Sounds of Harmony

Holy Cross A Cappella Group Fools on the Hill Sing Way to No. 1

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2 Minutes

"Turn up the fun!"

That's the motto of the Fools on the Hill, the only co-ed a cappella group at Holy Cross. And that's just what they did last month, when they took first place at the 10th Annual A Cappella Festival at Boston's Fanueil Hall. The Fools on the Hill defeated the Boston University Dear Abbeys and the Richmond Octaves of the University of Richmond, two premiere college a cappella groups.

The "Fools," as the group is known around campus, was one of 10 college a cappella groups that performed at the outdoor event in October. Each group performed a set of six songs, and Holy Cross' winning set list included a rendition of the Dixie Chicks' cover of The Supremes' "Can't Hurry Love", performed by soloist Lesley Russel '07; "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain, performed by Phil Landry '09, and, the showstopper, "Unwritten" by Natasha Beddingfield, performed by Julieanne Fitzpatrick '08.

The term "a cappella," Italian for "in the style of chapel music," refers to music without instrumental accompaniment. A cappella groups on college campuses have increased in popularity over the last few decades. The Fools formed in 1998.

When asked what factors led to the Fools' win at Faneuil Hall, Landry said, "We're singers first, but we like to entertain." In fact, the ensemble of born performers is known for livening up its audiences.

The Fools' 15 members span all four class years: Kyle Murphy, Connie Richard, and Lesley Russel of the class of 2007; Emily Hastings, Fran Rogers and Michelle Reis of the class of 2008; Steve Crowley, Julieanne Fitzpatrick, Kendra Cerratani, Jen Goodell, Phil Landry and Mark Eckhardt of the class of 2009; and four first-year students: Jeff Papia, Sarah Legare, Balu Slopadoe and Rick Vita.

According to co-chair Fran Rogers '08, the group learns, sings and memorizes a new song each week in order to stay "fresh and alive." Each performer has the opportunity to choose a piece, which is then arranged by co-chair Kyle Murphy '07. Each week, the new song is premiered at an impromptu performance at Cool Beans in the Hogan Campus Center (10 p.m. on Thursdays). So far this year, the Fools have added seven songs to their repertoire. They hope to have each member of the group perform solo in a song of their choice by the end of the spring semester.

In addition to their weekly performances, the Fools perform regularly at campus events including Family Weekend and the Sanctae Crucis Awards dinner, as well as at other colleges.

While still relishing in their triumph, the talented group is producing a third CD. Their most recent, Singing in Stairwells (2005), is available on the group's Web site. Previous members of the group have recorded Fooling Around (2001) and Random Hookup (2002).

Experience the Fools on the Hill for yourself by listening to song excerpts on their Web site, or at their next on campus performance at the 10 Spot on Thursday, Dec. 5, where they'll be performing with two other Holy Cross student organizations, the Delilahs, an all-female a cappella group, and Instant Mayhem, an improv group.

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