A cappella groups have been around long before “Pitch Perfect” called attention to them, and the University of Arizona has a handful of award-winning groups of its own, each with their own signature style.
There are currently five a cappella groups on campus, some with years of performances and competitions under their belts and others just beginning to grace the stage with their talents. From events around town to competing at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, these groups are harmonizing their hearts out.
CatCall is the only all-male a cappella group and the first to form at the UA in 2008. Since their formation, CatCall has produced two albums, “Scratch Tracks” in 2009 and “9 Lives” in 2012 with a third in the works, and they have made it to the semifinals stage of the ICCA for two years in a row.
“In terms of the music that we sing, there really is no set genre,” said Dalton Shade, a marketing and business senior and the president of CatCall. “We’ve sang country, we’ve sang pop; it just depends on what our members want to sing and arrange.”
Auditions for CatCall are being held tonight, August 26, from 7 to 10 in room 204 in the music building and are open to all interested.
After CatCall opened the door to a cappella at the U of A, the first coed club, Noteriety, formed. The group has never really had a specific genre of music and their selections are known to span decades at times.
“We do a lot of charity events around campus,” said Savannah Hernandez, a film and television junior. “We’ve done stuff for Residence Life, the University Medical Center… and we do Valentine’s Day singing, too.”
Hernandez said that although Noteriety only currently has eleven members, the club is hoping to raise that number to somewhere around sixteen to get the sound that they desire. Those looking to audition can visit room 204 in the Music building at 8 p.m. on Sept. 1 to see if they’ll be joining the rest of Noteriety for this upcoming season.
The second coed a cappella group, Amplified, is celebrating its fourth year since its formation. Although they haven’t been around as long as their coed counterpart, in the past two years the group has gone from placing ninth to fourth in the ICCA, has performed at Spring Fling and halftime at a women’s basketball game.
“I think we have a lot of upcoming talent,” said Eric Woods, Amplified’s president and a junior in economics. “We all just get together and have a good time, and it’s great that we make good music but it’s mainly just a fun thing that we do together.”
Amplified’s musical genre is never set in stone, and they tend to perform whatever songs that their members request. Although the audition time and date has not been determined, the group is still looking for some new voices, so be on the lookout for audition information.
Both of the two remaining a cappella groups, Dolce A Cappella and Enharmonics, are exclusively female. Dolce has been around since 2011, whereas Enharmonics began just about a year ago.
“Our president, Dana Douglas, is the founder and she has always been really into a cappella music,” said music director Sam Feldman, a creative writing senior. “She had this dream of starting her own group…so last year in the fall she finally did it.”
Although they are new to the a cappella scene, the Enharmonics have already found their signature sassy and girl-empowering style. They plan to compete this coming year in the ICCA and are holding auditions this Friday, Aug. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. in room 204 in the Music building.
Whether the group is coed or single gender, brand new or several years old, the thing that each has in common are the connections that are formed between the singers.
“I think there’s a bond there that all groups have… in a different way,” said Shade. No matter what group one listens to, they can be assured that the vocalists’ talent, enjoyment, and close friend dynamic will make for an unforgettable performance.
Follow Victoria Peirera on Twitter.