Chronicle File Photo
When Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick belted out a mash-up of the season’s greatest hits in last fall’s Pitch Perfect, they piqued the musical interest of high school students across the country, some of whom landed in Biddle Music Hall last week to showcase their hidden talents.
Following the Tuning Up! Concert on the last day of Orientation-week, over a hundred wide-eyed freshmen passed through Biddle last week in an effort to join one of eight talented singing groups on campus. Sophomore Sophia Santore, member of Out of the Blue, quipped that the huge amount of interest in the a cappella auditions may have been partially due to the musical comedy’s influence.
Others take the movie’s influence a bit less seriously. Senior Neil Krishnan, president of the Pitchforks, expressed more excitement over the quality of those auditioning.
“We were really fortunate to have guys that were both talented and enthusiastic,” Krishnan said.
With an abundance of these incredibly skilled and passionate performers, cuts have to be made somewhere. And playing Simon Cowell isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
“It’s really hard because you meet so many girls with amazing personalities who you know you would love to have in the group from that standpoint,” Santore said. “It’s the audition process that is rewarding.”
The competition was steep across the board. Of the 87 hopefuls that tried out for the Pitchforks this year, only six members were ultimately accepted. Though the audition process may be stressful for the decision makers, one can only imagine the nervousness of first-week freshmen showcasing their talents before a board of seasoned seniors. Tori Johnson, a freshman accepted into Out of the Blue, found the process “intense,” noting that for her callbacks, she learned six musical selections in a single day.
Most groups held up to three rounds of auditions, where candidates were asked not only to perform vocal, pitch-matching, and blending exercises, but they also underwent sight-singing exercises. Callbacks were more demanding.
In the case of the Pitchforks, singers were asked to perform for their peers under the Randolph arch less than two hours after learning some of their pieces, but to freshman and new Pitchfork singer Alex Brunson, this proved the confidence older members had in their recruits.
With the pressures and rigors of auditioning behind them, groups can now focus more fully on a more enjoyable task—getting to know their new members.
“A cappella singing is a great way to bond over a shared talent.” Krishnan said.
“We love them already,” Santore added, gushing over the new members.
The freshmen too have found their niche in the musical community.
“It was more than just singing,” Brunson said. “It was about getting to know everyone on a personal level.”
With this group of talented troupe of singers, there’s no doubt Duke is in for an aca-awesome year. And as far as Pitch Perfect’s influence on the performance scene?
“In my mind, it used to bring up an older image, but now it’s all these shows and music.” Johnson said. “It’s fun.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.