A cappella groups may need to outsing wind after Spring Sing switches to outdoor venue

After months of preparation, the success of this year’s Spring Sing a cappella acts could come down to the weather.

Because the venue of the competition has changed from the indoor Pauley Pavilion to the outdoor Los Angeles Tennis Center, a windy night could have a negative effect on the a cappella groups, which have to be louder than the weather using only their voices.

This year, the three a cappella acts braving Friday night’s elements are Random Voices, the ScatterTones and Signature A Cappella.

Random Voices was founded in 1999, making it the second oldest a cappella group on campus. At the time of its inception, it was UCLA’s only all-female a cappella group.

According to Natalie Moyce, the group’s business director and a soloist for this year’s performance, Random Voices’ name reflects the different majors, interests, ethnicities and voice parts represented in the group.

“It’s a nice way to meet people who are not like you at all but who you have something in common with, which is a love of music,” said Moyce, a third-year global studies student.

Random Voices is no stranger to Spring Sing, having won the a cappella category in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

“Prior to auditions is when the most work happens because the main hurdle is getting in (to Spring Sing),” Moyce said. “The actual performance is only four minutes. Last year, we spent so much time just building up four minutes, and we walked off wondering, “˜Did that just happen?'”

This year, Random Voices will be performing their own version of a song they said the majority of the audience should be familiar with.

“It’s a remake of a song everyone knows. The first half has the same lyrics and tune but a very different feel,” Moyce said.

“Hopefully, the contrast within the piece will keep people interested and excited.”

Moyce cited concerns about the variability of weather as a possible hindrance to the group’s performance.

“Since there is no music other than our voices, there is a lot riding on how well our voices carry,” Moyce said. “If it’s windy, I am not really sure how that is going to play out. Hopefully, we’ll have a nice clear night and everything will be fine.”

Now in their ninth year, the co-ed ScatterTones won the a cappella category in 2008 and 2009 and performed Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” at last year’s event.

“There has been a consistent rise in talent and devotion since the group started, so now we are at the point where we are really strong together and really cohesive,” said Matthew Flesock, a third-year history and geography/environmental studies student and the group’s vocal percussionist.

Russell Angelico, a fourth-year international development studies student and one of this year’s soloists, said the group has become known for its performances at Spring Sing.

“You never feel so much like a Bruin as when you’re at Spring Sing, whether you’re a performer, in the audience or in the crew,” Angelico said.

Flesock described the movement back to an outdoor venue as a catalyst for opportunities that could not be realized indoors.

“Most of this campus hasn’t experienced Spring Sing at LATC,” Flesock said. “There’s something about having an outdoor event and being able to sit outside at nighttime and having a live performance right in front of you.”

Signature A Cappella is the newest of the performance groups, forming in 2007 with only eight members. Signature won the participation award in Spring Sing 2008.

“We didn’t really know what we were doing that year,” said Laura Zdrowski, a fourth-year English student and a four-year member of Signature. “We were just so excited to be in it … but we were just not as strong musically and in terms of choreography as we are now.”

The group has since grown to 18 members.

This year’s Spring Sing provides an opportunity for fourth-year members of the group, who were first-years when they first performed in the competition, to go out on a high note.

Zdrowski expressed faith in the Spring Sing organizers to make sure that sound won’t be an issue.

“The sound will be definitely harder because the sound is going out into open space instead of a confined area,” Zdrowski said. “I fully trust that (the organizers) will have it under control, and hopefully the weather will be OK.”