Renee RosenowThe A cappella genre isn’t all about barbershop quartets anymore – nowadays it seems just about any type of music can benefit from an all-vocals makeover.
In fact, it seems even a Michael Jackson song can sound just fine without real percussion or instruments, as spectators at Friday’s A Cappella Extravaganza learned when the Innocent Men singing group beat-boxed and sang Jackson’s hit “Billie Jean.”
“We try and give people what they like to hear and some things that kind of throw them back a little bit,” said junior and Innocent Men performer Mike Jones.
The A Cappella Extravaganza, which drew performances from a number of A cappella groups both on campus and off, was the kickoff to this year’s UW-Eau Claire Clearwater Choral Festival, an annual high school recruitment event that began in 1992.
“It’s a festival that we run for high school students who are considering possibly coming to UW-Eau Claire and hopefully giving them exposure to our program,” said Alan Rieck, director of several choirs and an associate professor in the music and theatre arts department.
This year’s festival spanned two days and included performances, not all A cappella, from about nine university choral ensembles, two area high school groups, a handful of soloists and a 135-member chorus of students from 20 regional high schools.
Friday’s A Cappella Extravaganza began with a series of traditional, baroque-style songs by the university’s chamber choir. But the show quickly took a turn for the contemporary, with groups performing A cappella versions of R&B songs and even mixing in some classic rock.
“It was definitely a lot more exciting than I thought it was going to be coming into it,” said audience member Collin McCormick, adding he had expected to hear “a lot of slower A cappella stuff.”
Gary Schwartzhoff, director of several choirs and a professor at Eau Claire, said he too was impressed with Friday’s performances, referring to the modern brand of pop-infused A cappella as “rock-appella.”
“I thought the A cappella groups did wonderful,” he said. “There were so many wonderful performances.”
The festival continued Saturday with afternoon performances by the Women’s Concert Chorale and The Singing Statesmen. Like the previous night’s varied performances, Saturday’s concerts also displayed a wide range of songs, varying from somber monk-like chants to bright music complete with African drum accompaniment to other more contemporary pieces.
In the evening the university’s concert choir, the Chippewa Falls High School Cardinal Concert Choir and a trio of high school soloists gave their own performances. The audience then sang a handful of songs directed by university students before a 135-member choir of high school students from across the region capped off the evening.
“I enjoy this,” Schwartzhoff said of the annual event. “I was a high school choral director for 15 years, so this is in my blood.”
