On Friday afternoon in Rosse Hall, the a cappella cabaret started the school year off on a high note. The cabaret was a chance to showcase the variety of Kenyon’s 10 a cappella groups to first-years and returning students alike ahead of the involvement fair on Saturday. Despite just returning to campus for the academic year, the cabaret was an impressive affair and kept the audience engaged throughout the 90-minute runtime.
The Broken Legs, Kenyon’s musical theater a cappella group, opened with “Day by Day” from the musical Godspell, which was soloed by Sophia Procops ’26 with harmonies and backing from the rest of the group. Though it took them a moment to find their rhythm as a group and relax, by the end of the song, the audience was eagerly awaiting their next choice. Their next song, “Bet On It” from the movie musical “High School Musical 2,” was soloed by Grace Randall ’26, and highlighted the group’s comedic and playful capabilities. Not only did Randall’s powerful voice do the song justice, but her arrangement transformed the song into a power ballad that threatened to overcome its somewhat silly but iconic origins.
The Chasers, Kenyon’s oldest a cappella group, kept up the energy in Rosse with moving performances of “The Walk” by Mayer Hawthorne, soloed by Isabelle Chritton ’25, and a group performance of their traditional closer “Amazing Grace.” Though “Amazing Grace” began slightly off-key, it built into a beautiful crescendo. As more members joined in throughout the song, they showcased the gender- and genre-inclusive group’s full, rich sound.
They were followed by the Owl Creek Singers, who described themselves as a soprano-alto group, primarily singing contemporary music. The Owl Creeks began with “Hypotheticals” by Lake Street Dive, soloed by Ella Crowther ’25, and then sang their traditional closer “Where Ever You Are” by Terry Ellis, with solos from AJ Gluck ’25 and Olivia Westley-Sherman ’25. Their tones and harmonies gave both songs a soulful cadence, putting a new spin on them.
POCapella, Kenyon’s newest a cappella group, was up next. Established in 2021, POCapella is entirely made up of students of color and only performs songs by artists of color. The group’s rendition of “Grenade” by Bruno Mars, soloed by Alex Paulino ’25, was low and charged with emotion, leaving the audience wanting more.
Following POCapella, Take Five, Kenyon’s a cappella jazz group, filled Rosse with their smooth, sure voices. Soloed by Alana Goldstein ’25, Take Five’s performance of “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone blew the audience away, and the performers had to wait for the raucous applause to die down before continuing with their next song. “Feeling Good” was a bold choice, requiring a powerful soloist and skilled accompaniment from the rest of the group, but it paid off for Goldstein and Take Five. Somehow, they matched this feat with the group performance of “Blue Skies” by Frank Sinatra, which was light and playful despite their technically complicated arrangement. Their overlapping and intertwining voices gave the song rounds and beautiful harmonies.
Colla Voce, who described themselves as a treble classical and classical-folk a cappella group, put their spin on the soulful tone established by Take Five as the singers did an almost operatic rendition of the traditional spiritual “Down to the River to Pray.” Despite only doing one song, their performance was joyful, their voices were well-suited to “Down to the River,” and they started the year strong.
Next up was Männerchor, who describe themselves as a “gender-inclusive, tenor-bass, classical, folk, sea-shanty, barbershop” group. Their first song was “Halo,” the wordless theme song written for the video game franchise “Halo” by Jayson Wilson and arranged by Theodore Schwamm ’24. While the song originated as a futurist alien theme, the a cappella performance would have sounded most at home in a medieval monastery. Their deep, vibrating voices and wordless song helped to characterize the group. Their classical style continued as they sang “All Through the Night,” a Welsh folk song with English lyrics by Harold Boulton. Though Männerchor only had six performers, they delivered a strong, resonating set.
The next group to take the stage was Kenyon’s least ‘a cappella’ a cappella group, the Stairwells, who brought two guitars and a harmonica on stage and described themselves as “Kenyon’s premier acoustic folk singing collective,” and jokingly copped to the fact that they “do employ folk instruments.” They brought the energy up with a twangy performance of “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles. Accompanied by Mollie Shourd ’25 and Tristan Lewis-Schurter ’26 on guitar and featuring some harmonica by John Kibler ’25, they were the picture of “acoustic folk singing” as they followed “Rocky Raccoon” with their traditional closer, “Fare Thee Well.” Their performance felt like a night among friends around a campfire.
The penultimate performance was by the Ransom Notes, a genre- and gender-inclusive group. They opened their set with “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, soloed by Julius Gabelberger ’26, who delivered a light, sweet rendition of the song that was wonderfully distinct from the original. Following this, Claire Dirks ’25 led the group with a passionate solo in a performance of “Gaslighter” by The Chicks.
To close out the show, the Kokosingers, a tenor-bass group, performed “A Summer Song” by Chad & Jeremy and “All My Loving” by The Beatles. The lighthearted fun of their songs came across well in their delivery, and their excitement for performing together again was tangible. Both songs were also well put together and lively.
In a promising start for all of Kenyon’s a cappella groups, the cabaret made for more than just an enjoyable Friday afternoon. It was a live demonstration of the diversity not only of the genres and styles present on the Hill, but also of the range in diversity of the groups themselves and opportunities present in Kenyon’s a cappella community. An impressive and satisfying collection of performances, the cabaret accomplished its goal of leaving the audience in Rosse eagerly anticipating the performances to follow in the coming months.