A Cappella Groups Perform At Homecoming

On Saturday evening at five o'clock, fellow students and alumni gathered at the Vernon Social Center for a Homecoming Weekend performance by Trinity's a cappella groups.

A dressed-down President Dobelle greeted visitors at one of the three foreboding microphones set up for the various groups. Dobelle introduced the evening's first group, the Trinitones.

Dobelle spoke highly of the Trinitones and mentioned their upcoming trip to Asia next semester. He also congratulated the Trinity Pipes on their accomplished performance in Trinidad over midsession.

The Trinitones were then warmly greeted with hoots and hollers as they launched into their imitation of the various baffling sonic creations of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way. "

Clearly a crowd-pleaser, various soloists from the group mimicked the expression and stage antics of the Backstreet Boys. While maintaining professionalism and an art of imitation so well defined one could even catch the familiar sound of computerized wind evident in the studio recording, the Trinitones did add an element of humor that the audience responded to positively.

After a slight reorganization, the Trinitones performed a Dixie Chicks number called Cowboy Song.

Soloist Diane Stengel, '02, stood oddly erect and slightly removed from the performance but clearly sincere.

Particularly noticeable and surprising in an all-female a cappella group, the song features astonishingly deep bass resonation usually associated with either mixed or all-male choirs . The highlight of the Trinitones' performance was the Lauryn Hill remake of the 1950's hit Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You. Soloist Amara Westheimer '02 gave a performance that can only be characterized as astounding.

Had Westheimer only contributed the pure deepness of her voice, her performance would have been noteworthy enough. However, her upper register proved equally valuable, highlighting the breadth of her talent. Westheimer demonstrated expressive ability usually attributed to musical theatre.

The Trinity Pipes were the next to take the stage. The Pipes performance offered no new material.

Sim Ketchum '00, who's unique voice captivated the audience, sang their first song Loch Lomond. Ketchum carried the number through nominal harmonies and general hesitation.

In their rendition of Sheryl Crow's Strong Enough, former Pipe Elizabeth Rohfritch '99 nicely reprised her solo.

In the same number, the Trinity Pipes featured senior soloist Caralena Lorenzo '00. Lorenzo's performance was highly expressive, with a powerful voice and commanding presence, Lorenzo was warmly received by the audience and instantly recognized as a star in Trinity's a cappella community.

Under the direction of Doris Short '00, who faithfully conducted the group in their four selections, the Pipes also featured their Indigo Girls standard, Galileo, which held up as a powerful number. Galileo featured three female soloists, Carolina Lorenzo '00, Erin Egan '01, and Jen Gagoz '00, who alternated verses.

Complimenting the earlier rendition of Irish Blessing by the Trinitones, the Pipes invited former members of the group to come onstage and sing Home Again. Here, male soloist Greg Nalencz's '00 refined voice contrasted with the less-experienced, more hesitant freshman soloist's brief performances.

The next group to perform was the Accidentals. Like the Pipes, the Accidentals have offered little new material since the beginning of this year.

Their first song, the only new material offered during the performance, What A Night, reflected the little preparation time allotted for the new song. Soloist Justin Ball '01 forgot his lyrics for the second performance of the number in two weeks.

Unfortunately, Ball's performance interrupted the consistent flow of the Accidental's performance. In addition, it appeared that the Accidentals' harmonies were slightly flat. However, James Creque '02 helped save the song from disaster with his enthusiastic interjections of Vanilla Ice lyrics throughout the song.

In their next song, Devin Goodman '01 gave an exceptional performance of My Girl. Strong background harmonies and bass resonation backed Goodman.

Again, their strongest song, the BareNaked Ladies', Hello City, was an instant crowd pleaser and following the trend set by other groups, the Accidentals invited alumni to participate. Brendan Way '00 proved that "cutting back" could make all the difference in improving his solo in Change In My Life.

The last group to perform in Saturday's show was the all-male a cappella group, After Dark. The spirit of Homecoming seemed to intoxicate the eleven men.

After Dark appeared slightly less experienced than the three other groups. Their energy, however, compensated for their inexperience.

Although the harmonies of their songs were occasionally flawed, the group performed with a casual excitement vital to the evening. The group opened with their recent addition, Paul Simon's Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.

Soloist Charlie Fox '03 sang strongly, while the rest of the group danced with unfocused, tipsy excitement.

After Dark then unveiled their new song, Gone. More sobering than Diamonds, the group maintained their energy while establishing collectivity. Soloists Dez Poitier '00 and Ian Hoge '01 sang with climactic emotion.

The group later invited alumni on stage for After Dark original, Roll the Dice. The solos of Brian Gilmore '03 and Ian Hoge '01 overshadowed the shaky vocal percussion of Cliff Stevens '03. After Dark displayed clearly talented voices, but they need to learn not sacrifice musical quality at the expense of energy.

All four a cappella groups were certainly entertaining in their own right. Fellow students and alumni responded well to the performance Saturday.

As one alumni commented on the performance, "It is always a pleasure to see the new faces and their accomplishments."