Photo courtesy of Rosy Tate ‘27
Mount Holyoke College a cappella groups kicked off the spring semester with snow-stopping style at the Ice Cappella showcase in Chapin Auditorium.
By Mary Grahn ’28
Staff Writer
Despite the harsh winter weather, an enthusiastic audience gathered in Chapin Auditorium on the evening of Jan. 31 for Ice Cappella. The show was the first a cappella performance of the semester and an opportunity for prospective a cappella members to get a sense of each group before attending auditions, which followed over the weekend. Before each of their performances, the groups introduced themselves by explaining what is unique about their group, emphasizing their community aspects.
The first group to perform was Mount Holyoke College’s cause-based a cappella group, the Nice Shoes. The Nice Shoes kicked off the show with “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone with Grace Morgan ’27 soloing. Then, they gave a fun performance of “Fuck You” by CeeLo Green with Eli Jacobs-Marques ’25 leading the group. The audience was especially amused by the group’s playful choreography, including a certain hand gesture that embraced the song’s provocative message. After that, they shifted to a more thoughtful tone with “The Seed” by AURORA, a song that reflected the group’s cause-based mission. The soloists, Larissa Lee ’27 and Clara Canavan ’27, sang passionately, telling the audience that “you cannot eat money.” However, while a dollar may not be edible, the Nice Shoes understand its value when used for a good cause: the group raised over $1,400 for charity last semester.
Next up were the Victory Eights, Mount Holyoke’s oldest a cappella group. The group started their set with a song just as retro as they are: "The Mount Holyoke Drinking Song,” a song that proudly reminded the audience of the age-old College traditions of drinking and feuding with Smith College. Although the group, founded in 1942, carries on a long legacy, the V8s keep up with the times. They continued their set performing popular modern songs. Tanvee Sai ’27 soloed in “Honeymoon Avenue” by Ariana Grande. Tori Ross ’27 sang “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. They concluded with Elena Korman ’28 singing “Raw Sugar” by Metric, ending on a sweet note.
Lastly, the M&Cs took to the stage dressed in red and black, explaining that those were their signature colors. Their first song was “Alaska” by Maggie Rogers led by Clara Murphy ’25. They followed that up with a performance of Justin Timberlake's “Pusher Love Girl” sung by Lydia Hassall ’25. Then, soloist Rory Hagerty ’27 delivered a lively performance of “You Go Down Smooth” by Lake Street Dive, in which they took a comedic stretch break mid-song. After that, they closed the show with a sentimental rendition of “Helplessly Hoping” by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
As prospective a cappella singers make their choices of which group to join, the decision is bound to be difficult as each group clearly showed their vocal skills and their humor in their Ice Cappella performances. However, no matter which group auditioners are drawn to — the Nice Shoes for their activism, the V8s for their tradition or the M&Cs for their aesthetic — one thing is certain: whichever group they join, they are sure to find a close knit and friendly community.
Sofia Ramon ’27 contributed fact-checking.