Arts at Holy Cross

Group: Fools on the Hill

Members: Angelo DeNofrio ’16 Francie Sullivan ’16 Kelly Clarke ’16 Jacqueline Bashaw ’17 Juliana Brandao ’17 Andrew Truong ’17 Michael Sixsmith ’17 Carley Buckley ’18 Katie Santaniello ’18 Caroline Legare ’18 Kelman Ramirez ’18 Julia Palmerino ’18 Katrina Black ’18 Tyler MacDonald ’18 Tom Petito ’18 Joe Egan ’19 John Dube ’19 James Falconer ’19 Lauren Carey ’19 Elizabeth Murphy ’19

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Carley.

I am sophomore English and Music double major and this is my second year in Fools. I’ve been involved with a cappella music since I was a freshman in high school. I knew I wanted to continue singing a cappella but with the variety of a cappella groups on campus, I wasn’t sure which group I wanted to audition for or if I would even make the cut. It wasn’t until my friend and fellow Fool, Juliana Brandao approached me after choir rehearsal and convinced me to audition. Even from that first audition, everyone in the group was so warm and welcoming. I loved being in Fools on the Hill last year and this group really helped me transition into college even more.

What is Fools on the Hill? And what is your ensemble all about?

Well, we definitely live up to our name. This group consists of some of the funniest and craziest people I’ve ever met. As much fun as we all like to have fun, our main focus is the music and making sure we are prepared for every performance. Our fantastic arranger, Katie Santaniello, creates these amazing arrangements each week and we want to be able to perform these songs and feature each soloist to the best of our ability. Trying to find the balance of having fun and still being productive can be difficult at times but when we do achieve that goal, we are all extremely proud of the final product.

What do you love most about singing in Fools?

I love being able to sing and perform with some of my best friends on campus! We’ve created such a close bond so quickly that it’s fun to share the stage with them. It’s also a nice break from the normal stresses of classes and homework twice a week. On top of that, these people push me to be a better musician and performer. Even the new members are extremely talented and everyone supports one another to sing and perform to the best of their abilities. It’s really exciting to be in a group with such a variety of singers in the group. We have such a range of voices that anyone one of us could perform a solo yet at the same time we are able to blend and be part of the background. That’s really exciting!

What’s it like being a part of the a capella community on campus?

There is a certain bond between individuals and the groups on campus due to a common interest in this specific genre of music. It is amazing what the human voice is capable of doing such as mimicking the sounds of instruments. It also creates a trust among the members of each group. Each member is responsible for learning, memorizing, and perfecting their part and they have to trust their fellow members to do the same. If they don’t, then the arrangement falls apart. Because there are five groups on campus, there is always some friendly competition of who’s the funniest, who’s the most energetic, who has the best arrangements, etc. However, at the end of the day, all the groups really do support each other.

What’s your favorite song to perform and why?

We’ve covered many artists from Lady Gaga to The Killers, but my favorite song to perform this year is definitely “I See Fire” by  Ed Sheeran. The arrangement is absolutely beautiful and Caroline Legare (the soloist) sounds amazing on it (check it out below!) Not only are our notes, rhythm, and overall techniques right, but the dynamics, swells, and little nuances that are added on top of that really make this song electric. I’m always so excited to perform this song!

If you could describe Fools in three words, what would those be and why?  

Foolish, vibrant, creative. Foolish because we are a crazy group of people who do and say the most outrageous things. It makes for very entertaining rehearsals. I would also describe this group as vibrant. Fools on the Hill is a very diverse group made up of very different types of personalities and different types of voices. With this wide range of voices we are able to cover many different songs and genres and we able to add color and a different sound to each arrangement. Which is why I would also say that we are creative. As I mentioned before, Katie does an amazing job arranging songs for us each week. However, we also like to come up with some choreography and dance moves to do at Cool Beans just to have more fun while performing!

Upcoming Performances

• Guest performance at A Cappella Go! Concert at Needham High School on January 23

• Every Thursday at 10:10 pm at Cool Beans

Check out Fools on the Hill performing “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran, solo Caroline Legare ’18:

Group: Off the Record

Members: Julia Baker ’17, Katelyn Lyons ’18, Catherine Cote ’18, Alyssa White ’18, Casey Fang ’18, Tess Andrekus ’18, Caroline Body ’19, Sara Reimer ’19, Devyn McHugh ’19, Lizzie Flynn ’19, Sarah Carnwath ’19, Ella Cappabianca ’19, and Emali Khalyat ’19.

