Reaching for the High Notes

Imagine singing alone. Without instruments or music, standing before 15 fierce critics who judge each tone against countless others.

Better not be flat.

Hundreds of Yardlings and sophomores were herded through endless a cappella auditions last week, some singing for up to six hours each night.

And most didn't make the final cut.

Experience, talent and pizzazz mean little when singers don't meet the eclectic demands of Harvard's elite groups, whose selections are limited by space and their need for particular vocal parts.

"We're restrained by what [parts] we need to take," says Thomas E. Flores '98, a member of the Callbacks who judged many of this year's auditions.

In any given semester, an a cappella group will take an average of only three or four new members, leaving the vast majority of talented College singers without a company.

The Opportunes, a popular co-ed group, auditioned nearly 80 singers for just two spots, says member Tara B. Purohit '99.

And single-sex groups like the Radcliffe Pitches and the Harvard Krokodiloes each saw more than 50 auditionees this year, each adding just six new members.

"It was kind of insane," says Matthew S. Trent '00, a newly anointed member of the Callbacks. "Going through the process was really grueling."

Auditions begin with preliminary tryouts, which narrows the field to roughly half the initial number, say group members.

Following preliminary tryouts, there are as many as three more nights of callbacks for those who make the final cuts.

"Three out of the four nights I ended up singing six hours straight," Trent says. "Its a lot to expect out of singers.

Tryouts make for an especially difficult second week for first-years who are still adjusting to college life, says Melissa K. Gruber '00, a new member of the Callbacks.

"A lot of people felt that there could have been one less callback," she says.

"You did it over and over, says Cornelia H. Rinderknecht '00, a new member of the Pitches. "By the end of callbacks you were completely tired and not singing that well."

"People always say there are far too many a cappella groups on campus, but if you take the number of people who want to sing, there aren't that many," says Glenn A. Nano '98, a member of On the Rocks, a group whose members are on leave this year.

But part of what makes Harvard's groups so talented is their relatively small size.

Each group averages roughly 12 to 15 students, thus assuring a consistently high quality from year to year.

"If they weren't selective, there wouldn't be too much of a point," says Robert E. Schlesinger '00, who tried out unsuccessfully for three groups last week.

"If everyone was always guaranteed in getting into a group, then the quality would go down," he says.

With only eight groups in all, dozens of students like Schlesinger are disappointed each semester.

"It's hard to say which is better: To have a lot of groups or just some really good ones," says Melissa K. Gruber '00, a new member of the Callbacks.

"If they had a lot more groups, then the talent of some of the groups would not be as high," she says.

Other schools, like Yale and Stanford, have more a cappella groups of similarly high acclaim, offering more opportunities for students, says Gruber.

But at Harvard, it is usually the smallest of differences that end up being the most significant in determining which singers are selected.

"[The decisions] get stickier and sticker by the end," says Marc S.Scheff '99.

Other Options

After a week of trying out for the different groups, the majority of auditionees must seek other musical outlets -- if not an entirely different extra curricular activity.

Many students choose to join larger singing groups like the University Choir, the Holden Choirs or the Collegium Musicum. Otherwise, they participate in Common Casting and audition for one of the College's student musical productions.

"There's probably always something you can find to do," Gruber says.

But auditions for many of these groups are held prior to a cappella try-outs. So students who take a gamble by auditioning only for the smaller a cappella groups may be left out altogether.

Other musical groups, like the Kuumba Singers and the Noteables, have no auditions at all.

According to Kuumba Singers member Derrick N. Ashong '97, his group, which includes 70 members, holds internal auditions for their own a cappella groups: the Brothers and the Sisters.

Ashong and Noteables member Joseph I. Levinson '97 say their groups have significant cross-over with other musical companies.

And yet other singers sick of the exhaustive try-out process often start their own groups.

On the Rocks, was started two years ago by a dozen first-years who wanted more a cappella opportunities for singers, Nano says.

Flores says the Callbacks were started by a group of first years ten years ago.

If starting a new group seems like a daunting task, there's always next spring's tryouts.

Several students say they definitely plan to try out again despite the possibility of disappointment.

"[The singers] are really friendly," says Penelope "Nellie" A. Carter '00, who tried out for two groups. "I might try out for the Opportunes again."

"It was a little frustrating in the end [of auditions]," says Schlesinger, "but it was still fun, and I'll do it again in the spring."