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On Thursday night four groups of Boston College a capella singers gathered to give a performance to benefit the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute (KPTI) at the New England Medical Center and Camp Sunshine, a camp in Maine where children with life-threatening illnesses and their families can go for a weekend and stay for free. Circle K, a campus volunteer group, sponsored the event.
The Trauma Institute and Camp Sunshine were selected to receive the donations because they are dedicated to Circle K's mission of serving the world's children
Each November, the members of Circle K visit the KPTI to tour the facilities and learn about the healing and rehabilitation processes their fundraisers are contributing to. This year's trip took place on Nov. 5, just a few days before they put on their Music Fest.
Circle K has been putting on its Music Fest for almost a decade, and this year the performance brought in $410 to benefit the two causes.
"This year's event was actually probably the biggest turnout in several years," said Andrew Cole, president of BC's Circle K and CSOM '06. "It's become our main fundraiser during the fall semester."
Music Fest featured four campus a capella groups: the Bostonians, the Dynamics, Against the Current, and the Sharps.
"Previous years have featured local BC bands," said Cole. "The past couple of years the a capella groups have been the main feature."
By bringing so many a capella groups together at one time, there is enough variety in the performance to distinguish it from other campus concerts.
"[The a capella groups] are generous enough to volunteer their time to our cause," said Cole. "They agree to do it because they support the causes we are raising money for and because it gives them a chance to perform before their big fall shows."
The first group to perform was the Bostonians. The singers filed into Devlin 008 dressed in black skirts, dresses, or suits. They sang "Let the Rain Fall Down" by Hillary Duff, amid a mixture of medleys. The medleys spiced up their routine and helped steer them away from singing too many pop songs.
The Bostonians had a strong group of background singers and were the best at effectively involving every member of the group in each song, rather than highlighting one singer per song.
The self-proclaimed casual group of the night, the Dynamics, performed second. They focused more on duos and stuck mainly to songs from high school years.
A small BC band performed the third set, playing two cover songs and one original creation.
Against the Current, a Christian a capella group, had the shortest set; it sang only two songs, and it gave a prelude to each performance, elaborating the meaning behind each song.
The average set was about four songs, although the Sharps, who performed last, sang six. Deservedly so, however, for their performance was the best of the night. Although all the a capella groups sang well, there were two songs that distinguished the Sharps' performance.
One of its singers, Megan Esteves, A&S '06, sang Evanescence's song "My Immortal." It might not be a favorite on the radio, but it lends itself to an a capella rendition very well, and the vocalist was impressive.
Esteves sang her part clearly and had a lot of confidence in her ability, which gave her voice strength.
The second song was a rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" that incorporated lyrics about BC throughout the song.
Although no one can top the original, sticking references to the Mods and other aspects of BC life made it fun and fitting for a campus concert.
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