It was Friday night, Nov. 11, and a crowd of Drew students, parents, alumni, staff and community members packed into the Doyo’s Concert Hall to eagerly witness Jamnation 2022. Hosted by Drew’s alto-soprano acapella group On a Different Note (OADN), the audience was met with skillful, entertaining and original performances from our three student acapella groups.
OADN both opened and closed the show with a humorous skit based on Family Feud in which the Sopranos (no relation to the family in the popular show) faced off against the Altos. The skit was written in a collaborative effort by Nicole Verga (‘23) and Faith Sirdashney (‘24) —and it accompanied the main act, a series of acapella song covers. These included covers of “God is a Woman” by Ariana Grande, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls and “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae.
The other acts, however, certainly did not disappoint. All of the Above, Drew’s all voices group, drew upon our collective nostalgia in their “Magic School Bus” themed show and performed some exciting and unexpected acapella songs— including “Reptilia” by The Strokes. The audience erupted upon seeing 36 Madison Avenue (the tenor-baritone-bass group) and their cowboy attire— they wowed the crowd with covers of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “Sixteen Tons” by Merle Travis.
After OADN’s closing Alumni Song “You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor, the Drew Acorn went backstage to interview OADN board member Pippa Gerber-Stroh (‘23). Gerber-Stroh described the creative process behind Jamnation:
“We spend the majority of rehearsals working on dynamics, and making sure our parts, like our harmonies, are correct. And then, as we get closer to the concert, we devote part of our rehearsals to writing a skit, making characters and things like that. And then, we mostly do run-throughs, [which are] mini rehearsals where we run through the entirety of the concert and make sure everything goes seamlessly.”
Indeed, Jamnation was made possible entirely through the consistent practice and dedication of the members of Drew’s acapella groups. The effort behind the show was summarized nicely by Gerber-Stroh: “It’s a lot of fun. It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Fun for the audience and cast, Jamnation 2022 was a resounding success.
