Annual Acatober concert thrills audiences

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By Lisa Moore
Hometown Weekly Correspondent

Wellesley High School kicked off the concert season on October 20 with Acatober, its annual a cappella concert. Over 300 WHS students participated in the two evening performances as members of the many high school choral ensembles, including the Concert Choir, Keynote Singers, Rice Street Singers, Brooks Brothers, Song Sisters, A Cappella Anonymous, Renegade a Cappella, Inchordination, and Ladies First a Cappella.

For the high school student-run groups, the performances provided an opportunity to show the individual styles of each a cappella group. Ladies First performed an excellent rendition of Rihanna’s “Diamond,” wowing the audience. Julia DeSantis, business director and alto, shared: “I have had the privilege to be in Ladies First A Cappella throughout my high school career. As business director, I coordinate gigs outside of school and handle all business inquires. This year we have added eight new members, and we currently have 21 talented female singers.”

Peter Hodge shared his experience as a member of Renegade a Cappella. “It’s been amazing working with the wonderful people in our group. I’ve had the privilege to learn a lot about the components involved with participating in and running an a cappella group while being in Renegade, and I can definitely take these skills and apply them to various things for the rest of my life.”

“A cappella has consistently been my favorite extracurricular activity throughout my years at the high school,” said senior Julia Himmelberger, who has performed with A Cappella Anonymous for four years and this year is co-music-leader with Adam DeLollis. “This year we have 21 members. Seven are new. I arrange music, plan rehearsals, and teach music to the group. I love our groups welcoming friendly and fun dynamic. I look forward to every rehearsal because of the excitement and energy we have, as well as the relaxing and supportive atmosphere to forget about school stresses and just have fun and make music.”

This year’s guest performers were The Boston University Dear Abbeys, a male a cappella group started in 1992. This year, 12 talented young men came and performed, explaining their group’s mission: to share their music with students around the country, hoping to inspire young people, inform and entertain through song, and initiate positive changes. The five-song set was an exciting finale for the evening; their rendition of Santana and Rob Thomas’ “Smooth” was a crowd favorite. When asked how they thought the evening went. one member declared: “This is the best concert we have had this year.”

Another shared the group’s surprise to learn that all the other performers were WHS students, not fellow college performers. “Your kids sound so much better than my high school,” he remarked. “I am a bit jealous. “

The next big performance up for WHS is the musical production of “Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” There are four performances on November 9-11. For show information and to purchase tickets, visit www.wellesleyps.org.