Many find it difficult to carry a tune - even when they’re singing along to their favorite radio station. But 10 MSU women have made a name for themselves by carrying tunes - without the music.
Ladies First, MSU’s first all-female a cappella group, will be performing its modern twist on a cappella music at this year’s Acapalooza Fest on Friday.
Started in the late 1980s, Ladies First serves to appreciate and expose the art of a cappella music through arranging and performing various genres of music. The group consists of 10 women who must audition out of the MSU Women’s Glee Club to become members.
The group practices three nights a week under the direction of Ronnie Grundhal, a graduate student in choral conducting and assistant Glee Club conductor.
“(The group is) here to get people interested (in a cappella music),” advertising senior and group member Celia Alcumbrack said.
The women select and arrange various genres of music to blend with their style of a cappella. They also add a modern twist by serving as the instruments and percussion of the song, emulating sounds through their voices and physical movement.
The group performs an average of 12 times per year, including many off-campus performances.
Ladies First gives members such as Andrea Smith-Cifka, a communication junior, a “chance to get away from the usual grind.”
From Ella Fitzgerald to Britney Spears, Ladies First covers a wide repertoire of music. An audience of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy an a cappella twist on its favorite rap, pop, jazz and international music.
“We serve to cater the audience,” said Sarah LaJoye, a theater junior and group member. “Most people have no knowledge of a cappella music.”
Yet behind the fun of performance and the thrill of the stage lies the business and challenges of managing such a group. Its rehearsal time is also reserved for discussing group business, booking gigs, and providing its own advertising, public relations and discussing funding.
“Ladies First provides a visibility for the School of Music and an ambassadorship for the university,” said Jonathan Reed, music professor and adviser of the group.
Whether the Ladies are organizing a breast cancer and women’s rights benefit concert or planning a joint concert with the University of Michigan’s all-female a cappella group The Harmonettes, they are committed not only to each other, but to the music as well.
There are also the challenges of arranging and emulating the music. Most of their variations call for a wide range of vocal ability, and often the Ladies must produce sounds that are difficult for a female’s voice.
“People hear us and say, ‘I didn’t think 10 women could sound like that together!’” Alcumbrack said.
Ladies First’s next performance will be at the Acapalooza Fest in the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre on Friday. The Ladies will be performing with other a cappella groups, such as their male counterparts the Spartan Dischords and the new female group Wicked Kiwi.
Tickets for Acapalooza Fest can be purchased for $6 at the Wharton Center box office.
ELSA WEGMAN
