The energy began to build in Devlin Hall as students awaited the Boston College Acoustics’ spring café. The audience sat in anticipation of the Acoustics’ “Stix Got Talent” show. Each member of the a cappella group walked through a doorway adorned with a gold foil curtain.
As the group members took their places on the stage, which was lit by a backdrop of fairy lights and various lamps, their friends greeted them by screaming out the names of the Acoustics singers they came to see. Each member was dressed to impress in colorful ensembles that decorated the stage. As the lights in the auditorium dimmed, the audience let out a gigantic cheer.
The first act of the night was a mashup of two songs by Halsey: “Heaven in Hiding” and “Walls Could Talk.” Caitlin Lochhead, LSOEHD ’22, drew cheers from the audience with her emotional solo. During the chorus, the Acoustics echoed Lochhead’s powerful words, creating a reverberating effect. During one harmonious segment, the singers immersed the audience in their rhythmic background vocals without any lyrics.
The Acoustics also performed “Break My Heart” by Dua Lipa. At the beginning of the song, the beatboxers gradually constructed the beat of the song along with the bass singers. When the other voice parts joined in, Korinne Arenas, MCAS ’22, began her solo. When sections of the song sped up, the singers earned enthusiastic cheers from the audience. The audience hollered as Arenas’ final notes echoed throughout the room.
During a brief break from performances, the stage transformed into a talent show stage as the group performed a skit. A panel of judges including Machine Gun Kelly (Jarrod West, MCAS ’23), Billie Eilish (Egun Im, MCAS ’22), and Ariana Grande (Arenas) conducted auditions for a range of unique talents.
A clairvoyant duo fumbled their audition when they accidentally read each other’s minds, and one singer delivered a jarring beatboxing-meets-opera performance. The judges ultimately awarded the top prize, the Golden Buzzer, to Peter Pinto, MCAS ’22, for whistling the song “Let it Go.”
Later in the show, an all-female section of the Acoustics performed a rendition of “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child. Each member wore sunglasses and strutted around the stage. The audience laughed as the group performed their choreography, throwing fake dollar bills into the air during the final chorus.
During a brief intermission, Jason Xue, MCAS ’25, a beatboxer in the Acoustics, entertained the audience. After alerting the audience that he “had a bit of a sniffle,” he incorporated coughing and sneezing into his beatboxing routine. He also conducted an interactive beatboxing performance by assigning different sounds to sections of the audience, eventually bringing them together to create a song. He asked the audience for a random word and assembled a beatboxing routine centered around the word “chimney,” resulting in thunderous applause.
The Acoustics had full command of the audience’s attention when they performed “Good Kisser” by Lake Street Dive. Ellen Hilscher, LSOEHD ’24, made her debut as a soloist for the group. As Hilscher belted the moving lyrics of the song, the audience sat completely enraptured.
To close out the night, the Acoustics sang “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5. Emily Orem, MCAS ’23, performed the solo part, and her vocal runs garnered cheers from the crowd. The song’s harmonies were filled with vibrant tones, contributing to the sunny atmosphere of the song. In the final chorus, all of the Acoustics’ voice parts echoed one another while Orem completed a high vocal run.
After showcasing their many talents, the Acoustics gathered on stage and took their final bow to the cheers of their enthused audience.
Featured Image by Lauren Evans / Heights Staff
