Signature A Cappella singers to showcase their harmonies in group's winter concert
Members of Signature A Cappella, shown here rehearsing in Kerckhoff Hall, will hold the first of its two annual concerts tonight in Ackerman Union.
Signature A Cappella Concert
Today, 8 p.m.
Ackerman Union 2414, FREE
By Andrea Seikaly
March 8, 2012 1:46 a.m.
When third-year art history student Katie Booth was perusing the activities fair this fall, she was greeted by a student who simply asked her, “Do you like to sing?” and gave her a flier. Her interest in music and desire to meet new people as a transfer student led Booth to audition and become a member of Signature A Cappella.
“These girls are like my family,” Booth said. “When we create anything together, there is something very specific and very special about it.”
Tonight, Signature will present the first of its two annual concerts.
This all-female a cappella group was formed in 2007 and has performed at venues such as UCLA sporting events and the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival as well as private gigs. This May, the 16 ladies in the group will also perform at Spring Sing for the second year in a row.
Tonight’s concert will be an opportunity for the members of Signature to showcase a selection of songs that, according to Melodie Ampuero, codirector of Signature and fourth-year psychology student, was voted on by the group.
“Girls who want to arrange a song will send out an email, the group votes and then the majority rules. In the past, there were times when arrangements would flop because not everyone was on board, but now we are all in agreement before we start working on a new song,” Ampuero said.
Ampuero also said winter quarter is the group’s time to showcase its four new members who joined in the fall.
“We dedicate fall quarter to learning all of the music with the new girls that we accept at the beginning of the year,” Ampuero said. “Our winter concert is pretty laid-back and we are very excited to perform for our family and friends who do not usually get to hear us sing.”
According to Ampuero, the winter concert will feature seven or eight songs from the group’s repertoire, and maybe even a new arrangement. The ladies will be singing their own arrangements of “Emotion” by Destiny’s Child, “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel, “Animal” by Neon Trees, “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera and “Living for the City” by Stevie Wonder. Signature A Cappella will also be performing a medley by the Temptations as well as the group’s Michael Jackson medley from last year’s Spring Sing.
Tasha Wenger, a first-year undeclared social sciences student, said that since most of Signature’s performances are off-campus and are usually private events, this concert is a way to showcase the delicate sounds of a cappella music for the general student body.
“Our a cappella music has a much different sound than what you usually hear. It is much quieter and more focused on sounding beautiful instead of sounding loud and powerful,” Wenger said. “It is important to us to show what is different about the dynamic of all-female a cappella.”
In addition to this dynamic, Booth also said that the camaraderie among the members of Signature will show through during tonight’s concert.
“We are so in tune with each other and care about one another so much,” Booth said. “I think it really comes out in our music and how well we come together to create our songs.”
