On Wednesday, Aug. 28 and Friday, Aug. 30, all five of Hamilton’s a capella groups welcomed first-year students to campus with a concert in Wellin Hall at 7 PM.
On Wednesday, Duelly Noted — an all-gender a capella group — performed first. The group’s range of musical styles has been its calling card in performances both on- and off-campus since its founding in 2008. By combining songs with creative choreography, they boast a unique repertoire for every show.
Duelly Noted kicked off the concert with a performance of “Past Lives” by BØRNS, followed by “The Valley” by Betty Who, and “Make this Leap” by The Hunts. The group closed with a playful rendition of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” which featured solos by Kaylee Davis ’22, Megan Buiocchi ’20, SJ Kudzin ’22, and Emily Midgley ’21.
Special K, Hamilton’s oldest all-women a capella group, performed next. They started off with “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake, which featured soloists Josie Blatt ’21 and Sara Jadbabaie ’21. Abby Goodman ’21 followed with “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse. Two sophomores took the lead in the last two songs. Aimee Booth ’22 started with an emotional performance of “Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware, and Carina Krussell ’22 closed with a saucy solo rendition of “Good Kisser” by Lake Street Dive.
The Hamiltones, Hamilton’s oldest co-ed a cappella group, followed Special K. Lead by soloist Ally Millar ’22, the group commenced their performance with “Honeymoon Avenue” by Ariana Grande,. The second song was a group performance of “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap. They ended their set with “Who Knows Who Cares” by Local Natives, which featured a moving solo by Christopher Albino ’20.
The next group to perform was Tumbling After. Founded in 1998, Tumbling After is the College’s youngest all-women group. Their signature look features a daisy tucked behind the right ear of all performers. Olivia Wenzel ’21 and Rachel Lee ’22 led the first group song — an upbeat performance of “No Roots” by Alice Merton. The second song in their set, “Alone” by Jessie Ware, included solos from Anna Lyndaker ’21 and Amalia Tobias ’21. After performing “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie Chicks, Tumbling After finished off their set with “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, which featured solos from Libby Militello ’22 and Isabel Royer ’20.
The Buffers, Hamilton’s oldest and only all-men a capella group, were the final group to take the stage. They kicked off their set with “Al Ham,” the College’s old fight song, which pokes fun at life on the Hill. Next, the group sang “Used to Love U” by John Legend with a stirring solo by Jack Grossi ’22. Matty Jackmauh ’22, Jonathon Shakespeare ’22, and Danny Berger ’20 followed with leading solos in a passionate performance of “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys that left audience members cheering. Afterwards, the Buffers performed their signature comedy bit, “If I Were Not a Buffer…,” which makes light of campus culture — from the erratic weather to a nature report covering the different types of WASPS on campus. The group capped off the evening with the love ballad “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” by Stevie Wonder.
All five a cappella groups are looking forward to accepting new students into their groups for the 2019–20 school year.
