It took a countless number of hours rehearsing harmonies, arranging and rearranging music note by note, and spending late nights learning to dance like a boy band. All that hard work will pay off for three Syracuse University a cappella teams when the spotlight hits the stage at The College of New Jersey this weekend.

Three SU a cappella groups — Orange Appeal, Groovestand and the Mandarins — will compete against one another Saturday at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Mid-Atlantic quarterfinal.

This is the first time in four years all three groups will face one another at the same competition, said Mandarins music director Alicia Bronzetti. With more and more students auditioning for teams, the formation of new groups and an increase in audience members at each show, the a cappella presence on campus is at an all-time high.

‘As a unit I think SU a cappella has all the potential in the world,’ said Bronzetti, a senior voice major. ‘There’s a drive, especially this year, to take that to the next level.’

Each group applied in November by sending three or four recording samples to Varsity Vocals, which sponsors the ICCA. None of Orange Appeal’s or Groovestand’s current members have attended the competition. The last time Orange Appeal competed in spring 2007, it won its quarterfinal.

The Mandarins have competed every year in the last decade except in 2009, Bronzetti said. In 2004, the group championed the mid-Atlantic semifinal, when they faced six other regional winners at the international finals in New York City. As an all-female a cappella group, the girls use these experiences to prove they are worthy competition.

‘There’s a thought in the a cappella world that we’re not as capable as male groups,’ said Meg Alexander, Mandarins president and senior public relations major. ‘We know that’s not the case, and we can still bust out those low notes with just as much energy. I think it shocks people more that females can do that.’

Competing against other schools allows SU’s a cappella groups to gain exposure and learn from other teams, Bronzetti said.

‘You get to see or hear what you want to incorporate or things you would never want to do in the future,’ Bronzetti said. ‘It keeps us held to a high standard and allows us to be viewed by the national community.’

There are a total of 20 college quarterfinal events across the country, according to the Varsity Vocals website. The SU teams will be among eight groups performing at the regional quarterfinal. Two will advance to the regional semifinal, hosted by RutgersUniversity.

Shaky tone

With only two teams moving on, it seems as if the three SU teams pitted against one another could have some natural feelings of rivalry. However, all teams are supportive of one another, said Gyasi Barber, Orange Appeal’s music director.

‘We all just want to do well,’ the senior music education major said.  ‘I wish we could all advance.’

In past years, there’s been ‘bad blood’ among some of the groups, said senior environmental major and Groovestand member Kieran Siao. Some members from the different groups couldn’t relate to one another, which led to teams disliking other teams, Barber said in a separate e-mail interview.

‘It was an us vs. them mentality, which we finally decided wasn’t healthy,’ Siao said.

But this year, those who perpetuated the negativity have graduated, and all of the teams get along easily, Barber said. With a greater sense of collaboration, there’s an all-friendly, competitive spirit among the ensembles. The groups are confident in their potential to succeed Saturday.

‘After researching the other teams, we have some of the best of the competition,’ said Mia Michelle McClain, Grovestand’s music director and senior music theater major. ‘It’s not so much you want to be the best group but the best you can be.’

It helps that each team thrives on its own styles. Orange Appeal, a 16 member all-male group, is known for its versatility and focuses on choreography, Barber said.

‘We pride ourselves on tight harmonies and outrageous choreography,’ he said.  ‘We generally try to have as much fun as possible on stage.’

Groovestand, whose 21 members make it the largest a cappella group on campus, sings a lot of pop, soul, classic rock and R&B, said Groovestand president and senior acting major Alanna Rogers.

‘I’ve always thought that we’ve been pretty funky,’ she said. ‘We’ve always got this certain soul to us, and our songs have an awesome beat.’

The all-female Mandarins prides itself on the members’ attention to detail and capitalization of its unique female harmonies, music director Bronzetti said.

‘We like styles that blend all of our voices well,’ she said. ‘Right now we’re working the boy band groove. We’ve all had homework to study Backstreet Boys music videos and learn how to dance like a boy band member.’

A cappella on the rise

Recently, there has been a noticeably growing interest in a cappella, Siao said, and participation and attendance are on the rise. With television shows like ‘Glee,’ ‘The Sing-Off’ and ‘American Idol,’ a cappella has garnered an even greater nationwide appreciation.

‘A cappella is transforming from this underground movement into something so much more mainstream,’ Siao said.

His sentiments are reflected in the numbers — at last semester’s semiannual a cappella After Hours event, Setnor Auditorium was filled to capacity with more than 700 attendees, Siao said. This semester, the performance is moving to Hendricks Chapel to accommodate that growing attendance.

‘In part it’s due to pop culture, and it’s becoming really hip,’ Groovestand’s McClain said. ‘But I think that most people just enjoy hearing their favorite songs sung in a cool, unique way.’

With a cappella gaining popularity, there’s been a greater need for collaboration, McClain said. This fall, the groups formed the A Cappella Council, which meets twice a month and discusses event schedules and upcoming shows. With more groups starting to form on campus, the council will ensure all teams are on the same page, McClain said. In addition to providing increased support, forging stronger relationships challenges each group to perform better, she said.

‘I love how Orange Appeal pushes me to be a better arranger because they’re historically known for their arrangements and choreography,’ McClain said. ‘And being on a campus that has a group just as good helps us achieve the highest level of greatness.’

Alexander, Mandarins’ president, echoed McClain and said the best way for her group to improve is through feedback from their singing peers.

‘The most useful critiques come from those who do this day in and day out,’ she said. ‘And frankly for us to go out there and put out our best performance, we need to know what’s good and what we’re doing wrong.’

Going beyond the Hill

The Mandarins have plenty of girls whose majors are not artistically based, said Alexander, who plans events and utilizes social media using her public relations background.

Alexander wanted to extend SU a cappella’s exposure beyond the SU campus, so she came up with an idea to host an event to do just that. The first Social Media and A Cappella Conference, held April 1-3 in Syracuse, will provide a way for SU to host other colleges’ a cappella groups and gain recognition on the national grid, she said.

The conference will focus on how social media can help small organizations with small budgets, Alexander said. There will be performances from semiprofessional groups, a keynote speaker, a cappella workshops and a collegiate a cappella competition. The conference is sponsored by multiple groups on campus, as well as the national organization Contemporary A Cappella Society of America, she said.

Alexander has invited more than 200 a cappella groups from all over the Northeast and Central United States. In addition, local students and public relations professionals in the area have been invited and are encouraged to attend, she said. Registration for SMACC started last week, Alexander said, and the numbers are already looking great.

Regardless of their backgrounds or reasons for joining, the members of Orange Appeal, Groovestand and the Mandarins love what they do and the bonds they’ve formed.

‘These guys are like my brothers,’ Barber said. ‘We have a great chemistry.’

And because a cappella features raw voices and there are no instruments to rely on, members experience a lot of vocal growth over time, Groovestand’s president Rogers said. A cappella has made her more musically in tune and aware, she said, and has shaped her to be a better singer overall.

Siao, one of Groovestand’s members, said he loves to perform and has found a support system in the greater a cappella network.

‘A cappella is really special because it’s so different from other forms of music,’ he said. ‘It’s 20 people coming together and forming one united voice. It’s really a beautiful thing.’

Whatever happens, the teams look forward to this weekend and plan to give it their all.

‘You know it’s great to bring so much Orangeto New Jersey,’ he said. ‘We’re each other’s competition, but we’re all united and would really like to take SU far.’

mainthia@syr.edu

Published on February 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm