The Vanderbilt Melodores made a triumphant fall debut, introducing their new members and sharing new arrangements. They not only sold out the Rothschild Black Box Theater but had to add three extra rows of seats to accommodate the lively audience.
The audience’s cheers began the moment the house lights dimmed and didn’t stop until the Melodores finished their final bows. Before the performance began, the Melodores shared a cheeky introductory video highlighting each of their performers. Lit in green lighting, the Melodores opened their show with their rendition of Britney Spears’s “Toxic,” with senior Matt Eyles as the soloist. Sharp choreography filled the stage and was followed by a heartfelt execution of Daniel Caesar’s “Always.”
The Melodores paused their performance to share their introductions and fun facts. Newest member first-year Parker Pape’s fun fact received a loud response.
“My fun fact is that I am part of the ‘Marvel’ cinematic universe,” Pape said.
The Melodores told the audience about their trip to India and introduced their next song,
“Saiyyan,” which was sung in Hindi. They concluded the first half of their concert with a PinkPantheress medley that got everyone in the audience singing along.
The second half of the concert was opened by a rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water,” soloed by junior Riley Eddins. This performance was given standing still, letting Eddins’ vocals take the spotlight. Then the Melodores conducted their signature alumni performance, during which former members were invited to take the stage to perform Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes.”
The Melodores concluded their concert by bringing back one of their crowd favorites: the Justin Timberlake medley. The audience quickly began to clap along, unable to save their cheers for the end. The Melodores finished with bows and each performer left the stage smiling ear to ear.
