An Inside Look at the A Capella Audition Process
(Members of Rubyfruit, one of UConn’s all female a cappella groups.)
Every semester, hundreds of UConn students sing their hearts out in hopes of being selected to join one of the a cappella groups on campus. I was able to sit down with some members of Rubyfruit, one of two all-female groups, to get the inside scoop.
Alyssa Barzach is a freshman Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences major who is loving her first few weeks as a Rubyfruit “newbie.”
“It’s been so much fun, everyone’s already like a family. Everyone’s so nice and I feel like I can depend on everyone,” she said of the group.
Barzach knew she wanted to join an a cappella group in college after participating in a similar group in high school. She learned all about UConn a cappella when a few of her former classmates graduated and began posting about joining Rubyfruit on social media.
For most a cappella hopefuls, the process begins at the biannual “rush concert” held by the UConn A Cappella Association. At this concert, all eight groups perform two songs from their repertoire to give those interested a taste of their style, and, of course, entertain a packed theater at Jorgensen.
“I loved it,” said Barzach about the concert. “I really liked the energy, and everyone was so excited.” The concert also helped her to narrow down the field to two groups that she really wanted to be in, including Rubyfruit.
In the time leading up to auditions, a cappella groups decide what they are looking for in new members.
“We usually discuss which voice parts we need most, approximately how many people we can take, and what the criteria will be when discussing their auditions, such as vocal range and quality,” said Julia DeMoranville, a UConn junior entering her third year singing in Rubyfruit.
To prepare for the auditions, students had to prepare a verse and a chorus of one song. Barzach considered Broadway songs because of her musical theater background, but decided to follow the advice of her friend, who was already in a group, who said that most groups prefer more mainstream music.
Barzach decided on “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves, something she thought was “fun, cute and upbeat.”
Of the first round of auditions, DeMoranville said that the group looks “for people who come with a positive attitude and are genuinely excited to audition for us. We ask about their past music experience, because in a cappella its usually important to have some knowledge of how to read music or learn a song by ear. We also look for girls who know how to beat box!”
On audition day, Barzach and her friend Katie, also a new member of Rubyfruit, waited in the music building until they were instructed to sign up for the groups they wanted to audition for. She elected to sign up for five different groups.
“I was so nervous, but Rubyfruit was my first audition. The environment was so nice and not scary at all,” she said.
(Members of Rubyfruit performing last semester)
The waiting process was a bit more frightening.
“Walking back to North, I was jumping and nervous the whole time. Since we tried out on the first day and there were two days of auditions, we had to wait a whole day to find out about callbacks!” Barzach said.
The suspense did not last too long, however, as Barzach got a callback phone call from Rubyfruit pretty early, followed by two other groups.
The situation is equally as stressful on the other side of things, as DeMoranville recognized they have to make difficult decisions “every single semester.”
“Particularly this year, there was so much talent that we wanted to call everyone back!” she said. With only five minutes to hear each audition, the members often find it hard to make a decision based on such a short interaction.
For the round of callbacks, the selected students had to prepare another verse and chorus “that showed off a different part of our voice,” said Barzach, who chose Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song.”
For Rubyfruit, those proceeding to the callback round also had to look up the song “Call Your Girlfriend,” one of the group’s songs from a previous semester. Existing members taught auditioners the song at the callback but wanted them to be at least familiar with it.
After callback, Barzach and the other a cappella hopefuls faced another waiting period. She didn’t have to lose much sleep, though, because Rubyfruit called her at 11:15p.m. to let her know that she had been selected as a new member.
She did not know what the other groups she auditioned for thought of her because the groups discuss with each other ahead of time which new members they plan to take.
Several weeks in, Barzach is loving her new Rubyfruit “family.” And the magic has not appeared to wear off for some of the older members.
“I always look forward to those two to three hours that I get to spend singing with an amazing group,” said DeMoranville.
Although somewhat stressful, Barzach made it through the audition process alive and happy. Her advice to singers who want to audition in the future?
“Be confident, smile and sing!”
Although Rubyfruit and other UConn a cappella groups have finished auditions for this semester, many groups will hold be holding auditions and another rush concert next semester!
In the meantime, check out Rubyfruit’s Facebook page for more information about upcoming events (including their fall concert on November 15!). The other a cappella groups will be putting on fall shows and events as well, so keep an eye out for some more chances at great entertainment!
(And for now, watch Rubyfruit’s Valentine’s Day Mashup from last February!)
[Photos via Rubyfruit Facebook page]