The New Dominions a cappella group celebrated its 35th anniversary concert Saturday evening in the Chemistry Building with unique pieces sung by both alumni from varying years and current New Dominion members. The concert included two acts from current student singers and with a set in the middle of the concert wholly dedicated to alumni performances. The evening showcased the a cappella group’s camaraderie and the special place it has in the heart of the University.
The New Dominions, or the “NewDos,” is the University’s oldest co-ed a cappella group and has held a prominent range and varying styles since its original founding in 1990. The fully student-run group performs a varied representation of vocal music within the University community and inherently a broad range of vocal styles as a co-ed a cappella. In the past, the group has released several noteworthy albums available on Spotify and performed at larger on-Grounds events such as the Rotunda Sing and the Lighting of the Lawn.
The group opened the night with an upbeat and fun rendition of “Separate Ways” by Journey featuring a duet with John Park from the Class of 1994 and Charlotte Mulligan, New Dominions president and third-year College student. The fun and lighthearted opener generated energy in the audience, and it set the tone for the rest of the night, with the alumni and students collaborating in harmony and unison.
As the first set of the performance continued, the New Dominions kept the audience entertained with engaging songs such as “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC, “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams, “The Exit” by Conan Gray and “Petals on the Moon” by Wasia Project. Every performance featured talented soloists and created a unique entrance for each individual member of the New Dominions.
Continuing the concert with the alumni set, the alumni then performed three songs, each one featuring combined graduating classes to form a larger vocal presence with a talented soloist in each group. The classes of 1993-2005 performed “Let It Be” by the Beatles, the classes of 2006-2016 performed “High and Dry” by Radiohead and the final set featured the classes of 2017-2024 finishing with “Water Under the Bridge” by Adele.
The sweet melody of “Let It Be” featured a solo performance from Class of 1994 alumnus Kevin Dixon and showcased the powerful voices of the alumni performances to come, offering a window into the varying decades of music shown with each combined class. The performance of “Water Under the Bridge” featuring Class of 2019 alumna Gabby Pecoraro on solo especially had the audience standing out of their seats, as her vocals filled the space with a powerful echo. After every soloist for the alumni sets had finished their piece, the audience immediately met them with hugs and well wishes.
Blaine Adefris, audience member and second-year Commerce student, spoke on the alumni pieces that displayed the decades-long talent showcased in New Dominions.
“I loved watching the different generations of music,” Adefris said. “I like that every single generation knew all the traditions, and everything about this was just so unique. I've never seen it in another a cappella performance.”
As the concert transitioned into its second act, the performances tied in New Dominions traditions, demonstrating the familial nature of the close-knit a cappella organization. One of these traditions are heartfelt goodbye speeches to fourth-year students delivered by fellow members. The group was described in the speeches as a home where students can create lifelong friendships that continue long after graduation.
Grace Blake, music director and second-year College student, is in charge of conducting and curating a set list for the concerts. The 35th anniversary concert was an especially lengthy preparation process as it included extensive alumni and solo pieces sung by numerous individuals. Blake commented on the complex but worthwhile process that occurs behind the scenes in making the collaboration possible.
“On Friday [before the concert], we have a three-hour rehearsal where I taught the alumni all of the music,” Blake said. “I'm in charge of what we sing, how we sing it, I give notes at every rehearsal…it's a pretty big commitment.”
Although the concert itself and the New Dominions’ typical selection process are lengthy, Blake finds her position in the group rewarding and appreciates the challenge of directing the broad vocal range of the co-ed group.
“It is really rewarding … It's super fun to get to work with a group of singers who are also my best friends.” Blake said. “That's one reason that I am a huge fan of co-ed a cappella, because I think that you have a great range of sound … NewDos does six-part arrangements. A lot of other groups do much less, but we can have that breadth … just because everyone has so much musical talent.”
Sasha Geisinger, publicity chair and second-year College student, commented on how she wanted audiences to take away from the concert that the lasting relationships formed through NewDos can be a guiding light on Grounds.
“NewDos loves each other so so much, and we are truly brought together by the friendship but also the music,” Geisinger said. “We are so dedicated to the music, and we like to think we're good at it too.”
The scene at the concert was truly electric when all three sets received a standing ovation and loud calls of encouragement. As the many rows of alumni cheered on each performance, the atmosphere of support for each individual was wholesome and showed that the NewDos are a family brought together by experiences of finding home through people and community.
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