This week I had the special treat of sitting with my friend Olivia Lynch to hear all about the Acoustics, one of the most talented groups of people on campus.
Tell me a little more about your organization
The Acoustics is a co-ed a ccappella group celebrating 25 years of tradition at Boston College. The team is made up of 19 members, including a freshman from Nigeria and a junior abroad in Cuba (so cool!). In terms of what we sing, there isn’t a specific genre. We like to perform a wide variety of music, from the Top 40s to classics like Pianoman. We just always make sure that the songs are something we can have fun with and vibe to, no matter if they are upbeat hits or slower ballads.
What are your current executive board positions and who occupies them?
President: Olivia Lynch
Music director: Matt Michienzie
Business Manager: Gage Powell
Treasurer: Kayley Okst
Co-Publicty: Alex Rougeau and Lindsay McKean
What makes you different from the other groups?
We focus on the student’s voice when they are auditioning. There really isn’t a look our group is going for. We like to have a well-rounded, diverse group and we believe that this diversity creates a very special dynamic within the group.
What’s your Mascot?
We have a green alien named Alfred. If you see sweatshirts with aliens with huge green eyes on them around campus, that’s the Acoustics!
Go to songs?
That’s so hard to pick! Matt Michienzie sings a The Who mashup that we love! We recently added a Kanye medley for our beat-boxer, we always love singing Lady Gaga, and we love Sara Bareilles. A cover of Believe by Cher was just brought in too and that’s a big fan favorite.
How many performances do you usually have a year?
There are 3 big shows per semester but we also get asked to perform shorter sets for Campus School, RHA, Relay for Life, Dance Marathon, among other events and organizations.
What is your biggest event?
Accappellafest is our big event at the beginning of the school year. We organize the show and count with the participation of several other a ccappella groups on campus. The event raises funds for the Morgan Center, a pre-school in Long Island for kids with cancer. Since several of the members of the group are from New York, a lot of us are actually going to be able to go to the school and meet the children. It’s nice to get the chance to put things in perspective and be thankful for how fortune we are.
Favorite Acoustics Memory?
My first Final Show. The final show is one of the last weekends before finals and its when all of the alumni come back to support the group and relieve their experience with us. It’s incredible to see people in their 50s travelling across the country to lend their support to the group.
Best Thing about the Acoustics:
The network that you get from being part of the community has to be the best ting about it. There’s literally a LinkedIn group and the alumni are so willing to help just because you have that connection through the Acoustics. Everyone is so passionate about his or her time in the organization and so willing to assist those who share that passion for the group.
Okay, so now that you have all of the background on the Acoustics, you have to check them out in action! Don’t miss out on the Halloween Invitational this Friday at 7pm in Cushing 001!