Ever dreamt of being like the girls in Pitch Perfect? Uh, yeah, duh…
Well, so did many of the girls this fall semester. However, with an overload of talented girls and only two a cappella groups at LMU, the odds of all the girls getting into the groups seemed slim to none. Without another group, more than ten talented and passionate girls seemed out of luck.
But then…
Freshmen Talia Wexler and Rylee Rosenquist weren’t going to let their dreams just slip away. So, they came up with the great idea of starting their own group. Inspired by Pitch Perfect, the girls wanted to make the group all female and compete nationally, which is uniquely different from the other groups on campus. With Talia’s musical background and Rylee’s passion for leadership, the two roommates seemed fearless and unstoppable. However, onset nerves were bound to come. When discussing her early concern with starting the group, co-founder Rylee confessed, “I was nervous that no one would be interested in joining because we are freshmen and I don’t know anything about arranging music. But, Talia does and that’s why I’m so glad we’re doing this together because I truly trust her.” But with the support of their friends and RA’s, the girls cast aside their worries and thought about what their true intentions were in starting the group. “We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to be apart of an a cappella group,” Talia expressed, to which Rylee agreed. And then their RA, Gennie Holston, suddenly had an epiphany: to call the group The New Oppor-Tunes. The name honors how the girls genuinely wanted to provide new opportunities through a cappella for other girls who love to sing and who would love to make new friendships.
Now, you may be wondering: “ Yeah, it’s a new a cappella group, what’s the hype?” Well it’s quite simple: the group is one of a kind. In addition to their other distinctive qualities, the girls, given their background in high-school theatre, wanted to create a style that was completely their own. Talia stated, “We are looking into a lot of music arrangements but [we] have seriously been thinking about pop and show-tune mashups.” On top of singing and performing, Talia is really passionate about spreading her love for theatre because she is a Theatre Arts major. By mixing in Broadway show-tunes with pop music, the girls are able to add a fun twist to a cappella and create a greater variation in the group’s musical abilities.
Although their ideas were coming along, there was one thing missing: an actual plan of action. Especially since their start would be far behind that of the other groups who already held auditions and who have formulated their groups. So, in order to get the group on its feet, Rylee and Talia had to quickly design flyers, make a group Insta, advertise for auditions, begin arranging music, and so much more. Within a week, they were able to pull it all together and even got a diverse amount of talent. In two weeks time, the team was assembled. Eleven girls total, varying in grade, age, nationality, vocal type, etc. The New Oppor-Tunes were finally stepping into their own shoes and becoming an established a cappella group.
Although this is only the beginning, the girls are thrilled to embark on their a cappella journey of singing, sisterhood, and fun! And judging by their start, the girl gang only has positive things awaiting them in the future. Keep up with The New Oppor-Tunes by following them on Instagram!
“At the end of the day we’re just a couple of girls who love to sing.”- Rylee Rosenquist