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While attending a party in his friend’s dorm room last Saturday night, Elias Grontzman ’16 was reported to have been harmonizing to the background music, and, for a brief moment of glory, attained what can only be referred to as superstar status.
The party had quickly turned into a sing-along, with all the partygoers belting lyrics at the top of their lungs to varying levels of musical success. Suddenly, in the middle of La Roux’s “Bulletproof,” Grontzman’s voice floated above all of their others, ringing out in a clear tenor harmony.
“I almost started weeping on the spot,” noted Sarah Dwyer ‘16. “It was like an angel singing out from heaven and I was witness to its beauty.”
“It’s a harmony I’ve been testing out for a while now,” said Grontzman. “It’s gone through a fair bit of workshopping, but I finally felt like it was ready, so I went for it.”
“I’ve been a fan of Grontzman’s harmonies for a while now,” commented Alex Gamm ’16. "But what he did the other night was just extraordinary. The tone as he jumped up to that high harmony, the surprising notes, the way he’s willing to put himself out there and risk complete and abject failure—he’s a visionary. He’s revolutionizing how we think about harmonies.”
Not every one of Grontzman’s harmonies has hit the mark, however. Due to the unorthodox nature of his harmonies, he can sometimes claim the spotlight, only to crash and burn. An attempted harmony to Flo Rida’s “Whistle” received predominantly negative reviews from partygoers.
“The ‘Whistle’ debacle was unfortunate,” said Grontzman. “The melody was simply too powerful. My harmonies were no match for its catchiness. I admit, I was dissonant.”
Nonetheless, Grontzman is not fazed by his occasional failures, as he feels that every time he attempts a harmony leads to a new, unexpected moment that can never be recreated. “I’m really serious about my craft," he said. "I’m not singing harmonies, the harmonies sing me. They sing all of us.”
Gronzman is also apparently working on some new harmonies he claims will “blow you away.” When asked to give a sample, though, he merely responded, “Harmonize with myself? Please, that’s impossible—or is it?”
