Callbacks Make Finals in National Contest

The Harvard Callbacks beat five a cappella groups from other northeastern colleges to win the regional semifinals of the National Championship of College A Cappella (NCCA) at Smith College Friday night.

The Callbacks are the first Harvard a cappella group to make the final round of the NCCA competition, President James Y. J. Ko '00 said.

"It's been very hectic," he said. "There are a lot of goals we've been working toward all year. Doing well in this competition was a goal we had set, so it was very gratifying to have our hard work pay off."

The group will head to New York's Lincoln Center on April 30 to compete against five other semifinalists in the national finals.

The NCCA--the a cappella equivalent of the Super Bowl--is the world's largest a cappella competition.

Members of the Callbacks said that they were energized by the win and are looking forward to the finals despite the additional pressure.

"In terms of our voices, we really haven't had much of a break since jam," said Assistant Music Director Erika T. Rhone '02.

The group performed its Spring Jam, "Wanted," at Sanders Theatre last month.

"We had heck week and hell week and then the jam, followed by two more consecutive weekends of competition," Rhone said. "The momentum just never died."

Members said that their mental preparation and their high level of musical polish helped them win the semifinals.

"We knew that we had to put on basically a flawless performance," Music Director Derek D. Smith '00 said. " Honestly, we pulled it off better than I could have ever hoped."

The win came on the heels of the group's first-place finish in the quarterfinal round the previous weekend at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).

The string of successes this year might be attributed to the marked development of the group in recent years, Stage Manager Royd Chung '01 said.

"In the three years that I've been in the Callbacks, the group has changed dramatically," he said. "This year has been an amazing time of growth. Musically, our arrangements have become much more complex and our sound is the tightest it's ever been.

"In terms of performance, we've gone from having little to no choreography to having multiple fully-choreographed numbers," he added. "We've been able to develop a more mature, professional delivery while increasing the humor and energy that the Callbacks have been known for."

In particular, the Callbacks had a well-developed choreographical routine, said Sasha A. Haines-Stiles '02.

Haines-Stiles, who is also a Crimson editor, won "Best Arrangement" at the semifinal competition for her arrangement of Guster's "Two Points for Honesty."

"One of the things I've noticed is that a lot of the other groups don't have the kind of choreo we have in 'Like a Prayer.' It sets us apart," she said.

Rearranged by Smith last summer, "Like a Prayer" has become a signature piece for the Callbacks, members said.

Smith was awarded "Best Arrangement" at the quarterfinal competition for his work on the Madonna song.

Even members of rival groups acknowledged the Callbacks' skills.

In a message on the Callbacks' website, a competitor from the quarterfinals wrote about how impressed he was.

"After seeing y'all perform here in Durham on Sunday, Alabaster Blue (UNH's co-ed a cappella group) has a whole new standard we hold ourselves to," Fred Thornton wrote.

Ko said the group's win should be a source of pride for all students.

"Our success reflects well, not only on our group, but also on the entire Harvard a cappella community and Harvard University, itself," he said. "On April 30, when we are singing on stage at Lincoln Center, we will be representing the College."