For Dartmouth’s many a cappella groups, the long winter break provides a chance to hit the road and perform for a wider audience. This winter Dartmouth’s a cappella groups travelled all over the United States, from Massachusetts to Florida to Hawaii.
These winter tours give a cappella groups a chance to travel and connect with alumni while raising money and increasing publicity. The long days spent travelling and living together serve as an important bonding experience for members of the groups.
Graham Churchill ’16,a member of the Sing Dynasty, one of Dartmouth’s coed a cappella groups, said that winter tour is one of his favorite parts about being in the group.
“Tour is awesome because it gives us an opportunity not just to improve musically but also to deepen our personal connections,” Churchill said.
This year the Sing Dynasty was selected to sing at the 74th Annual Pearl Harbor Commemoration events on Hawaii’s Oahu Island. The group sang the national anthem in front of the USS Oklahoma memorial, performed at a K-12 school in Oahu and sang Christmas carols at the Ala Moana shopping center, Churchill said.
One highlight for singer Haley Reicher ’17 was participating in the Blackened Canteen Ceremony at the USS Arizona memorial during which veterans pour bourbon whiskey from a recovered canteen into Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona was bombed during the Japanese attacks and the wreck of the ship still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. The memorial marks the resting place of the ship.
“Because the oil continues to leak, it felt like not just a moment in history, but one that is still happening,” Reicher said.
The Subtleties, an all female group, spent five days in the Seattle, Wash. area, where they sang at Seattle Children’s Hospital and at a private dining club called The Ruins. They also performed with Furmata A Capella, an a capella group at the University of Washington.
Tori Campbell ’18 said that singing at the children’s hospital was the most meaningful part of the tour.
“It was so appreciated that we were there -— it didn’t matter how good we were,” she said. Campbell said that tour was also a great bonding experience for the group.
“We spent 24/7 with each other for five days, so it was pretty much impossible not to bond,” she said.
The Brovertones, an all-male group, travelled to colleges and alumni clubs along the East Coast. They spent the first part of their tour performing at Boston University, Smith College, and Georgetown University.
Mene Ukueberuwa ’14 said that he appreciates how Dartmouth’s long winter break allows the a cappella groups to perform at other colleges while those schools are still in session. The Brovertones were hosted in the dorms of the groups they visited, he said.
The Brovertones spent the second half of the tour singing at holiday parties for alumni clubs. They sang a mix of holiday songs, pop songs and traditional Dartmouth songs such as the alma mater and “Son of a Gun for Beer,” Ukueberuwa said.
The Rockapellas, an all-female group, spent ten days in Colorado, touring in three Colorado cities- Denver, Boulder and Vail- and surrounding areas. They sang at a hospital, holiday parties, and various elementary schools, at which they were able to teach students some of their songs, Olivia Estes ’19 said. Estes said that teaching students songs was one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip.
“Some of them did a pretty good job,” she said. “It was impressive.”
Estes said that the tour also helped her get to know her fellow Rockapellas better.
The all-female Decibelles travelled to Florida over break. They visited Disney World, Sea World, Busch Gardens and travelled to Tampa, Fla. and Miami, Fla. The group also performed at an a cappella showcase at the University of Florida.
Caroline Puskas ’19 said that the members of the University of Florida singing groups impressed her with their talent and variety.
Florida was also the tour destination for the Dodecaphonics, a coed group. They performed at various alumni clubs, including one in Key West. The group also performed at three high schools.
Emma PeConga ’16 said that she hoped that visiting these high schools would inspire students to pursue the arts in college.
“I know that I was on the fence [about pursuing arts] at the end of high school and seeing an a cappella group would have really inspired me,” PeConga said.
She said that she also enjoyed being able to stay at the family homes of some Dodecaphonics members where she got the chance to meet their parents and siblings.
At the end of the tour the Dodecaphonics attended a Miami Heat game, which Danny Shlien ’18 said was one of his favorite parts of the trip.
The Aires, Dartmouth’s oldest a cappella group, stayed in New England, visiting Boston and New York City. They were able to sing at several Aires members’ high schools, including the Wheeler School in Providence, R.I. and Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn., Nikhil Arora ’16 said. The Aires’ performance in Hartford, Conn. was broadcast live on NBC-CT.
The group also sang for various alumni clubs in the area. Arora said that singing traditional songs for alumni clubs is always a meaningful experience.
“It’s always nice to share our love of those songs with them,” he said.
The Cords, another all-male group, also toured around the East Coast, travelling from Connecticut to New York City. They sang at several colleges, including Trinity College, Columbia University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They performed for various alumni clubs and finished their tour with a performance at the National Disability Institute in Washington, D.C.
