On Oct. 26, spectators and performers gathered in the Chapel for the Family Weekend a cappella concert. Supportive friends, alumni, and family members packed the pews, and the atmosphere was jovial and vibrant. Audience member Alanna Gushue,’19 commented, “This weekend the acapella groups pulled out all the stops for the parents. Performances from new members may have been the highlight of the show!” The groups also held another concert the following night on Sat., Oct. 27, featuring different sets from each a capella group. Josie Blatt ’21 of Special K described her interpretation of the role of a cappella on campus: “These concerts during family weekend are usually our highest attended concerts of the year, and this year was no exception as the chapel was full for both concerts. I’m glad that so many families and alumni got to see not only our performances, but also the strong bonds in the a cappella community as we cheered each other on. Hopefully the audience got a chance to see the positive impact that a cappella can have on campus culture.”
Special K is Hamilton’s oldest all-women’s group. They started off the concert with a rendition of “Good Kisser” by Lake Street Dive, featuring Eva Lynch-Comer ’19 as a soloist. Kelsey Knapp ’21 also sang a solo in “Running with the Wolves” by AURORA. The group also sang “For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti” by Sufjan Stevens, and closed their set with a medley of ABBA songs. The medley featured numerous songs and soloists, including “Super Trouper,” “Mamma Mia (soloist Ashley Huntington ’20), “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man
After Midnight)” (soloist Casey Tobin ’19), “Thank You For The Music” (soloist Abby Goodman ’21), and “Dancing Queen” (soloist Ursula Castiblanco ’19).
Duelly Noted followed Special K, performing “Did You Get My Message” by Jason Mraz and “Grows Old” by Thirdstory. The group featured two senior soloists, Jack Wright ’19 in “Did You Get My Message,” and Zach Brookler ’19 in “Evermore.” Duelly Noted often draws influence from musicals; this performance included “Evermore,” from
Beauty and the Beast
. The group ended their segment with “High Five” by Sigrid.
President of the group Jack Wright ’19 commented, “As always, we had an absolute blast performing on Family Weekend. All of our performances are fun, but there’s something special about performing in front of a packed audience. For many of us in Duelly, we had family and friends in the crowd, which made the performance even more special. For me personally, the highlight was having all of our alums come up to sing Just the Way You Look Tonight — we nearly doubled in size when they came on stage!”
Tumbling After started their set with “No Roots” by Alice Merton, featuring Olivia Wenzel ’21 and Rachel Lee ’22. Isabel Royer’20 and Libby Militello ’22 took the lead in “Weight in Gold” by Gallant. Amalia Tobias ’21 and Anna Lyndaker ’21 sang “Alone” by Jessie Ware before the group closed with a traditional Irish song, “The Parting Glass.”
The Hamiltones started their set with a solo by Peter Briccetti ’19, who sang “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates. Ally Millar ’22 soloed in “Honeymoon Avenue” by Ariana Grande, and Morgan Perry ’21 soloed in “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John. John Dorer ’19 sang “Up the Ladder to the Roof” by the Supremes.”
The Buffer’s rendition of “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys featured solos from Jon Shakespeare ’22, Kenny Letts ’21, Matty Jackmauh ’22, Josh Biltekoff ’19, and Danny Berger ’20. Ethan Plotkin ’19 and Danny Berger ’20 also soloed in “No Diggity” by Blackstreet.
After Jack Grossi ’22 sang “Used to Love You” by John Legend, the Buffers performed their signature comedy bit, “If I Were Not a Buffer…” The levity of the Buffer’s finale set the stage for an unexpected appearance from the Keytone Lights, who rushed the stage and immediately launched into their own performance.
Gushue described the concert’s unusual epilogue: “A mysterious group of hooligans also made an appearance. I was a little thrown off…” The Keytone Lights sang “Motherlover,” by the Lonely Island featuring Justin Timberlake.
Impromptu Keytone Lights performance aside, Blatt said, “Overall, I felt like this was one of the best a cappella concerts in a long time. I was really proud of how my group sounded, but I also loved seeing the other groups perform! The environment of support among the five groups was particularly strong this weekend, and it was nice to hear such positive feedback from my friends in other groups whose musical abilities I really admire.” The College’s a capella groups are a vital and longstanding part of the Hamilton music scene and student life in general. It was only fitting for Family Weekend to feature performances from Hamilton’s talented a cappella groups.
