On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Ransom Notes’ concert at Rosse Hall where the singers performed a wide variety of songs including “Pink Pony Club ‘’ by Chappell Roan and “King of Anything’’ by Sara Bareilles.
The Ransom Notes sing a wide variety of music that ranges from classic rock to modern pop. Ransom Notes Presidents Becca Mucheru ’23 and Abby Patton ’23 worked very extensively with many members of the group including Natalie Jackson ’23 and Jackie Samandas ’25 to prepare for their fall concert. In an email to the Collegian, Mucheru said, “Once auditions wrapped up at the beginning of the year, we started rehearsing five hours a week to prepare a complete set. Each song gets a minimum of three hours of preparation time with the entire group. That doesn’t include the many hours that our music directors spend arranging every song.” The abundance of rehearsal time was evident in the performance that they gave, and the Ransom Notes should be proud of their success.
“Even though we had one of the earlier concert dates in the a capella calendar, we knew we could pull off something great,” Mucheru further explained. “At the beginning of the season, we draft a schedule that includes due dates for arrangements [and] dedicated days [for] practicing, memorizing and reviewing different songs.”
I had many favorite moments throughout the performance. Many group members performed solos, including Samandas and Dia Chiusano ’26. Another great aspect of the show was when the group sang a mashup of the campfire song “Baby Shark” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” for the intermission.
The closing number sung by the entire group was another highlight. “We decided to add ‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac into the concert because Natalie and myself had arranged it together as our first major contribution to the group before we were sent home in spring 2020,” Mucheru said. “We announced it as our traditional closer, even though we don’t have a traditional closer. It’s somewhat of an inside joke between us — announcing whatever song we decided to perform at the end of the concert as our traditional closer.” Another moment that blew me away was when Mucheru sang her solo in “Pink Pony Club.” For this, she wore a pink cowboy hat and ended the number by tossing it into the crowd.
Mucheru initially anticipated challenges with finding members for the group after the pandemic. “Our High Council (executive board) was worried about having enough members on all voice parts for the season. We were lucky to find so much talent at the beginning of the year. All of our new members (Andrew Landau ’26, Avery Becker ’26, Billy Seeds ’26, Dia Chiusano, George Turner ’26, and Layla Bayoumi ’25) kept up with our demanding rehearsal schedule and brought so much positivity and energy into our group. … We play off of each other in rehearsal and performances, which makes us all better performers.”
There will be plenty more opportunities for students to experience the Ransom Notes next semester. According to Mucheru, the Ransom Notes’ “next on-campus performance will happen next semester. We plan to tour Ohio this January and hopefully attend the International Competition for Collegiate A Cappella next semester as well. Though the regional competition takes place away from Gambier, we can’t wait to share our competitive routine in the spring.” I urge everyone to attend the Ransom Notes’ next concert.