If you have not yet found the time to make it to an a cappella concert here at the University of Michigan then you should make time! The Michigan A Cappella community is one of the most eclectic and diverse in the country and internationally recognized.
Spookappella, a Halloween themed a capella concert, featured three stunning UofM groups: (g)imble, The Harmonettes and Maize Mirchi. with special guest Scotch Tape from Malacaster College in Minnesota. Each group took the stage in their own creative Halloween attire to give the audience a night of a cappella bliss.
Scotch Tape opened the show, followed by headliner (g)imble with their rendition of “Forever and Always,” originally performed by Taylor Swift. Marianne Gruzwalski, one of (g)imble’s powerhouse soloists, was on the solo. You would not ever expect such a powerful voice to come out of such a small girl. You couldn’t take your eyes off this one as she emulated and extraordinary amount of confidence and sass on this song. What a great performance it was.
The “sometimes sassy, always classy” Harmonettes officially opened the first half of the show with “Nothing Ever Hurt Like You” sung by Lauren Morrison, “Stay” sung by Brennan Couturier and “Goodbye to You” sung by Sarah Short. This group of classy ladies brought a lighthearted vibe to the stage throughout their set. Chelsea Selden brought some fantastic vocal percussion to the first two songs in the set. This girl arguably had the most charismatic stage presence throughout this evening of performance. There was not a moment when she was not radiating a contagious smile. Additionally, her continuous step touches made it nearly impossible to sit still while watching. All in all, the Harmonettes put on a great show!
Maize Mirchi, one of the newest additions to the Michigan a cappella community, opened the second half of the show. Mirchi is Michigan’s premier South Asian a cappella group and is known for fusing Bolloywood Indian music with more contemporary music They most definitely know how to capture an audience. While some of their costumes were a bit distracting, they put on a wonderful show.
(g)imble closed both the first and second halves and had a number of beautiful pieces, most notable being “Either Way” by Guster and “Alone” by Heart. “Either Way” was performed as a group song as the solos were distributed across each member of the group. This moving piece provided the audience with some of the most beautiful harmonies of the evening. However, “Alone” stole the show completely. With another one of (g)imble’s powerhouse soloists taking the lead, the audience was left with nothing but chills. Erica Searcy (otherwise known as “Fiercy”) tore the roof off with this song. While she first seemed a bit apprehensive, she soon settled into what would become the best song of the evening.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening of a cappella. Be sure to look out for the many a cappella concerts that are held at the end of the semester! It’s most definitely a quintessential Michigan experience!
