Coming together for the first time, all five of ETSU’s a cappella ensembles will present “Perfect Harmony” on Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Johnson City’s First Christian Church.
Each ensemble stems from ETSU’s Department of Music. The groups are diverse in style and mixed, including: Greyscale, directed by Dr. Alan Stevens; Harmonium, a student-led female group; Swashbucklers, a student-led male group; Ascension, a student-led mixed group; and The Buc Five, a student-led barbershop ensemble.
“The diversity of groups is really exciting in the concert,” Stevens said. “We have a men’s group, a women’s group, a barbershop group and two mixed groups. It is fun for the audience to experience all of the different sounds that the various groups create.”
The concert is structured so that each group has about 15 to 20 minutes of time for their own set: The SwashBucklers, Harmonium, The Buc Five, Ascension and Greyscale. The groups will close the concert with a combined performance over over 60 members where everyone sings together.
“Each group is performing their own pieces that they chose individually,” Stevens said. “It’s primarily a mix of pop music covers, some original pieces, some jazz, and The Buc Five does barbershop. It’s a very broad mix of music that should appeal to many different musical tastes.”
Stevens shares that performances can be rewarding, but they are a lot of work and require a lot of planning, rehearsal and evaluation afterward.
“Every performance is a learning experience,” he said. “As a performer, you are constantly evaluating what works and what does not. You are feeling out the crowd reaction and also how a piece works within the group. When the groups pick repertoire or create new choreography, they are adapting based on how they performed in the past.”
As all the student-led groups are directed by vocal music education majors, Stevens shares how rewarding the experience was to to know that he played a small part in making it possible as their professor.
“There is nothing better for me than to see my students succeed, and leading their own a cappella ensemble is a huge success,” he said. “I’m very proud of all the students who dedicate their time and energy to make concerts like these come together.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and $3 for students with ID.
