As students arrived on campus for first-year orientation, a cappella groups assembled for their single, glorious night of relevance. The annual orientation archsing found droves of vocalists looking to dazzle new students and get their fill of attention for the long year ahead.
“This is a really exciting time for us,” said Higher Keys president David Lambley, who spends 364 days of the year in relative obscurity. “The rest of the year is about laying low, putting up posters around campus, and trying to sell tickets in the Blue Room. But now we get to show twenty to thirty freshman what we’ve got. For one sublime night, we own this campus. And it’s absolutely exhilarating.”
Junior Olivia Marsh of The Chattertocks echoed this sentiment. “The promise of this single night keeps us going through months of grueling rehearsal," explained Marsh. "All the late nights are worth it when we see those freshmen stick around for a few minutes on their way to the ice cream social. In that moment, we’re campus royalty. Then it’s back to the grind.”
At press time, a cappella groups were clearing their schedules to break ground on their 2019 orientation setlists.