappella concert.”
Although this group’s style is very different to that of the Sirens, the Mental Notes added a refreshing twist to the overall show while promoting collaboration across all a cappella groups.
“It’s always fun to perform in other groups’ shows,” Melton said. “The Sirens helped us out by singing in our concert a few weeks ago, and it was great to return the favor.”
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