Random Voices hosts 12th annual California A Cappella Festival

A group of college students performs alongside beatboxers and participates in choreographed dances and mass warm-ups. But rather than showing off their skills in a modern dance showdown, the students display their artistic talents in a different group setting that fosters a sense of community and teamwork, the California A Cappella Festival.

On Saturday, Random Voices, UCLA’s all-female a cappella group, will host the Calfornia A Cappella Festival for the 12th year in a row. The festival will be held in Ackerman Grand Ballroom and, with 12 groups performing, is one of the largest gatherings of collegiate a cappella groups in California.

The festival includes a day and night show to display the talent of the groups. Danielle Carrillo, a fourth-year psychology student, Random Voices member and California A Cappella Festival manager, said the setup of the festival does not serve to heighten competition but rather to give all the groups enough time to rehearse with and learn from each other in bonding activities such as group warm-ups.

“We do this thing called a mass warm-up. … All the groups get into a big circle in one of the meeting rooms and we do a vocal warm-up all together,” Carrillo said. “The music director of each group teaches the entire group a warm-up of his or her choice, and it’s always really exciting (to learn something new).”

The festival allows the different groups to mingle with each other and build an intercollegiate a cappella support system through the bonding activities. Marilyn McGowan, a third-year biology student and Random Voices member, said her favorite part of the festival is collaborating and making friends with artists from all over the state who share similar interests and passions.

“I always look forward to performing and meeting members in other groups,” McGowan said. “It’s really fun to learn other groups’ warm-ups, and it’s cool to meet other groups and get a feel for the greater a cappella community.”

Every year, Random Voices includes a specific requirement that groups must incorporate into their closing number. In previous festivals, the groups performed an arrangement of “Imagine” by John Lennon in a large group number for the finale and arranged mashups of popular songs, Carrillo said.

Megan Gaumond, a first-year physiological science student and Random Voices member, said the requirement this year involves setting choreography to the closing number of each group’s performance.

Gaumond said the requirement lends a competitive yet fun edge to the festival.

“One year, there was a beatboxing competition, so in the middle (of the piece) there would have to be a breakdown somewhere and there had to be a beatboxing solo,” Gaumond said. “Whoever’s solo was the best would win that title.”

McGowan said she wants this year’s festival to continue to highlight the behind-the-scenes talent of beatboxers not usually emphasized in a traditional concert, where their supporting roles as vocal percussionists take a backseat to those of the lead singers.

“We’re excited to revamp it a little bit and have some more variety than in past years,” McGowan said. “We have beatbox(ing) solos that don’t normally get to be showcased (in a traditional performance) but will have the opportunity at CAF.”

The festival will feature songs ranging from pop and modern music to more traditional choral arrangements. Gaumond said Random Voices will perform arrangements of songs such as “Feel Again” by OneRepublic, “Domino” by Jessie J and “Settle Down” by Kimbra.

For Carrillo, performing and collaborating with the different groups allow the festival to be a learning experience not only for the a cappella groups, but also for the audience.

“A lot of people who come to our festivals have gone to CAF or are already fans of our group in particular, but it’s really awesome that they get to hear groups from other schools that they wouldn’t necessarily hear (otherwise),” Carrillo said. “Each group has their own spin on their sound, and I’m just hoping everyone will experience a cappella in all its greatness.”