When students leave Grounds for the summer, the University's 14 a cappella groups do not go quiet. Members spread across states, but group chats stay buzzing, voices are heard in Zoom calls and plans for auditions and the fall’s performances take shape. For incoming first-years who will catch a glimpse of this energy in their first weeks on Grounds, polished ensemble productions are the result of months of practice and planning most students never see.
One of the academic year’s earliest introductions to the a cappella scene on Grounds is Rotunda Sing — an annual University Programs Council event that celebrates the range of a cappella groups at the start of each fall semester. Preparation for Rotunda Sing typically takes place before the academic year begins, adding a performance that a cappella participants must prepare for musically and logistically.
Beyond Rotunda Sing, preparation for each group’s ensuing events often begins over the summer with a list of concrete tasks — choosing and arranging music, locking in dates for concerts and gigs, dividing up executive responsibilities and preparing for the fall audition process that will introduce a new class to the group.
Though each a cappella group handles these tasks differently, they embody a similar goal of continuing their groups’ musical legacies. For one, the Hullabahoos, founded in 1987 and known for their individually patterned robes, spend the summer with one foot already in the fall semester. Sam Solliday, Hullabahoos president and rising third-year Commerce student, said he is the group’s main point of contact for booking performances, and spends summer break lining up gigs months in advance. Solliday said the Hullabahoos are also preparing to release new music in the coming months, and have taken the break to schedule releases just before the fall semester begins.
“We’re already planning stuff in advance for the fall … and trying to make our schedule out,” Solliday said. “[Our music director] has to arrange two songs that we can start rehearsing a week before [Rotunda Sing].”
Ektaal, a South Asian-American fusion a cappella group founded in 1999, similarly spends early summer choosing what songs the group will sing in the approaching semester. Sanika Kammara, Ektaal president and rising fourth-year College student, said group members submit suggestions for arrangements, mash-ups or medleys to a shared document as soon as the academic year ends.
Music directors also host Zoom workshops teaching newer members how to arrange music, according to Kammara. The group’s two music directors then compile song suggestions before singers vote on their repertoire in June, and Kammara said that cultural representation and thematic consistency are also considered in the process.
“We also incorporate a lot of different desi languages such as Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and more, as opposed to just picking a genre of music … [and] a theme throughout our setlist, so that there can be a cohesive flow between songs,” Kammara said.
Song selection is a consistent hurdle among the University’s a cappella groups. The Academical Village People — a group of “misfits” who never “[take themselves] too seriously,” according to their website — handpick their fall repertoire through two “song select” meetings over the summer, according to John Thomas, AVP president and rising third-year College student. The music director and two assistant music directors arrange the chosen songs over Zoom, finalizing arrangements later in the summer so members can start learning them before they return to Grounds.
The seemingly straightforward process of picking music within groups must also be coordinated between all 14, as one function of the A Cappella Presidents Council — an organization composed of the 14 groups’ presidents — is to avoid musical conflicts amongst groups. Each ensemble claims songs on a shared spreadsheet, and once a song is claimed, another group is unable to perform it for four semesters.
Thomas serves as co-president of the A Cappella Presidents Council, which additionally works to minimize logistical barriers for musical performances and rehearsals. At semesterly meetings, a cappella groups harmonize details on performances, such as their timing and venues, to avoid scheduling conflicts. Together, the Council has also organized to represent arts-community wide interests at the University — advocating, for example, for greater access for student groups to performance venues.
Within AVP, Thomas said that other executive members also handle their responsibilities year-round — vice presidents plan trips and run group discussions, a publicity chair maintains the group’s social media and a social chair organizes joint events with other a cappella groups. Thomas likened AVP to a business, as upkeeping their passionate organization requires consistent professionalism.
“We operate almost entirely like a business in some ways,” Thomas said. “We have to fundraise and make money to do all the incredible things we do, like have concerts … pay for our flights … and [to] create an image and a brand of ourselves online too. It's a labor, but it's a labor of love.”
He pointed to one of AVP’s recent performances in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which included a set at a minor league hockey game, as the kind of trip that requires months of advance planning and fundraising.
In addition to meticulously planning performances, each group tasks themselves with preparing for fall auditions before returning to Grounds. Kammara said Ektaal spends its final weeks of summer finishing singing arrangements, creating a piece for Rotunda Sing and evaluating which voices they will need to fill based on vacancies from recent graduates. Before greeting auditionees, AVP arranges a performance to offer a sense of the group’s style, according to Thomas.
Auditionees themselves can broadly expect a multi-step process evaluating vocal ability, vocal fit and enthusiasm, beginning with open auditions early in the fall semester. Then, groups typically invite auditionees for “callbacks,” where prospective members further interact with current members before potentially being welcomed to a group. Though audition styles vary by group, the presidents of AVP, Ektaal and the Hullabahoos said that the audition process is far less intimidating than it looks.
“One misconception is that [auditioning] is stressful,” Thomas said. “Behind every door, there is a silly tradition … every group does a little differently, but they make sure you feel okay and safe.”
Regarding auditionees, Solliday said that prior musical experience is not required. He recalled a current Hullabahoo who could not read sheet music but had “a beautiful voice” and joined the group, and Kammara said she joined Ektaal with little background in South Asian music. Kammara said the learning curve was part of the audition experience and not a barrier to it — an experience which Kammara, Solliday and Thomas said is an exciting highlight of the semester.
“I'm also looking forward to seeing the new first-year class and how talented everyone's going to be coming in … Everyone adjusts to the a cappella scene,” Kammara said.
By the time the University’s a cappella groups return to Grounds, much of their summer work — the songs picked, the arrangements finished and the schedules set — has made room for whoever walks through their audition room door next. This fall, auditioning students, audiences and a cappella participants can expect to enjoy the product of months of summer preparation, as groups carry forward a cappella’s longstanding contribution to the University’s music scene.
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