While many students associate Winter Carnival with frigid activities such as the polar bear swim and skiing, the annual Winter Whingding concert provides a more cozy option.
The major a cappella event of winter term, this year's Whingding will be hosted by X.ado and features performances by the Dartmouth Aires and the visiting Columbia Kingsmen.
"It's gonna be a blast; we've got a really diverse set of groups performing," said X.ado member Christena Cleveland '03.
This is the first chance at hosting the event for X.ado, a 12 member, interdenominational Christian group that has grown in visibility in recent years.
"We're looking forward to singing to a crowd that doesn't necessarily know too much about us," said Basil Kim '01. "I think people will be really surprised," she said.
The group's repertoire consists of contemporary Christian music spanning the genres of rock, hip-hop, R&B, pop and gospel.
X.ado was formed in 1992 by students intent on sharing the Christian gospel to the Dartmouth campus. Although the founding group lasted only a year, in 1995 X.ado re-grouped into its present form.
The group's Christian focus, however, made it difficult for the new X.ado to make inroads into Dartmouth's a capella community, Kim noted.
Yet through the cultivation of a strong relationship with other campus vocal groups and consistent practice and improvement, X.ado's popularity has soared.
Moreover, the group benefited from gaining a spot on the Spaulding a cappella rotation two years ago.
Though X.ado is a Christian group, Cleveland stressed that their music is intended for audiences of all beliefs. "We're not pushing an agenda; people can take it for what it's worth. Our concerts are generally fun and casual," she commented.
X.ado's original incarnation took its name from a word they had been told meant "praising God together" in Ancient Greek. When in 1995 the group learned that the word in fact had no meaning, they added the period to denote the "X" as Christ and the "ado" as its Greek translation, "to sing to."
The members of X.ado have performed with the Subtleties and Rockapellas and also spent last Christmas break touring in California.
Winter Whingding will be held in Spaulding Auditorium on Feb. 9 at 8p.m.
