By Heather Fabritze
Elm Staff Writer
Washington College’s a cappella group, WACappella, returned for the spring semester with blind auditions on Tuesday, Feb. 8 in the Daniel Z Gibson Center for the Arts.
According to the audition information email, WACappella is a coed group of “passionate and talented” singers who perform a “wide variety” of songs.
At the beginning of every semester, WACappella hosts blind auditions for new members. Performers who impress club members are invited back on a callback list. Callback auditions are not blind, putting a face to the voice, and those auditioning are expected to perform either a song the group is currently working on or one that they have done in the past.
According to WACapella Business President senior Leonard Brogen, one of the most important parts of the callback process is seeing how well potential members can “blend and perform” in the group.
Brogen said that the people who are in the club are one of the most important parts of the WACappella experience.
“My personal favorite part of the group is the people that I have met through it,” Brogen said. “I know it sounds cliche, but I have met some amazing people through WACappella and there is almost never a dull moment during rehearsals.”
According to Brogen, WACappella is “more relaxed” than other organizations on campus. They do not attend competitions, but rather have three concerts at the end of every semester. These concerts are free for all WC students to attned to hear what the club has worked on.
Each concert features between nine and 12 songs. The group meets to rehearse twice a week for approximately an hour or two.
According to WACapella member freshman Maddie Fernandez, they ordinarily work on their parts individually and then put them all together.
“It’s a lot of fun to work together to make something out of nothing,” Fernandez said.
WACappella also typically performs the National Anthem and WC’s Alma Mater at convocation and commencement, as well as the National Anthem at sporting events.
Fernandez primarily joined the group, because of her love for singing and those involved in the club.
“I think it’s a really good experience,” Fernandez said. “It’s a fun group of people, and it’s really cool to see everyone working together to create something and enjoy music. I’ve always loved to sing, and I think it’s a great way to keep up with that hobby at college.”
For those who are interested in joining but are still unsure, Fernandez and Brogen both recommend giving it a try to see what the auditioning experience is like.
Brogen said he did not enter auditions with a long-term plan in mind.
“I encourage everyone to audition in the future, even if you’re unsure and just like to sing,” Brogen said. “The only reason I auditioned my freshman year is because of my roommate and some other friends who wouldn’t go to auditions if I didn’t join them, and here I am three years later and I still don’t know how to read sheet music.”
At the end of the day, both feel that WACapella is really about the music and the people involved.
“I think it’s a really unifying experience overall,” Fernandez said. “For me, music has always been a wonderful way to connect with people and to bring communities together. I think WACappella definitely achieves that.”
Even though the official audition dates have passed, WACappella has decided to host rolling auditions until spring break. Students interested in joining can contact any of the executive board members.