With a cappella groups an established fixture on college campuses everywhere, Georgetown students are hardly unique in their desire to belt. Though the Hilltop isn’t typically known for the arts, it nevertheless boasts nine University-recognized a cappella groups.
However, this figure actually underrepresents the number of students with their own start-up acts; without support from the Performing Arts Department, many groups quickly disband as they struggle to maintain a dedicated ensemble.
aCHORDance is one such group straddling the line between obscure and unknown. Co-founders Shannon Lynch (COL ’14) and Evan Sterrett (COL ’15) started the group in the fall after observing a lack of forums for students to sing outside of the prestigious groups already on campus.
After holding auditions both semesters, aCHORDance now has 15 members with a variety of musical backgrounds—while some come from different a cappella acts, others have been arrangers for such groups. Among start-ups, this is a rare achievement.
“Recruiting members without access to Hoyalink and SAC fair tabling is pretty difficult, and we recruited our members entirely via Facebook and our own advertisement,” she said. “I think what distinguishes us from other recent start-ups is that we were able to recruit a membership that is very dedicated to the existence of aCHORDance in the long term.”
As an underground group, aCHORDance still has more obstacles to overcome, including gaining both SAC and University recognition. When Lynch contacted the Performing Arts Department about starting the group in the fall, she had less than a warm reception.
“Surprisingly, the feedback I received was less than enthusiastic and people from the department actually discouraged that I start a new group,” she said. “They originally told me they didn’t have the resources to manage another group, and even though I said we didn’t need money from them, they said they couldn’t recognize us.”
The Performing Arts Department was unavailable for comment before the Voice went to press.
Without University recognition, the group can never reserve a rehearsal room, making it difficult to coordinate practice times and locations. And unfortunately, Georgetown seems to be lacking a Room of Requirement.
With an upcoming performance in Uncommon Grounds on Apr. 19, however, aCHORDance also faces more internal challenges.
“There are so many factors that contribute to a great performance group, from having an arranger put a unique spin on pieces, to having a musical director who can teach parts and also listen for shaping and refinement,” Sterrett said. “It can be overwhelming, notwithstanding the additional stress of obtaining University recognition, and I think these difficulties often discourage start-ups.”
Nevertheless, aCHORDance is still committed to its original goal of providing an accessible space for student performers. Said Sterrett, “So many students are denied a voice and we wanted to fix that.”
