A cappella concert caps Winter Carnival

A cappella singing talents from Syracuse University and two nearby colleges were center stage Saturday at the “Snowed in with Groovestand” concert.

SU’s co-ed Groovestand act hosted the annual invitational at Goldstein Auditorium, which also closed out the school’s Winter Carnival

Groups from Cornell University and Lafayette College plus two more SU a cappella crews – Main Squeeze and Redemption -- had audience members dancing in their seats.

Photo: Stephanie Keefe

Groovestand's Brittany Hadley sings a solo during Saturday's concert event at Goldstein Auditorium.

The dancing spread to the aisles during Groovestand's finale, a version of Jay-Z and Alicia Key’s “Empire State of Mind.”

The host act’s Saturday set won first place at the quarterfinals competition for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella on Feb. 19. Also, Groovestand member Hannah Corneau won the outstanding soloist award for her Empire State of Mind performance.

"Winning quarterfinals was an amazing achievement for our group,” sophomore Brittany Hadley said.  "It was great to have our invitational the next weekend because we are still so hyped up."

The invitational’s visiting acts were The Class Notes from Cornell and Chorduroy from Lafayette.

The Class Notes’ Julian Ordman, who transferred from SU to Cornell where he’s a sophomore, had performed with Groovestand during his freshman year.

"I was really honored Groovestand thought of us, and invited us to perform tonight,” Ordman said. "It’s obviously great to be back and to see everyone again."

Groovestand will compete at ICCA semifinals on March 26 at Rutgers to try to earn a trip to finals in April. 

SU's Main Squeeze sings in harmony during Saturday's a cappella invitational concert. (Photo by Stephanie Keefe)