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By Nora Molinaro, For The Miami Student
Miami University's a cappella ensembles, Open Fifth, The Misfitz, The Treblemakers, Just Duet and Soul2Soul, are hosting a joint concert to showcase their talent and love for music 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at Hall Auditorium.
Every year, the a cappella groups gain new members through auditions. Each group is unique in their own way in style and voice.
"We sound best when we sing R&B music, but we've sung almost every genre at least once," Open Fifth music director and Miami senior, De'Aaron Isaac, said.
Open Fifth is an all-men a cappella group that formed in 2013. With 17 members, the men of Open Fifth are well prepared to get everyone clapping and dancing in their seats.
"One song we really are excited about, is singing 'Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera," Isaac said. "We can't wait to share it with our fans and really bring the beauty of that song in the form of a cappella. For the future, we are really excited to sing 'Rather Be,' which will be a joint song with The Misfitz."
The Misfitz is the oldest all-female a cappella group at Miami, with 17 current members and 70 alumni.
"Looking back, auditioning for The Misfitz was the best decision I could have made for myself because I probably wouldn't have met more than half of these girls at Miami if I hadn't joined. We are all involved in different groups, backgrounds, majors and lives on campus and I love that," The Misfitz President Tara Rissmeyer said. "For the A Cappella All-Stars concert, the Misfitz are performing 'Ain't It Fun' by Paramore, 'Bang Bang' by Jessie J and 'All About That Bass' by Meghan Trainor, with a couple surprises here and there throughout the set."
Another all-female a cappella group, The Treblemakers, are also ready for their performance at Hall Auditorium. The Treblemakers was formed in 2010 and stands today with 16 girls total. "I absolutely love performing with my girls," The Treblemakers Treasurer Julia Schroyer said. "We've really grown together as a group over the course of my four years so it's fun to perform and show off the hard work we put in."
The Treblemakers PR chair, Miami Elizabeth Stermer, said hearing all the other groups and the songs they have been working on and are showcasing is always really fun, especially since they're all pretty good friends within the groups.
Just Duet, formally known as The Mergers, is currently the only co-ed a cappella group open to all majors. The rename happened in 2013, in an effort to make the group open to anyone on campus. Just Duet has seventeen members: nine women and eight men.
"I have always felt that music is something that brings people together. It creates this special bond between people and that's exactly how I feel with Just Duet," Kristen Condon said.
Just Duet will perform "We Owned the Night" by Lady Antebellum, among others.
Soul2Soul consists of 18 men that pride themselves on making meaningful connections with everyone in the audience, and making a significant, positive difference in their lives through song.
Soul2Soul performs a variety of songs including an upbeat EDM medley and "Break Free" by Ariana Grande.
Tickets for the A Cappella All Stars concert are available at the door or for pre-sale at the Shriver Box Office.