By Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On the last night of January, Medfield High School (MHS) presented its A Cappella Night 2025 to the delight of their cheering fans, friends, and relatives. There was excitement in the air as Medfield’s own talented a cappella groups shared the stage of their Lowell Mason auditorium with other gifted groups from the area.
A cappella is a difficult type of singing in which there is no accompaniment. Singers and vocal percussionists must find their own pitches and rhythms without a piano or band to help them. The groups that performed in A Cappella Night 2025 all showed a great sense of vocal independence and musicianship.
The Trills ‘n Chills, an exciting teen a cappella group composed of students of the Eva Conley Kendrick voice studio and others, sang “Unchained Medley,” including a group of pop songs, and “Theatre Kid Medley,” including songs from Hamilton, Six, and other current Broadway hits, among other selections. The Trill ‘n Chills often perform at Metrowest-area fund raisers, and charity and community events.
The Needham High School Subway Dwarves, a talented boys’ group with a great stage presence, sang some old-style rock ‘n roll tunes and also some contemporary ones, such as “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and “Lost in Your Rock ‘n Roll”. They perform at local events, such as Take Back the Night, Winterfest, A Cappell Go!, Vocal Support, and Relay for Life.
Thomas Blake Middle School’s Crescendos of Medfield, also known as the Blake Jazz Choir, performed with excellent intonation and coordination. One song was accompanied by hand clapping, slapping, and crossing that was perfectly together and so entertaining to watch. “When I Ruled the World” was touching and expressive.
The Medfield High School SoundWaves’ solid performance showed the number of years they have been working on their craft. The coed, auditioned a cappella/vocal jazz group used all of their energy to put forth an exciting performance. Not only did they sing expressively and creatively, they also included movement in their performance, creating tableaus on the stage to express the meaning of their songs.
Lastly, the headlining Harvard Opportunes wowed the audience with their intricate vocal lines, gorgeous harmonies, and fabulous solos. The group is an all-gender, contemporary college a cappella group that was formed at Harvard in 1980. The Opportunes sang songs such as “Standing Next to You,” “Jealous,” “Crazy”, “My Saving Grace” and a beautiful light arrangement of “Blackbird.”
At the conclusion of the performance, the awed audience left the auditorium with tunes in their hearts and smiles on their faces.
