by Kat Bradfield
Capital’s a cappella ensemble, Capitones, held its debut performance Saturday.
“We originally started getting people together in February, and it was an official organization by April of the past spring semester,” founder, Quentin Cowell, said. “I just wanted to do a cappella, and there were no other groups on campus that were open to the entire student body, so we got some people together and were like ‘Let’s sing pop songs.’”
Another member, Stephanie Bond, junior, adds, “It’s kind of a more low key ensemble. It’s student lead so there’s not such tight guidelines and so we can get more people on campus involved.”
Though the Capitones are a very young organization, they have had much success attracting people to their group.
“We started with thirteen, and I wanted to have twenty five, but we had a lot of people sign up for auditions,” Cowell said.
There are currently 30 members in the ensemble and Bond says they are expecting it to grow.
For this performance, the group prepared and performed Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” a mash-up of “Crazy World,” and “The Great Escape,” both by the band Boys Like Girls, which was arranged by Quinten Cowell.
They also performed the ever so popular “Some Nights” by Fun, “Fix You” by Coldplay, and, though they refused to reenact the Pitch Perfect scene, “Titanium” by David Guetta. Throughout the show there were a number of soloists, Cowell, Brian Perry, Angie Fisher, Andrew Bair, Spencer Saylor, Brady Brennan, Michaela Wolfe, Lauren Murphy, Morgan Oliver, and Katie Goodman.
“We find arrangements online, or maybe it’s an arranger, so we end up voting on the songs we want to do,” Cowell said.
Bond adds, “If we find something really cool, it’s easy to be like ‘Hey, let’s sing this!’”
Being a student-lead organization also sets it apart from the other ensembles on campus.
“I am also in Chapel Choir, and [the two] are different groups,” Bond says. “Chapel choir is more of a professional ensemble.
It is comprised of mostly music majors, so the competition is a lot higher than the Capitones. That one is a bit more rigorous. Capitones is much more laid back.”
In addition to singing some of everyone’s favorite pop tunes, the group is doing their part for society by raising money for Relay for Life.
“Initially we weren’t going to collect donations because it was our first concert,” Cowell says. “I didn’t want to ask for money, but since it’s for a cause, we decided to do it.”
Through everything, Cowell stresses the most important thing about Capitones is its accessibility to students, separating it from other musical groups on campus.
“Anyone can audition. You don’t have to be in choir; you don’t have to be in the conservatory.”
kbradfield@capital.edu
