At 9 p.m. on a Monday night, a hush fell over a darkened Memorial Commons. Then lights flashed on and the harmonies of a cappella filled the room.
The first big a cappella concert of the year, on the first day of Winter Carnival, featured a crowd-pleasing confluence of vocal talent and pop favorites.
The energy was reciprocated: Friends sang for friends in the audience, and friends cheered on their crooning friends.
“I found a group of brothers.”
For Walter Washington ’19 of Fleetwood, N.Y., singing with the Deansmen is central to being a Bates student.
“I joined my sophomore year after feeling a little bit weird about being at Bates and not really having that sense of community,” said Washington, who is also student government president. “So I found a group of brothers and knew from then on that whatever is going on, throughout the night they got my back.”
“A cappella is pretty amazing because it brings people together from all different walks of life,” said Sophie Mortman ’18 of Sharon, Conn., a member of Take Note.
For the high notes of the Winter Carnival a capella concert, take a look — and a listen.
The Deansmen
“If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys
The Merimanders
Mashup of “No Scrubs” by TLC and “No” by Meghan Trainor
TakeNote
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
The Manic Optimists
“Dreaming with a Broken Heart” by John Mayer
The Crosstones
“Wild Things” by Alessia Cara
https://vimeo.com/252595305
