From the baritones to the sopranos, every a cappella group on campus came together Saturday night for the fifth annual Wisconsin A Cappella Showcase at the Memorial Union Theater.
Fundamentally Sound, an all-male ensemble, kicked off the night clad in crimson button-downs and cream suspenders. The opening number was the high-energy song sure to strike any ’90s kid’s fancy, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from “Mulan.”
They concluded their set with a haunting rendition of Prince’s 1984 hit, “When Doves Cry,” with soloist and UW junior Brett Kissell igniting and concluding the song with evocative euphony.
Next up was UW Redefined, the first co-ed a cappella group on campus, with a string of fun arrangements of hits like “3 a.m.” by Matchbox 20 and crowd-pleaser “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. Yes, “ba ba ba!” and “So good! So good!” could be heard from every section of the audience.
Pitch and Notes, the newest all-female chorus on campus, amped up the crowd with Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass,” not shying from lines like, “When he give me that look, / Then the panties comin’ off, off,” nor missing a thumping bass drop from this smash hit of last year.
They showcased the vocal range of their members with songstress ballads like “The Call” by Regina Spektor and “Right as Rain” by Adele. They also made an arrangement of Etta James songs as a tribute to the late renowned blues singer.
The newest addition to the a cappella community in Madison is the group Jewop, a mixed male and female group sponsored by UW Hillel that share a passion for singing and Judaism alike. The group brought the house down with an imaginative adaptation of LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” now christened “Jewop Shabbat Rock Anthem.”
The song was punctuated with clever lines like, “Yo, we’re dancin’ to the hora like dreidels, / We get the manah Shabbat, takin’ it by the ladle” and “Where’s the wine? I gotsta know / Better be kosher (oh f’sho!)”
The second all-female group, Tangled Up in Blue, was the only chorus to stray from a black and red themed ensemble, all wearing matching electric blue shirts covered by black blazers. They also invoked a hit by the Grammy phenom Adele, “Rolling in the Deep,” to display their powerful vocals.
The girls also did a tantalizing medley of several Destiny’s Child songs, including “Independent Women,” “Survivor,” “Bootylicious,” “Emotion” and “Say My Name.” The combination served as an upbeat, empowering song of girl power.
Last but certainly not least, the UW Madhatters, a strapping array of young men wearing bright red blazers and khakis, finished off the night. They performed the throwback hit, “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John, with requested participation by the audience on the essential ever-so-high “la la la’s.”
Every group returned to the stage for a final singing of the track “Varsity” the official alma mater song of the University of Wisconsin.
“It was my first time to an a cappella show. It blew my mind how talented they all were, I was really impressed,” said audience member Alec Sennett.
The showcase’s proceeds all benefit the American Cancer Society through the upcoming UW Relay For Life.
According to the Union Theater box office, the showcase racked in somewhere between $500 and $600 for UW Relay For Life, with tickets being sold at $10 for students and $15 for the general public.
The UW Relay for Life is a 12-hour overnight fundraiser organized by the UW-Madison chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, happening on Friday, April 13, in the Camp Randall Sports Center. All proceeds of the event benefit the American Cancer Society.
