On the night of Nov. 7, the a capella groups on campus gathered in the Concert Hall in the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts for an 80s-themed show. The event was hosted by On a Different Note, a soprano-alto a capella group composed of Drew University students.
The concert began with a cold open by OADN singing “I Want to Break Free” by Queen, featuring a solo from member Jessica Hyman (‘26). All the members wore 1980s-inspired attire to truly set the tone of the show. The president of OADN, Kayla Cleary (‘26), welcomed everyone to Jamnation and thanked the audience for coming to watch the show.
Following that, Cleary introduced the next a cappella group, All of the Above, and their opening song, “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, featuring a solo from Vicky Bojorquez (‘29). The next song they performed was “Willow” by famed artist Taylor Swift, which was a pleasant, soothing song to hear during the nighttime performance. After their soloist, Lauren Crespi (‘27), finished singing, the group announced their final song of the night, “Ends of the Earth” by Lord Huron. AOTA mixed this piece up by casting it as a duet performed by Vincent Vespignani (‘28) and Corinne Lacobucci (‘29).
The next group to take the stage was 36 Madison Avenue with their opening song “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys, featuring Grady Cummings (‘27) as the soloist. Once the song ended, MadAve President Casey Cornwell (‘27) introduced all of MadAve and thanked OADN for having them. MadAve donned their usual blue t-shirts and varsity jackets while performing. Their next song was “Your Smiling Face” by James Taylor, featuring Cornwell as the soloist. The last song for MadAve was “Renegade” by Styx, an intense but upbeat way to send off MadAve, performed by Haile Benway (‘28).
OADN came back on stage to finish up the night with a rendition of “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears with a solo from Izzi Da Silva (‘28), who is also the group’s coordinator and secretary. Next on the set list for the show was “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, whose soloist, Gianna Treiber (‘28), gave a chilling rendition of the popular song. Before their final song of the night, soloist and new member Sara Tavares (‘29) gave a beautiful performance of The B-52s’ “Roam.” To end Jamnation on a high note, Cleary invited alumni up to the stage to perform “You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor with public relations coordinator Ava Stroh (‘27) as perc.
All the groups thanked the audience for coming out to see their musical showcase before inviting them to mingle in the rotunda, where OADN was selling baked goods and new merchandise.
Katie Germinder is a junior majoring in environmental studies & sustainability and minoring in anthropology and media & communications.
