SUNY New Paltz’s Absolut A Cappella and The Sexy Pitches took to the stage at Studley Theatre on April 5 with three other student-run vocalist clubs hailing from different New York universities for Absolut’s annual invitational.
The “evening in the garden,” as it was referred to on Absolut’s Instagram, saw singing from New Paltz’s all-gender acapella group, Absolut A Cappella, and campus’ only all-treble acapella group, The Sexy Pitches. They were joined by The Enharmonics from Marist University, the Hofstra Dutchmen of Hofstra University and Stony Brook University’s Stony Brook Vocalists.
“It’s not the same groups every year, but we do maintain stronger relationships with some,” said Luke Beaver, the president of Absolut who did much of the planning and organizing for the invitational. “This is Stony Brook’s second year in a row performing with us, Hoftsra came last year, and The [Sexy] Pitches are a group that we perform with all the time.”
Each group sang at least three songs, including the upbeat, pop classics “Bang Bang” and “God is a Woman,” while other tunes were slower and more emotional, like Billy Joel’s “Vienna” and Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me.”
“I’m a little biased because I have a solo, but my favorite song to perform is ‘Cosmic Love’ by Florence and the Machine,” said Beaver. “It’s one of our more unique songs in the set in terms of emotional tone, but it still brings a lot to the table.”
“It’s a tossup for me between ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ and ‘Hand of God,’” said Ryan Mauer, Absolut’s music director, on their favorite song to perform. “Both of those songs are just so much fun to conduct, the group is really receptive to the songs as well.”
The energy in Studley Theatre was palpable — members of the audience hooted in encouragement when a singer would hit a high note during a solo, and a flawless recitation of rapper Nicki Minaj’s infamous verse in “Bang Bang” from a Hofstra Dutchmen singer prompted cheers and thunderous applause.
“I’m really happy with how the invitational went. It was a lot to organize and all the pieces really came together. The groups showed up on time, they sounded awesome, they were all very nice, our techs worked really hard and [Absolut] put in a lot of hard work. I think it really shined through on stage,” Beaver said.
Aidan Stoddard, Vice President of Absolut, seconded Beaver. “I’m very proud of us. On top of the music, we put together a great event. Notably, but unsurprisingly, there were about 15 minutes during setup that all the groups gathered in the green room and just sang music together, it was a really sweet moment.”
Each group that performed at the invitational sung in a cappella, meaning they used only their voices and had no instrumental accompaniment. The style has seen lots of attention in recent years from the rise of pop group Pentatonix and its appearance in media such as the infamous 2012 movie “Pitch Perfect.”
“A cappella is such a different form of music. We are the instruments, and we compile and arrange the songs together. Ryan, our music director, teaches them directly to us so it’s a very group-oriented activity which has brought a lot to me as a musician as well,” Beaver said.
Mauer, who has been music director for the past year, described some of their challenges when they initially took on the position. “Stepping into a leadership position, it’s really hard to do, especially when you’ve never done it before.”
“It took me a little bit of time to fall into the position, especially because the people I was leading were also friends of mine who just a few weeks before, I was singing next to them as any other person. I just feel that the club as a whole has helped me become a better leader. They’ve been very receptive to everything, they’re very easy to work with. I honestly could not have asked for a better club in this position,” they said.
Mauer, a fourth-year student studying clinical musicianship, hopes to take what they’ve done in Absolut with them into their future career. “I’m going into music therapy, and taking these leadership skills in music and music facilitation, and building a community in the way we have through music is very important to me.”
Beaver also hopes they can bring their experiences from Absolut into their future. “I’m certain the organizational skills and community building I’ve developed as president and just as a member of this club are going to be essential. It’s important to me in all parts of life to try and foster a welcoming, wholesome environment.”
Beaver and Stoddard expanded on the sense of community that’s been created in Absolut and the bonds they’ve formed from being a part of the organization.
“What I enjoy the most about [Absolut] A Cappella is the people. I love my groupmates, they’re fantastic. They’re some of my closest friends here in New Paltz. We do take performing very seriously, but the rehearsals are also a time to just be together and have fun, and that’s really special to me,” Beaver said.
“We have created a space where all of our members feel safe to express themselves and have fun. I have made some of my closest friends at college through this club, and I know many of us can say the same,” Stoddard added.
As for Absolut’s future performances, there will be an end-of-the-year show at 4 p.m. on May 3 in SUB 62/63 where the club’s seniors will perform songs of their choosing, and Beaver anticipates there will be a dorm performance in Scudder Hall sometime in April.
Absolut will hold auditions for new members in the fall. To learn more, you can find them on Instagram: @absolutacappella.
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