A capella singers face a weird kind of pressure, performing with no instruments, no backing tracks, no Auto-Tune, and no place to hide any mistakes. However, on March 23rd, the moment I walked on stage alongside the 13 members of the Enchords, Horace Greeley’s coed a capella group, opening our Spring Concert with “Pink Dolphin Sunset,” by Tori Lanez, we proved that singers hitting harmonies together is just as impressive as studio perfection.

Our setlist was all over the place in the best way possible. We went from modern tracks like Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” to the old-school energy of “Be My Baby,” by The Ronettes, and a crowd-pleasing, finger-snapping version of Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time.” The goal of an a cappella performance is to recreate the sound of an instrument-filled performance with only our voices, relying on each other to harmonize and stay in tune. This “togetherness” does not happen by accident. We practice weekly, going through our setlist and making sure everything sounds fluid. We have to learn and memorize our sequences for each song and ensure we don’t accidentally slip into a different vocal part. And the component of our performance that the audience might not know is that we have to listen more than we sing to stay in tune. When a song finally comes together, it makes any frustrating moment of rehearsal worth it.

The absolute best part of being an Enchord isn’t the rehearsals, the performance, or the applause. It is the community. Being a part of a coed group means everyone has a massive range of voices and personalities. You have seniors who have been singing for years, helping sophomores and juniors arrange their songs, and encouraging them to be confident during a solo. While we may not have all known each other before, we are all there to sing, allowing us to build friendships with people we otherwise might not know. We are looking forward to singing again next year!