Although many Dartmouth students may scream themselves hoarse at the Homecoming game this weekend, the Dartmouth Cords and Decibelles will be saving their voices for the biggest a cappella concert of the year.
Each year, the Fall Fling a cappella concert fills Spaulding Auditorium with "doo-wops," "didees" and a few hundred students to kick off Saturday night's festivities. Hosted in turn by each of the campus a cappella groups, it traditionally includes one invited Dartmouth group and one invited off-campus group. This year, the host Cords and the Decibelles will be joined by Yale University's all-female group, Proof of the Pudding.
"It should be really exciting," said Cords president Joe DiMaria '05. "Each year our group has a different dynamic, and this year it's really great."
For the Cords, whose repertoire ranges from hip-hop to barbershop, Fall Fling will be the first performance of the year. This means a mix of nervousness and excitement for the four newest members of the group.
"Performing on stage at Spaulding is a neat way to start out your career as a Cord here at Dartmouth," said DiMaria.
The Cords have been practicing hard to perfect their all-new set of six songs, two of which were arranged by members of the group.
"They are a little experimental," said new Cords member Nat Grainger '08, "but a lot of fun."
Proof of the Pudding will be taking the stage for their second performance this fall. Founded in 1975, six years after women were first admitted to Yale, the group's repertoire consists of jazzy, traditional mix.
Fall Fling will be the first time the Proof have sung with another college group in over two years and will be their first visit to Dartmouth. They will be driving up on Saturday and staying through Sunday.
"This is a really exciting opportunity for us," said Proof member Paige Rossetti. "We've always talked about singing with another collegiate group, and now we're finally doing it."
According to their website, the Proof's rather unique name was inspired by a quote from Miguel Cervantes: "The proof of the pudding is in the tasting." The newly-formed group wanted to show that they were just as serious as the male groups dominating the a cappella scene at Yale.
Fall Fling will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, but students are encouraged to arrive early, as the show tends to sell out. Tickets will be available at the Hop Box Office up until the time of the show.
