Fans of the Remnants, the Cheezies and the Misfitz should look out for Miami University's newest and only coed a capella group - the Mergers.
Miami junior Eric Cobb and sophomore Jessica Leininger came up with the idea for the group last spring.
"Cobb and I actually came across the idea of the Mergers really unexpectedly," Leininger said. "We were studying for a music theory exam last year when Eric started playing an Alicia Keys song for me to sing. It just kind of sprung from there ... one of those 'you know what would be really cool?' sort of things."
Cobb agreed that the idea just took off.
"It all built from there," Cobb said. "Last year, we basically got a group of us together, and then this year we had auditions and have been going from there."
Leininger and junior Chris Lyons serve as the Mergers music directors, who make sure that everyone in the group has a part in a song and that everything fits together.
"Once notes are learned it is our job to suggest or take suggestions and implement them on how to make the piece of music really come to life by phrasing, emotion and dynamics," Leininger said. "Most of the time, you won't see either one of us actually conducting the group on stage, but giving subtle clues."
The Mergers practice twice a week, for an hour on Wednesday nights and two hours on Sunday afternoons. However, they have been practicing more frequently to prepare for their debut performance at the Men's Glee Club and Collegiate Chorale concert.
According to Ethan Sperry, an assistant music professor who works with the group and other chorale groups at Miami, it can be hard coordinating schedules for rehearsal time, which is why it has taken so long to create a coed a capella group.
"People who tend to be interested in a capella groups also tend to be involved in other activities," Sperry said. "Usually, you get the most insanely dedicated, but overly committed group of people. Finding people who both want to sing more and sing a capella and have time to do it is difficult."
According to Leininger, what makes the Mergers unique is actually one of the problems that the group faces.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Leininger explained that having a mixed group provides them with a larger song selection because there are so many vocal ranges and they are rarely limited on what songs to chose from.
On the other hand, this variety can sometimes prove to be a problem, as it takes more work to blend the voices so that one voice does not stand out from the rest.
In terms of what kind of sound one should expect, the Mergers are sticking with traditional songs also heard from other groups.
"We really have a lot of things in common with the other groups as far as repertoire goes," Cobb sad. "We have our share of pop songs that we will perform, but there are also some older songs and more independent songs we will do."
Leininger said that the group has a wider goal as well.
"One of our goals as a group is to introduce our audience to new and interesting music that they may not have heard before," Leininger said. "We'll introduce some very cool stuff this year, and we're all super excited to see the kind of response that we get."
The first Mergers performance will be 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, in Hall Auditorium. Tickets will be $5 for students.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.