Spring Break
Oregon State a cappella groups shine
Craig Bidiman
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Diversions
Let me paint the scene: my ticket told me I was to sit in row KK, seat 126.
I was in the architectural gem known as the Hult Center in Eugene, Ore., surrounded by avid a cappella fans, parents and friends of parents you call "uncle."
Walking into the auditorium, the ticket scanner told me they didn't expect this large of a crowd because their online sales were quite low. In fact, I had just purchased my ticket so I apologized for adding to the chaos. She laughed and I continued about this new adventure for the International Collegiate Championship of A Cappella (ICCA) were in town.
This past Saturday night, I was graced with the opportunity to experience some of Oregon's finest collegiate vocal performers. This was the quarterfinals round with five groups competing, including two OSU groups, Outspoken and Divine. The top two performing groups would move on to the semi-finals in Beverly Hills, Calif. in March.
An eager and restless crowd awaited the beginning of the event. Amidst the semi-formal attire (I missed the memo and came in shorts and a choir shirt from fourth grade) I could see five fire exits from my seat: safety. I could also see an array of seven microphones on stage prepared for the performers. For those who are unsure, the thing about a cappella is that it is pure singing and emulating instruments with voices, thus, the microphones.
The magnificent female a cappella group from UO, Divisi, hosted the event. They weren't competing that night but still had the chance to perform before and after the competition to fill time for the judge's deliberation. Divisi came out strong in their black dress shirts, black dress pants and red ties with a compilation of "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics, "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer and "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye" while finishing it up with "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. It was a great rendition with flawless transitions between each song.
At this point, the competition was ready to officially begin. The order had not been determined until earlier in the day when a representative from each group pulled numbers to establish the order.
I was in the architectural gem known as the Hult Center in Eugene, Ore., surrounded by avid a cappella fans, parents and friends of parents you call "uncle."
Walking into the auditorium, the ticket scanner told me they didn't expect this large of a crowd because their online sales were quite low. In fact, I had just purchased my ticket so I apologized for adding to the chaos. She laughed and I continued about this new adventure for the International Collegiate Championship of A Cappella (ICCA) were in town.
This past Saturday night, I was graced with the opportunity to experience some of Oregon's finest collegiate vocal performers. This was the quarterfinals round with five groups competing, including two OSU groups, Outspoken and Divine. The top two performing groups would move on to the semi-finals in Beverly Hills, Calif. in March.
An eager and restless crowd awaited the beginning of the event. Amidst the semi-formal attire (I missed the memo and came in shorts and a choir shirt from fourth grade) I could see five fire exits from my seat: safety. I could also see an array of seven microphones on stage prepared for the performers. For those who are unsure, the thing about a cappella is that it is pure singing and emulating instruments with voices, thus, the microphones.
The magnificent female a cappella group from UO, Divisi, hosted the event. They weren't competing that night but still had the chance to perform before and after the competition to fill time for the judge's deliberation. Divisi came out strong in their black dress shirts, black dress pants and red ties with a compilation of "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics, "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer and "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye" while finishing it up with "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. It was a great rendition with flawless transitions between each song.
At this point, the competition was ready to officially begin. The order had not been determined until earlier in the day when a representative from each group pulled numbers to establish the order.
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