A capella group adds laughter to their art

By Patricia Ho

As the group's name suggests, Choral Pleasure is all about having fun while singing. This student-run a capella group, famous for their vocal abilities as well as their comedic skits between songs, owes its creation to one fateful day in the cafeteria that brought together founders K.T. Craft and Kim Yuan.

"I was lining up when somebody overheard me talking to a friend about starting a group and was like, 'Oh K.T. Craft would be interested!'" said Yuan, a senior anthropology major. "She was actually eating there so I went over and introduced myself."

Auditions were held and in fall 2000, the a capella ensemble was formed. Two years later, the group now consists of ten members and is rehearsing for upcoming shows. One of these shows is their usual end-of-quarter performance, held this time around on March 16 in The Bronco at 8 p.m.

Rehearsal time is far from being a chore. Anyone passing by their practice room in the Music and Dance Building could mistake the gathering for a bunch of friends hanging out.

"We have an equal balance of craziness and seriousness," said Claire Krystkiewicz, a senior psychology major. "It's always fun. I enjoy going to rehearsals and seeing everyone."

It is easy to see why. The group alternates between humorous, frenetic discussions about Taco Bell, antidisestablishmentarianism, pre-Raphaelite figures - there are always at least three conversations occurring simultaneously - and periods of intense study of sheet music, usually initiated by someone yelling, "Can we sing?"

"The funniest part of this group is that we are all just separate people that auditioned and now we're a group of really close friends," Krystkiewicz said. "We are kind of like a weird family in a way." And as in any family, there is plenty of good-natured ribbing.

"There's mockery among the parts," said Craft, a senior theater major, referring to the classification of singers according to their vocal range. "It's a big joke, like 'Shut up you stupid soprano.'"

For junior physics major Galen O'Neil, who has been a fan of the ensemble since their first show, it is clear the group enjoys a good rapport.

"When they are performing it is almost like you're sitting in their living room, watching them practice," he said. "They're so comfortable with each other and on stage." What may look effortless on stage is the result of hours upon hours of consistent rehearsal.

"When you're accompanied by a piano, it's much harder to go flat," Craft explains. "A piano isn't going to change mid-performance. It's not going to not get that key change right. It will be the right note. But if I'm singing the key change, I may very well go flat."

Thankfully, the camaraderie amongst Choral Pleasure helps them to harmonize.

"You have to depend on each other," said Krystkievicz. "You have to trust the people that you are working with an be part of a group instead of trying to be like a solo performance. It's very interconnected."

Yuan agrees. "Starting an a capella group is one of the best things I've done at college. We always talk about how under natural circumstances, if we hadn't all been interested in a capella, we wouldn't have gotten to know each other."