Members of the A Cappella Alliance at Ohio State. The group is set to host A-Creep-Ella Alliance Presents: This Is Halloween Friday at Knowlton School of Architecture.
Credit: Courtesy of Ambria Carpenter
Singers will come together in costume and perfect pitch.
A cappella fans are set to gather for A-Creep-Ella Alliance Presents: This Is Halloween, a Halloween-themed concert hosted by the A Cappella Alliance, at Knowlton Hall this Friday.
A Cappella Alliance is a group dedicated to representing the many different a cappella groups on campus, said A Cappella Alliance President Ambria Carpenter, a third-year in psychology.
“A Cappella Alliance is an umbrella organization that encompasses all of the a cappella groups that puts on joint concerts, organizes social events and fundraising to represent all of the groups,” said Carpenter, who is also a member of Beauty and the Beats!.
There are set to be nine a cappella groups performing at the event including BAAM, Beauty and the Beats!, Buck That!, Dynamic Contrast, MeshugaNotes, OSU Dhadkan, Scarlet Fever, Sound of Science and The Ohio State of Mind, Carpenter said.
The a cappella groups plan to celebrate Halloween through song and costume.
“We have asked the groups to perform some Halloween-themed songs,” Carpenter said. “Not all of the them are performing Halloween-themed songs since it takes a long time to learn them … I think about half of the groups are performing some sort of Halloween-themed song. A lot of the groups are taking part in the costume contest as well.”
Jenica Kramer, secretary of A Cappella Alliance, a member of the Sound of Science and a third-year in psychology and theater, said the Halloween theme is a good idea because it offers a wide selection of songs for the participating groups to perform.
“Having a Halloween theme is a really great idea because we know that’s a whole slew of songs people don’t think about,” said Kramer. “You can do ‘Thriller’ and you can do basically anything from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’ It is sort of an untapped resource as far as a cappella music is concerned.”
The group plans to have Halloween music playing to set the mood as attendees arrive to Knowlton 250 where the event is being held. The space will be filled with Halloween-themed decorations, Carpenter said.
Members of A Cappella Alliance hope to attract more people to the event because of the Halloween theme.
“Halloween is one of those holidays where everyone sort of gets excited in a general sense, and everybody wants to do Halloween stuff the entire month of October,” Kramer said. “I think this concert is a great idea simply because it works with that theme and it gives people a chance to have a little fun.”
There will be chances for audience participation during the event, including the costume contest, which Carpenter said should encourage more people to come.
“I am really excited about that,” Carpenter said. “This is open to people that are in the a cappella groups and the audience members.”
Those who attend the concert in a costume can go onstage stage during intermission in order to be judged, Carpenter said, and a winner will be decided by a round of applause vote by the audience, who will receive a gift basket with gift cards and other items.
Dana Mullis, a fourth-year in social work, plans to attend the event because she enjoys a cappella groups and Halloween.
“I also want to attend because I know someone who is in A Cappella Alliance and they are going to be performing so I want to be there for support,” Mullis said.
Carpenter hopes the event adds to the popularity of the group and attendance of its concerts.
“Since I became president this year, increasing attendance to these concerts has definitely been a big thing,” Carpenter said. “They have been pretty popular in the past … I would love to see Knowlton filled all the way up with people sitting on the floor.”
Admission to A-Creep-Ella Alliance Presents: This Is Halloween is one donated canned good, or $1. Canned goods will be donated to the Mid Ohio Food Bank, and money collected will be put toward supporting A Capella Alliance.
