To kick off “Halloweekend”  at Fordham was this year’s a cappella teaser concert, showcasing the talents and efforts of Fordham’s own a cappella groups. Taking the stage of Keating auditorium, the Ramblers, the Satin Dolls, the b-Sides, the Hot Notes and Lincoln Center’s only a cappella group, the F-Sharps, performed two songs each for a packed hall. The energy among the groups was undeniably electric, and the Halloween teaser was a good start for the upcoming season of Fordham a cappella. 

Intended to pique the interest and anticipation of their audience, the Halloween teaser offers the Fordham community a taste of the pieces each group is rehearsing for their individual concerts in December. Each group dressed to the nines in their Halloween costumes, boosting the spirit of the weekend and the excitement of their audience. Starting off the concert strong was Fordham’s all-male student-run a cappella group, the Ramblers, featuring the vocals of the group’s president, Caleb Rocha, FCRH ’23. Rocha, dressed as Billy Hargrove from the wildly popular television series “Stranger Things,” soloed on “Troublemaker” by Olly Murs. To say that Rocha’s costume satisfied his song choice is an understatement, and his powerful vocals set the stage for a scarily phenomenal night. Following the euphonious harmonies of the Ramblers was an overwhelming sense of girlpower from Fordham’s all-female a cappella group, the Satin Dolls, led by Julia Leahy, FCRH ’23.

Stripped of the opportunity to perform live during the pandemic, the Fordham a cappella scene is driven by a sense of mutual support and a love for music, says the Dolls. If you couldn’t afford to make the trip to Madison Square Garden to attend Harryween, the Satin Dolls have you covered. The costumes they sported paired beautifully with their vocals: eloquent, impressive and simply iconic. Honoring pop icon Harry Styles’ love for Halloween, the Dolls performed Styles’ “Music For a Sushi Restaurant” as one of their two numbers of the night. After their performance, the Satin Dolls promoted their album “Dolls,” which is available on all streaming services, as well as their concert on Dec. 1, 2022. 

Making their first appearance on the Keating stage since the shutdown of the pandemic in March 2020 was the Lincoln Center F-Sharps. Dressed as the cast of characters from the “Despicable Me” series, they took the Rose Hill stage by storm and even extended a personal invitation to the Rose Hill campus to attend their individual performance. Occurring on Dec. 8, 2022, the F-Sharps will take the stage once more in Pope Auditorium at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus for their individual concert. 

Contributing to the astounding success of the teaser and spine-chilling ambiance of Halloweekend were the outstanding performances by the Hot Notes and the b-Sides, Fordham’s two co-ed a cappella groups. Eager to show off the newly established members of the b-Sides family is the group’s Music Director, Tori Broadbent, FCRH ’24. Led by David Escobar, FCRH ’23, the b-Sides’ performance consisted of “Black Magic” by Little Mix and “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows, arranged by Sarah Shanahan, FCRH ’24.

“I personally just love being up there singing with everyone, it’s really awesome to share our hard work with an audience and it’s also incredibly rewarding for me as Music Director to see my music visions come to life,” says Broadbent. However, Broadbent’s musical aspirations were not the only b-Sides success of the evening. Dressed as characters from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, the b-Sides took their Halloween spirit to another level. Directed by the power of Broadbent’s magic wand and her passion for music, the b-Sides will be performing again at their concert on the evening of Dec. 4, 2022. 

The Halloween teaser was only a small taste of the fantastic season in store for Fordham a cappella. Each group is composed of Fordham’s most gifted performers, enhancing our community with their creativity, talents and dedication to their craft. Each group will be holding their own concerts in early December. Follow them on Instagram to learn more.