DEPARTMENTS
In Perfect Harmony
By Christine Gemme
Photos by Dan Vaillancourt
Videography by Stephen Albano
If you roam the corridors and stairwells of the buildings around campus, with a little luck, you may get to hear one of the five Holy Cross a cappella groups rehearsing for its next gig. These five dynamic groups, each with a distinctive sound, look and sense of humor, break into a song on a moment's notice. They can be found performing at various campus events, including the NEEDS benefit, Relay for Life and pub nights. Some groups also offer singing Valentine's Day greetings. The highlight of the a cappella year, however, is the spring Foolsapalooza concert, which includes all five groups harmonizing on their favorite numbers their way. Holy Cross Magazine caught up with the singing groups, which range from 10 to 15 members, to chat about their gleeful pursuit of vocal music. We also asked them to give us a sample of their harmonious work for you to enjoy here.
SOUND OF SAINT JAMES
If you could choose one artist to perform with your group for a day, who would it be and why?
"There are a variety of artists we'd be thrilled to perform with: Boys II Men, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Adele, John Mayer, The Pentatonix and even Frank Sinatra or Gene Kelly!"
From left, bottom row: Nick Poles '13, Gabriel Miranda Jr. '13, Jonathan Casseus '14, Vladimir Casseus '12, Paul Misci '13, Nolan Neu '15 From left, top row: Nick Pope '13, Nick Whalen '15, Nick Athanasidy '14, Nathaniel Golden '13, Andrew Blacquier '15, Kyler Canastra '14, Antonio Willis-Berry '13 Not pictured: Conor Sullivan '14, Laurence Cruz '13
See and hear the Sound of Saint James guys in action >>
THE DELILAHS
The Delilahs started in 1993. One of the original Delilahs, Margaret Post '96, recalls that at the time "there were only two other a cappella groups on campus, an all-male group 'The Naturals' and a female group called 'Seventh Heaven.' "
Other founding singers were Meredith (Michaud) Hargus, Caitlin O'Brien, Heather (Razoyk) Pahigian, Amy Brogna-Baione and Carolyn Flynn '97.
"I was-and continue to be-so, so proud of the Delilahs and all that we accomplished during our time there," says Brogna-Baione. "And I'm very proud that it continues onward! It really was a remarkable group effort among the five wonderful founding women."
From left, bottom row: Jill Wyman '14, Stephanie Montilla '13, Dorisanne Ragon '13, Maggie Rogers '15, Michelizabeth Sainvill '14, Emma Colbert '13, Andrea Koris '12 From left, top row: Deirdre Dolan '14, Katie Loscocco '12, Erin Linnehan '12, Kate Chamberlin '12 Not pictured: Elizabeth Mahoney '13 and Eva Coll '13
See and hear The Delilahs in action >>
Next: There's more video and great music from Fools on the Hill, Off the Record and Sons of Pitches!