You wouldn’t expect for musical instruments to be optional components of a concert. However, students with the University’s No Strings Attached a cappella choir plan to wow the audience at their upcoming show with nothing but their voices.
No Strings Attached will hold their annual fall concert this Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Moody Music Building Recital Hall. The show will consist of around 10 songs and will last approximately 50 minutes to an hour. Admission is free; however, donations to help pay for next year’s music are appreciated. The venue tends to fill up quickly, so it is recommended to arrive early. Doors will open at 6:30 pm.
“It’s just a different event than you’ll see anywhere else on campus,” said John Tully, a senior biology major as well as the president of the group. “There are not really many entirely student-run organizations where the product is all the students coming together, and it’s a semester of work you put out there. It’s a different form of art than most people are used to seeing. I know I had friends come for the first time last semester, and they were like, ‘That’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.’”
Alicia Rambo, the group’s secretary and a senior majoring in communicative disorders and Spanish, shared what she thought made the group special.
“My favorite thing is seeing how we take basically nothing and transform it into art and tailor it to our group and our personalities, and honestly our lives,” said Rambo. “Just walking beside each other and also using music to bring people together.”
The a cappella group is fully student-run. The members involved chose the music, conducted their own rehearsals and planned the show themselves. The music chosen is a mixture of some classic Christmas favorites as well as some more modern hits.
“We have both contemporary and traditional songs, but the way we’re singing them is this mix idea of bringing contemporary styles and techniques and mixing them with traditional styles and techniques and just seeing how they fit together,” said Rambo. “That is also one of the harder aspects of being in this group, but I think that’s what makes a cappella cool is that we get to put whatever flavor we want on it.”
The colorful combination of songs includes titles by popular artists like Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 as well as traditional Christmas carols like “White Christmas.” This wide assortment leads the singers to believe that the concert will have something for every taste in music.
“Everyone is going to find at least one thing they enjoy about the concert,” said Vince Bolus, vice president of No Strings Attached and a junior majoring in biology. “Hopefully they like more than one song; I would say you wouldn’t find anyone who wouldn’t enjoy listening to at least one song. Also, a cappella groups are kind of cool — not to brag. But generally speaking, it’s just kind of interesting to hear all these harmonies flow together and create a song that you might not necessarily hear in that sort of context.”
The members of No Strings Attached also feel that the quality sound of their group and the holiday atmosphere of the concert should entice students to come watch the performance.
“I think just the pure talent excites people to come,” said Rambo. “Honestly, some of the best singers on campus are in this group because it’s so selective. Also, the songs we’re singing get you ready for the holidays. I mean, it kinda feels like fall outside, and it kinda feels like winter sometimes, but I think this concert will get people in that holiday mood while keeping it fresh, too.”
You can follow No Strings Attached on their Facebook page: University of Alabama No Strings Attached or via their Instagram: ua_cappella. Their upcoming concert will be livestreamed on their Facebook page for those who cannot make it to see the show. Those interested in becoming part of the group can find it’s information on The Source website and can expect auditions to be held in early September of next year.
