Dartmouth’s a cappella groups took the stage in Spaulding Auditorium on Feb. 6 for Aca-lympics, a Winter Carnival concert hosted in the Hopkins Center, marking the first time the College’s a capella groups have performed together since the Hop’s reopening.
The event featured performances by the Dartmouth Sings, Decibelles, Cords, Rockapellas, Subtleties, Brovertones and Dodecaphonics, marking one of the few times this year all of the College’s a cappella groups share the same stage.
“It just happened that Winter Carnival was a good time to do it, and the Olympics were around the same time,” Hannah Brooks ’26 said. “So that’s how the event came to be.”
For many performers, Aca-lympics was their first opportunity to sing in Spaulding Auditorium since the Hopkins Center reopened. Brooks said the auditorium’s acoustics and scale required adjustments in preparation.
“It was exciting,” she said. “But also sort of different to be preparing the songs and the acoustics of the performance for a big stage with a larger audience.”
Despite the adjustment, Brooks described Spaulding as “visually beautiful” with “really amazing sound quality.”
Ashley Kim ’28 of the Rockapellas similarly reflected on the “amazing” experience of performing in the venue.
“The sounds are better, the visuals are better because there’s amazing lighting,” Kim said.
Jack Glass ’28 of the Dartmouth Sings echoed this sentiment, describing the experience as a return to a “real stage” after an extended period without large-theater performances.
Glass said the size of the audience and the feel of the space elevated the group’s new arrangements, including two pieces that debuted at the concert: “It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You” by The 1975, arranged by Lauren Zanarini ’26, and “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, arranged by Zosia Czerska ’27. Both songs were arranged by student members earlier this term, and rehearsals focused heavily on mastering complex rhythmic sections and refining vocal balance.
Set selection varied across groups. Brooks said the Decibelles chose to pair a “groovy, classic rock song” with a “light and upbeat” contemporary pop selection to appeal to a mixed audience of students, families and community members attending Winter Carnival events. The group performed “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon and “That’s Where I Am” by Maggie Rogers.
The Rockapellas, a historically social justice-driven a cappella group, included “Evergreen” by YEBBA, a socially-focused piece about “navigating through the death of a loved one,” according to Kim. As it is a very emotional song, Kim said the Rockapellas had to ensure the emotions could still be felt in the larger venue. The group also performed “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye, arranged by the music director Olivia Koo ’26.
Several performers noted that the Aca-lympics provided a rare opportunity for different groups to perform together. Outside of Orientation shows and occasional fundraisers, Dartmouth’s a cappella groups typically perform independently.
Glass noted that hearing other ensembles reinterpret familiar songs and experiment with different vocal ranges was a highlight of the evening. He highlighted the “I’m Feeling Good” arrangement from the Dodecaphonics.
“That was a really cool, exciting moment to hear the solo song in a different way, ” he said.
Kim also supported more performances featuring multiple a cappella groups.
“All of [the groups] give off such different vibes, so it’s like you’re basically getting all the different colors of a palette,” she said.
Brooks hopes that the Aca-lympics will become a “mainstay” of Winter Carnival programming. “The polar plunge sort of becomes the center of Winter Carnival,” she said. “But I thought that it was really cool that [the] College and the Hop were working together to make a cappella [...] more central to Winter Carnival. I think that a lot of students were excited about it and responded really well to it.”
For many of these performers, their a cappella communities extend beyond singing.
“It brings folks together and creates sort of a central hub on campus,” Brooks said. “I also think that it’s an incredible way for students to explore creativity and agency and leadership.”
Kim attested to the close-knit community of her group, the Rockapellas.
“They are the closest group of people to me on campus,” Kim said. “I genuinely think of them as a family.”
