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Lafayette’s four student a cappella groups will join with counterparts at three other colleges in performing at Saturday Night Sing 7 p.m. Saturday at the Williams Center for the Arts.
The concert will benefit Friends of Lafayette Music. Tickets cost $3 for faculty and staff, $2 for Lafayette students, $3 for other students, and $6 for the public. They can be ordered by calling the box office at 610-330-5009.
Lafayette’s Cadence, The Chorduroys, Quintessence, and Soulfege will perform with Binghamton University’s Binghamton Crosbys, Swarthmore College’s Mixed Company, and Dickinson College’s The Syrens.
“I think that we are all looking forward to performing with one another and giving Lafayette students the opportunity to hear some other great groups,” says Cadence member Alexis Siemons ’05 (Moorestown, N.J.), a communications and culture major. “With all of the talent, musical diversity, and enthusiasm on stage I am sure that the night will be a success!”
Serving as hosts will be mechanical engineering major Lindsay Hannum ’07 (North East, Md.) and civil engineering major Dan O’Neil ’06 (Lincoln, R.I.), members of the Arts Society’s steering committee.
Hannum performs with the Lafayette Dancers, coordinated this semester’s dance master classes for the Arts Society, and is organizing a student dance company.
O’Neil sings frequently at campus open mic nights, the Arts Society’s Café Nights, and other events, often with sidekick Amanda Driscoll ’06. He is host of the Arts Society’s guitar jams and competes on the Ultimate Frisbee team.
Founded in 1998, Friends of Lafayette Music is a group of alumni, parents, and friends who support Lafayette’s foura cappella groups. Financial support allows the groups to purchase new equipment, music, uniforms, and supplies. In addition, Cadence and Chorduroys have been able to take their music on the road to competitions and festivals, and to invite professional musicians to hold workshops.
Established in 1990 by Missey Labov Dweck ’93 and Jody Forester ’93, Cadence is an all-female group. In recent years, it has advanced to the second round of International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella competition, and been part of numerous concerts each year at Lafayette and for other organizations. Cadence will perform in ICCA Mid-Atlantic Division competition at Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, Dec. 4.
In addition to Siemons, Cadence members are seniors Lauren Elkinson, Toni Ahrens, and Jess Lenza; juniors Danielle Wyckoff and Megan Conway; sophomores Megan Kunkelman, Jill Bisplinghoff, Cara O’Donnell, Lauren Duffy, Kaytlin Henry, and Amanda Finkelstein; and first-year students Hannah Schorr and Lindsay Laborda.
An all-male group, The Chorduroys were born in 1996 under the name Chaos, switching to their current name in 1998. At 15 members, the group is at its largest size ever. The Chorduroys perform at various functions both on and off campus, and are working on the release of their third CD. They will perform in ICCA Mid-Atlantic Division competition at Rutgers University Friday, Nov. 12, marking their fifth consecutive year of competition.
The Chorduroys are seniors Dave Castelletti, Rob McEwen, musical director Dave Mitchell, and president and web administrator Andrew Segan; juniors Zane Ferguson,
Greg Lapp, and Varun Mehta; sophomores Benjamin Arthur, assistant musical director Ben Flath, Jeff Lininger, business manager Jay Melachrinos, and Matt Roy; and first-year students Dustin Bednarz, Marc Lisi, and Tim Zirkel.
Lafayette’s youngesta cappella group, Quintessence is a small-group jazzensemble in its second full year of existence. The group strives to please crowds with the tight harmonies of the jazz genre and can be heard singing swing, salsa, and sultry standards. Improvisation is a standard aspect of the group’s performances. Quintessence will perform in ICCA Mid-Atlantic Division competition at Rutgers on Nov. 12.
Quintessence is senior Dave Mitchell; sophomores Kara Boodakian, Ben Flath, and Kaytlin Henry; and first-year students Megan Kaesshaefer, Marc Lisi, and Lindsay Messina.
Soulfege is a coed group formed in 2002-03 with ten members by Lisa Oliveri ’04, a transfer student from Boston University. The group takes its name from the solfeggio scale, known by many through the song “Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do” in The Sound of Music.
Soulfege is sopranos Megan Conway ’06, Jacqui Goodwin ’06, and Danielle Wyckoff ’06; altos Danielle Charych ’05 (president), Amanda Driscoll ’06, Kaytlin Henry ’07, and Ashlee Snyder ’05; tenors Steve Boyd ’07, Dave Castelletti ’05 (musical director), Ben Flath ’07, and Dave Mitchell ’05; and bass singers James Garton ’06, Greg Lapp ’06, Jeff Lininger ’07, Marc Lisi ’08, and Tim Zirkel ’08.
The award-winning Binghamton Crosbys are the only all-malea cappella group at Binghamton University. In addition to singing nationwide, the Crosbys perform at benefits to support local organizations and student groups, and travel far and wide to appear as guest performers for other college a cappella groups. Winter break heralds the annual Crosby Winter Tour, when the Crosbys sing in high schools across New York. The group has advanced to the ICCA finals three times in the past six years, performing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, and finally winning the trophy at the Beacon Theatre on Broadway. The Crosbys have released seven albums.
Mixed Company began in 1991 as the first co-ed a cappella group at Swarthmore.
The Syrens remain the only all-femalea cappella group at Dickinson College. The group consists of 13 women with a large variety of musical backgrounds and interests.
The Arts Society is a student organization of musicians, actors, visual artists, designers, dancers, directors, writers, and avid arts enthusiasts. The whole group meets several times a semester, in addition to getting together for programs and activities. The Arts Society offers events and programs on campus as well as trips to performances and events off-campus, and promotes friendship and collaboration among students interested in the arts.
Comprised of Arts Houses residents, the steering committee of the Arts Society acts on behalf of the group to make and implement decisions, and to work with the Williams Center for the Arts administration. This year’s Arts Society events, programs, and activities include the season-opening All-Arts Picnic, photo caption contests, Pre-Game Block pARTy, trips to Broadway and local performances, Dinner and a Movie, guitar jams, dance master classes, Café Night, museum tours, exhibitions of student art, a Red Carpet Party to watch the Oscars on the big screen, a progressive dinner, the Arts Career Exploration Series, karaoke nights, Swingin’ at Marlo’s swing dance party, sculpture workshops, and more.
The Arts Society won two Aaron O. Hoff Awards for service to the Lafayette community during 2002-2003, one for Outstanding Cultural Group, and one for Program of the Year, for the 2002 Pre-Game Block pARTy. Arts Society membership is open to all Lafayette students.