Congregated at the base of the Rotunda steps beneath a stormy sky last week, hundreds of onlookers gathered to watch theUniversity's many a cappella groups perform in the annual Rotunda Sing.
Every year, a cappella groups use the event to showcase their ability and to attract talented newcomers into their musical families.
Unfailingly impressed by the talent they see at the Rotunda Sing and at other performances around Grounds during the first few days, first-year students always are eager to audition and quickly throw themselves into competition.
Vying for a coveted spot in one of the groups, students begin the trial process by signing up for an audition time and preparing a verse and chorus to a song of their choosing.
For first-year Engineering student Sol Eskinazi, that song was "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
"I just kind of chose it out of the blue," Eskinazi said. "I was looking for a random song that was in my range."
Eskinazi sang in his high school glee club for three years and in his high school a cappella group for two.
"I've always loved to sing, and it's something I wanted to continue with," he said.
So on a night when most University students packed themselves into the Amphitheater for the Tom Deluca show, Eskinazi was tucked away in Pavilion IV singing before the Virginia Gentlemen.
"I was nervous and shaking in there," Eskinazi said after his first audition.
But he couldn't worry about the past. He still had two more auditions to go.
The following afternoon, Eskinazi arrived at 42 East Lawn to audition in front of Hullabahoos members.
Standing in the middle of the small room wearing a silver-gray shirt and jeans, Eskinazi did a few warm-ups and scales before pulling a crumpled sheet from his pocket and belting out the lyrics to "Breakfast at Tiffany's." After a few more drills that tested his ability to hear different pitches, the audition ended.Two down, one to go.
Traveling across the Lawn where scattered groups of students were reading and throwing Frisbees, Eskinazi ventured over to the Academical Village People's auditions in 5 West Lawn.
Eskinazi repeated the drill -- scales, pitch memory, then "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Only the atmosphere seemed a bit more relaxed. Five AVP members surrounded Eskinazi, cracking jokes and singing along with him.
They also requested that Eskinazi sing a patriotic song. On the spot, he chose the Star Spangled Banner, forgot a few words mid-way through, but finished strong as the guys accompanied him with sound effects and capped it off with a "Play ball!"
"During the first audition, it's really pretty relaxed," said Andrew Breton, third-year Engineering student and AVP president. "We want to see that they can match pitches and that they can sing expressively in tune -- kind of the basics."
The men's groups seemed to agree that they really weren't looking for a set number of people or specific voice parts.
"We're looking for guys with good voices and personalities that will mesh well with our group," said Scott Meddles, fourth-year College student and Hullabahoos president. "We don't look for any set number of people going in. We just kind of take and work with whatever is there in the audition pool."
Different personalities seem to be what set each of the men's groups apart from the rest.
Some go for the zanier, others for the more conservative and the rest fall somewhere in between, Meddles said.
AVP members, who reputably are known as the "zaniest" bunch, particularly seek out those who can sing and entertain.
"We really care about the entertainment factor of the group," Breton said. "We're not just trying to sound good. We're not just trying to look good. We're trying to really entertain people, make them laugh, make them smile, make them stand up and dance."
Eskinazi took these differences into account before signing up, but with his try-outs now behind him, all he could do was wait and hope for the best.
"I thought my first audition was the worst," Eskinazi said. "I was the most nervous, and I could feel myself shaking. I felt more relaxed during the other two."
A week later, the verdict was in.
Ironically enough, Eskinazi failed to make callbacks for AVP and the Hullabahoos, but the Virginia Gentlemen wanted to see him again.
With more confidence this time, Eskinazi arrived in the basement of Old Cabell Hall for his callback audition. He ran through a longer series of voice drills and sang the new song he had prepared -- a light-hearted oldie, "Who put the Bomp?"
Anxiously awaiting his a cappella fate, two nights later Eskinazi discovered the Virginia Gentlemen chose him as one of their three newest members.
"They surprised me in the middle of the night," Eskinazi said. "I don't think I can tell you what we did, but it was kind of like an initiation. It bonded us all together, and it's something that all the guys had to do to get into the group."
And now, Eskinazi is a proud VG, the University's oldest all-male a cappella group.
In a period that typically lasts less than a week, each a cappella group auditions about 100 students, calls back between eight and 12 and keeps between three and five new members. Although competition is steep for both the men's and women's groups, the women's groups typically see greater numbers of girls during the tryout process.
Erin Mattingly, fourth-year Education student and president of the Sil'hooettes, said her group auditioned somewhere between 100 and 150 girls this year.
"We take notes on everyone, but we usually decide right after they leave the room who's coming back and who's not," Mattingly said.
She did have some sound advice to share with anyone thinking about trying out in the future.
"We once had a girl come in and sing 'Back in Black' by AC/DC," she said. "She was wearing break-away pants. Half way through the song, she got down on her knees, ripped away her pants and hit one of our girls in the face. She didn't make it, so I don't suggest anyone ripping away their pants."
Among the group of girls auditioning for the Sil'hooettes this fall was first-year Nursing student Kristin Wyatt. Wyatt performed with her high school choir for four years and sang the national anthem at sporting events throughout her senior year.
She had the experience and the voice, but would it be enough?
Wearing a red striped shirt and faded jeans, Wyatt arrived at 55 West Lawn in the late afternoon for her audition. With a smooth graceful voice, she ran through scales, memory pitches and sight-reading before singing Sarah Evans' "Born to Fly."
Leaving her audition feeling confident, Wyatt hoped to see her name on the callback list the next day.
But unlike Eskinazi, she wasn't so lucky. Her a cappella auditions ended there, shortly after they began.
Students vying for a spot in an a cappella group audition for numerous reasons -- the attention, the friendships, the road trips or simply the love of music.
Whatever the reason, it's a competitive road to the top. And only a few exceptionally gifted singers are fortunate enough to make it there.
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