Having trouble finding an a cappella group that’s right for you? Pitch, please.

Pitch, Please! is an a cappella group at UCLA made up of students from a variety of majors, career paths and backgrounds. Music director Aditi Sreenivas said this diversity of backgrounds allows the group to appreciate the time they spend together to bond over music. Their talent emerges strongly, as the group earned recognition as semifinalists in the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) in 2020. More recently, the group was nominated in the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards this year for “Best Electronic/Experimental Album or EP” for their project “Death of The Popstar.”

“What set us apart was our ability to balance the musical technicalities and the focus on getting it right, as well as having that really fun social aspect, that really warm and welcoming group of people,” Sreenivas said. “I feel like that balance was just the perfect environment for me to grow as a musician.”

That balance was put to the test at the beginning of this year, when the group was assigned an early February performance date for the annual ICCA competition, said Sreenivas, a fourth-year music industry and political science student. President Ava Diedrich said several of their typical “rehearse-a-thons” were canceled because of the Los Angeles County fires. These lengthy rehearsals were crucial for both performance and group morale, Diedrich said. As conditions worsened, Diedrich, a third-year psychology student, said the ICCA offered to refund the applications for a cappella groups at UCLA, but the members of Pitch, Please! were determined to persevere.

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Performance director Dlency Zheng said the group came together over Zoom, learning choreography and as much singing as they could. When campus began opening up again, Zheng, a third-year economics and music industry student, said the members spent many hours together dedicated to pulling off the ICCA performance. The togetherness and passion that the group showed during this time inspired her to become more involved in the club as performance director, she said.

“A lot of [Pitch, Please!] alumni came to the quarter final,” Zheng said. “They think it was one of the best performances [Pitch, Please!] has put together in history, the energy on stage and everything.”

While the group’s goals are centered around the annual ICCA performance, Diedrich said Pitch, Please! stays busy with events, from Meet the Hill at the beginning of the year to showcases later in spring quarter. The group dabbles mostly in pop music, but they don’t shy away from the alt/indie side of pop, Diedrich said. For example, she added that last year’s performances included songs from Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, while mixing in artists like Orla Gartland.

Despite the competitiveness on paper, the different a cappella groups at UCLA are bonded through a shared love of singing and music, Diedrich said. While Pitch, Please! hosts its own social events like holiday-themed gift exchanges, Diedrich said it is common for multiple UCLA a cappella groups to collaborate or host each other for social events or performances. Last year, Diedrich said the group participated in Aca-Prom, a collaborative event for all a cappella clubs to mingle, and Riff Off – a Glee-style, competitive performance open to UCLA students to watch.

In the process of auditioning for the group, Diedrich said she made friends with other students, whether they joined Pitch, Please! or another a cappella group. Diedrich said the community is the most important aspect of the group, not just the singing. Zheng said the community she found in Pitch, Please! provided a great sense of support and clarity throughout college, and it’s common for members to seek advice or help within the group, whether it be career stress while choosing a major or simply borrowing a guitar.

“I have found my best friends in this group, and I feel so lucky to be friends with so many talented people,” Diedrich said. “It’s such a community experience singing together. It’s therapeutic.”

The connection isn’t limited to UCLA groups, as the group is widely connected to other a cappella groups throughout southern California, Sreenivas said. Throughout the year, Sreenivas said Pitch, Please! competes at invitationals hosted by universities, such as the University of Southern California and the California Institute of Technology. Looking forward, Sreenivas said the group hopes to expand into collaborations with groups at UC Irvine and other schools.

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With fall auditions around the corner, Diedrich said commitment is the character that grounds the group. Pitch, Please! is a home for students of any background or major, which allows members to get a glimpse into the lives of other career tracks, Zheng said. As a new student, Zheng said she was able to gain life and career advice in addition to vocal skills by absorbing the wisdom of fellow members. With such diversity of majors and vocal backgrounds, Diedrich said the willingness to put in the work brings them together.

“You sing better together when you are connected and know each other and understand each other,” Diedrich said. “[Pitch, Please!] is, first and foremost, a place for support and place for love and to express your love for music. And then secondly, it’s about being talented and devoted and committed.”