What is Off the Record?

“Off the Record is one of the newer all female a cappella groups on campus. As a group we are unique, positive, and energetic. Our members love having fun, both behind the scenes and when we are performing!”

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How long have you been a part of this ensemble, how did you initially become involved?

“I am a sophomore and I am studying to be an English teacher. I am an active participant in the theatre department at Holy Cross and have been singing since the fifth grade. I joined Off the Record the second semester of my first year. A friend of mine, a current member, encouraged me to audition —she caught me brushing my teeth in the bathroom and told me to look out for an email from the a cappella group. The rest of course is history.”

What do you love most about singing in Off the Record?

“There are so many reasons why I love singing in Off the Record. I especially love all of the members of this group, the young women who I have the pleasure of singing with every week are what really makes this group special. Everyone in the group is different, has such vibrant personalities and shines individually —when put together we create something amazing.”

What is it like being a part of the a cappella community on campus?

“It is honestly so much fun! All of the groups on campus are incredibly talented, but also so different. We each have a sound that is unique to our own. I love when we have the opportunity to perform together, most recently during the annual family weekend a cappella concert —I loved hearing the other groups sing, it is a reminder of just how many talented people we have on campus.”

What is your favorite song to perform and why?

“I really enjoy singing my solo, “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith. It was my first official solo since being a part of the group and it felt amazing to be able to do so in front of large groups of people. I received a lot of positive feedback afterwards and it makes me happy that people enjoyed listening to it. It is also a song that has a level of personal meaning to me, so it felt especially good to sing it.”

If you could describe Off the Record in three words, what would those be and why? 

“We are: OFF THE RECORD!”

Upcoming Performances:

• Every Tuesday at 9:40 pm in Coolbeans!
• We will also be featured in the a cappella battle later this winter

“This is not serious method acting.  Do you get that, guys?  I mean, Steve Martin wrote this. You all need to have infinitely more fun.”

That was the note given to us by Professor Edward Isser after he watched a rehearsal of The Underpants shortly before Thanksgiving.  Luckily, we still had two weeks before opening night to find our fun, and Savannah Plante ‘16 (our director) has squeezed the funny out of us.  As I write this backstage before our final dress rehearsal, Professor Isser’s comment sums up the show perfectly.

Steve Martin, for so many of us, is a staple of our childhood: Father of the Bride, The Pink Panther, Cheaper by the Dozen, Saturday Night Live… I can think of so many family movie nights where Steve Martin left me in stitches.  I have always had a kind of weird attachment to the man: my father bares an uncanny resemblance to Steve (or at least he did – Steve seems to have gotten younger and my dad…well…), my favorite movie is Father of the Bride, and now I get to act in a play he wrote.  How excellent is that?  This show is vintage Steve Martin comedy.  It’s chock-full of zany characters, ridiculous turns-of-phrase, and plenty of high and low comedy.  It never takes itself too seriously and the script is delightful to play with as a performer.  For the audience, I can’t think of a more pleasant way to spend an hour and a half during a stress-crazed exam crunch.

As someone whose time at Holy Cross is rapidly coming to a close, I sometimes consider some of my best moments at Holy Cross (only sometimes, I promise – I’m not that crazy).  So many of these are Friday and Saturday nights on Fenwick Stage with a bright stage and a laughing audience. I’m excited to add this show to my Rolodex.  If the audience has a fraction of the fun that we have on stage, it’s going to be a really special set of performances.

The cast and crew has been working hard rehearsing, sewing underwear, hanging lights, grilling sausages, building sets and painting portraits of fake German Kaisers.  If you have a free hour or two, come check us out.  Let us do the thinking for once, just sit back and enjoy.

– Erik Schneider ’16

The Underpants is directed by Savannah Plante ’16 and runs December 3, 4, and 5 at 8:00pm and December 5 and 6 at 2:00pm in the Fenwick Theatre. $7 for the HC Community, $10 General Admission.