One of Vanderbilt’s female a cappella groups, VOCE, sung their hearts out at Saratt Cinema on Nov. 11. Audience members filled the cinema to see the fall showcase, which was titled “VOCE Goes to Broadway.”
The show opened with the entire cast singing “Problem” by Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea while highlighting soloist Katherine Shumway as well as solo rappers Koyuki Yamada, Caitlyn Smith-Ryland and Marina Richard.
Master of ceremonies for the night and VOCE member Vivian Dong then shouted out the soloists and thanked everyone for coming out and supporting the group. She mentioned how the setlist for the night would be half country and half pop to capture Nashville’s famous Broadway vibe and some uplifting tunes.
After the show, Dong commented on how her emcee experience was “wonderful.”
“I had a lot of fun,” Dong said. “I love to talk and hear my own voice.”
Dong then introduced the next song: “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry, in which she captivated me with a lead solo performance. This piece was my favorite song of the whole show. Dong sung with such power and grace, and the room was silent in anticipation of what came next.
Next on the setlist was a cover of “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. The girls were perfectly dressed for Dolly’s vibe in chic cowgirl attire featuring dresses, cowboy boots and denim. Charlotte Overs then took center stage as she was the highlighted soloist for this piece. I really enjoyed the country mix and thought that the piece was done perfectly to represent Dolly’s vibe. Following was a fun trio performance, singing “Yellow” by Coldplay. Jayne Miner, Jacqueline Welsh and Mallory Otsuka’s harmonies were effortless, and the arrangement sounded beautiful.
Dong then came back on stage to congratulate the trio and introduce the intermission act, Vanderbilt’s Latin dance group VIDA. Members of VIDA dressed in all black and performed two outstanding choregraphed pieces with the audience.
The audience clapped, and Dong thanked VIDA for coming out to the showcase and for their outstanding performance. Dong introduced the next song, “Some Nights” by Fun, with a breathtaking solo from Jayne Minor. Minor’s voice was gorgeous, and she set the tone for the rest of the show. VOCE followed it up with “Better Man” by Taylor Swift, with a solo from Mallory Otsuka. To close out the show, the final song was a super upbeat and exciting Britney Spears medley with soloists Daria Scharf, Lila Peck, Welsh and Dong.
Members of VOCE concluded the show by thanking the audience for their time and support and mentioned their next performance at Holiday Harmonies, a concert collaboration with other campus a cappella groups on Dec. 6.
Sophomore Elijah Vickers shared his thoughts on the performance.
“I thought they were very impressive, and I really enjoyed the show,” Vickers said. “I would absolutely come back.”
Welsh, a Hustler staff writer and current co-president of VOCE, commented on her pride for her castmates and gratitude for the audience.
“We really care about sisterhood and having fun and just really showing everyone that we participate in collegiate a cappella” Welsh said. “I’m always so happy when people show up, especially when we did so well tonight. We just want to share our passion with everyone who comes to our shows, and having that female environment is really special.”
When asked about the process of making the show come to life and behind the scenes work, Welsh explained the efforts that happened in the process.
“We have worked so hard, like so many hours a week. Me and the other exec members have had so many tech meetings to work with lights and sound and to make sure everything works perfectly,” Welsh said. “It’s a group effort to pick the songs. Then we work through sourcing the arrangements. Some of the arrangements we write ourselves, and then we work through them.”
It was so amazing to watch such a performance. It was inspiring, and I am left with the chorus of “If I Die Young” stuck in my head, and I can’t wait to see all that VOCE accomplishes, and I am eager to attend Holiday Harmonies.
