A cappella groups capture campus attention

The noise of students screaming at each other in packed room parties, neighbors hammering eight-foot lofts and hefty moving and storage students heaving enormous boxes up the stairs can make campus quite cacophonous during the first few days of school. But add to that the sound of a multitude of a capella groups belting out the songs of Cole Porter and U2 from all corners of the campus, and the atmosphere becomes much more melodious.

Last week, the mouths of a capella group members never closed. When they weren't singing under Princeton's gothic arches, they were in residential college dining halls sharing their excitement about a capella. But this week, members are passing the mic as they hold auditions and nervous freshmen and sophomores vie for spots in the selective groups.

"This is one of the biggest weeks of the year," said Jonathan Lachman '01, a Tigertone member. "From our perspective, it's a terrific experience. We're always interested to hear the new talent and to be wowed."

There are numerous a capella groups on campus, ranging from single-sex groups to both Christian and Jewish groups and a group for soul music. Most of these ensembles held open houses last weekend, when students signed up to audition for the groups of their choice. Most are holding auditions throughout this week.

Tigerlily Kimmy Morris '02 said the audition process is complex, as members try to find the perfect match for their group. While the groups have different criteria for choosing new members, most want to hear how the voices of each candidate sounds individually and also with the entire a capella group. "So if you don't get in, that doesn't mean you have a bad voice. Maybe you don't work well with a particular group," Morris explained.

Lachman, who said about 45 students signed up for Tigertone auditions at the start of the week, said his group usually calls back between seven and 14 of these students and then accepts between two and six, depending on the year and the talent of the candidates.

"I must admit that it is tiring, but it is also extremely rewarding. We put a great deal of effort into encouraging freshmen to try out for the group, and we spend an awful long time deliberating," he said. "But in return for our investment, we are fortunate enough to get to know some very talented men in the freshman class each year. I think everyone would agree that the excitement of bidding new members far outweighs the labors of the audition process."

Many of the freshmen and sophomores who decide to brave 15 minutes of nerve-racking auditions spend days preparing for their tryouts. "I've been singing to myself in front of the mirror for a good part of the past couple days," said Kate Jensen '04, who is auditioning for several groups. "I've been listening to the CD of the song I'm going to sing, and singing with that, trying to get it so it sounds decent."

Derek Chan '04 said he is relying on others to help him prepare. "My whole RA group is helping me pick out a song," he said. "So I'll have to practice in front of them."

Chan said he decided he wanted to join an a capella group several years ago. "My brother went here. His sophomore year, I was 12 or 13, and he brought back a CD of the Roaring 20," he recalled, referring to one of the campus' coed groups. "Since then, I've had a real interest in a capella groups," he said. "I heard the arch sings and couldn't believe them."

Though excitement and anticipation play large roles in the audition process, there is also plenty of disappointment, according to Jessica Potts '03, who is going through her third round of auditions this year. "They come to your room and pet you and say, 'Better luck next time,' " she said.

But Potts said she continues to try out because she understands that groups have to be choosy. "It's a very selective process. Each time they're looking for something different," she said. "I know some members who didn't make it until spring of their sophomore year. So if I don't get in this time, I still have next semester."

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While Morris and Lachman said they base their decisions solely on the voices of the students who audition, Shere Khan member Ryan Rossitto '02 said his group does take character into consideration. "We do take personality into account, if you're going to be spending that much time with them," he said, adding, "We spend just about as much time hanging out and partying as we do singing."

Students who are cut from an a capella group still have a chance to sing with an ensemble, according to Chinook McLean '02, a member of the Firehazards, a group that welcomes anyone — even those who are tone-deaf. "Basically our mission statement is that we welcome all sexual preferences and identities and all singing capabilities," she said, adding, "We try to be as unelitist as possible."

The Firehazards are waiting until Sunday to hold their open house, McLean said. "It's politically correctly called the 'got hosed party.' When nobody gets accepted in the other a capella groups, they can come to us," she said.

But wherever a student ends up, Rakesh Satyal '02, a member of the Nassoons, said the chance to sing is a treasured experience.

"It's so intimate. There's something very singular about the experience," he said. "In the Nassoons, it's a closely-knit group of people, good friends with whom you're singing, who love to sing. It's more about the beauty of creating one sound that surpasses other types of performing."

"There's a rapport among the members that I really haven't found from [other] things I've done on campus," he added.