4B - Thursday, September18, 2014
the b - d
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
LSA junior De'Mario Longmire is the co-Music Director of the Angels on Call a cappella group.
the es a
should expect to sing for hospital
patients as often as for undergrad
crowds, it's crucial that they are in
it for more than just achance to sing.
During the first round of
auditions, prospective members are
asked to sing scales - working their
way to their highest and lowest
notes so the board can determine
range. Then, theysight-read a piece
ofmusic andsingaverse and chorus
of the song of their choosing. This
is standard procedure for many
seasoned singers, but the Angels
also encourage unscheduled walk-
in auditions from performers who
might not have as much formal
experience. LSA sophomore
Augusto Costa walked by the
sign-in table, guitar in hand after
an impromptu performance with
friends, when he was asked if he
knew how to sing. Costa had been
planning to rush a few a cappella
groups, but the Angels weren't
really on his radar until he walked
by Au Bon Pain and just "took the
opportunity." Though he didn't
have a chance to prepare for his
audition and confesses that his
sight-reading skills aren't strong,
Costa isn't nervous about how his
audition went.
"So what if they didn't like me?"
he shrugs. "So that'sit."
Another auditioner, Engineering
freshman Sophia Sproul, said the
thing that stands out most about
Angels on Call to her is the group's
community service work (or as
she so beautifully stated it, "the
opportunity to fill people's hearts'
with joy.") Angels on Call is her
favorite of the eight a cappella
groups.she's auditioningfor,but she
didn't lether nervesgetinthe wayof
showcasing hertalent.
"I'm a freshman, I have room to
fail, time to try again, so t'm not too
worried,"she said.
Sproul also cited the refreshingly
friendly attitude of the group for
a successful audition (And the
admiration must have been mutual,
because Sproul was called back for
a second audition a few days later).
Music, Theatre & Dance
freshman Hanna Rumora is also
enthusiastic about her chance to
join Angels on Call, and says that
she's "really into the outreach side
of music." A trained cellist, Rumora
has done many auditions before,
but said that her experience with
Angels has been one of her more
easygoing audition experiences.
The hardest part for her was picking
a song to showcase her talent (she
went with "King of Anything" by
Sara Bareilles). Though Rumora
humbly described her performance
as having gone "fairly well," she
wowed the board enough to earn a
callback spot. Her goals in joining
an a cappella group, whether or not
she eventually decides to heed the
call of the Angels, are to "go enjoy
(herself), and maybe make some
friends,too."
Though it isn't advertised on
their website or written on a club
manifesto, another crucial aspect
ofthe Angels' DNA is their tightknit
and supportive community. While
the first round of auditions is
primarily used to judge singing
ability, the callback phase is
crucial to determining whether an
auditioner's personality meshes
well with the Angels as a whole.
LSA junior De'Mario Longmire,
another Angels board member,
boils the criteria down to "people
who love to sing, but also love to do
charity work, but also are chill and
relaxed and know how to have fun."
At callbacks, potential Angels
were split into sectionals, in which
they worked with other singers in
their category (e.g., altos). Board
members watch especially closely
for good teamwork skills, as these
groups would be the ones with
which Angels spend much of their
time rehearsing. At the end, the
entire group reconvened to sing
"Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie
Caillat, and auditioners' ability to
harmonize with their peers was
put to the test. This was also an
opportunity for the board to see if
auditioners are "musical people," as
Leung put it, and can do something
unique with the sample piece of
music they're given.
The Angel newbies "lucky"
enough to be called back already
possessed that characteristic
Angels camaraderie. Before
callbacks officially began, Sproul
and the 11 other auditioners relaxed
in a hallway in the Union. They
asked each other their majors and
years in school, making small talk
and engaging with the competition.
Though the auditioners were
competing for the same spots,
there's no bad blood. Sproul
reiterated that the group is "so
friendly and welcoming," but she
might as well be talking about the
little community that's begun to
form outside the callback room,
all smiles and shaking hands and
borrowed pens.
The current members of Angels
on Call take extra care to make
sure the whole process is easy on
those who apply. An estimated 100
people auditioned to join Angels on
Call, but only 15 were called back,
and likely only 10 of those will
actually be offered a spot in the
group. The competition is tough,
but the applicants aren't feeling the
pressure. Music, Theatre & Dance
freshman Kat Ward is auditioning.
for six other a cappella groups,
but appreciated that the Angels in
particular handled the inevitable
competition with grace: "I believe
that they just really want you to
do well." LSA sophomore Sarrah
Hakim confesses that this is "really
(her) first audition, since (she
hasn't) done these kind of things
before."Hakimwas anxious priorto
her walk-in audition, but her nerves
quickly dissipated with the Angels'
smiles and warm reception.
"It's been really nice. I don't feel
as nervous as I thought I would,"
she said as she walked away -
visibly relieved and proud of her
accomplishment.
Though Angels on Call doesn't
decide which auditioners will be
offered spots in their group until
later this week (and potential
Angels are given a grace period to
decide whether they'd like to join
a different a cappella group), the
hardest part of the deliberation is
over. The remaining contenders
all have the singing chops and
philanthropic goals to be Angels in
full, and all it comes down to is the
politics of how well the auditioners
fit into their respective sections.
But ultimately, Angels on Call isn't
just a club -, it's a community of
warmheartedandcharitablepeople
wholoveto"singgoodanddogood,"
as Longmire so aptly puts it. Even
those potential Angels who didn't
get their wings and auditioners
who weren't calledback don'tleave
empty-handed, as theyhavehad the
invaluable experience of putting
themselves out there and trying
somethingascary.
Auditions don't always end in
acceptance, but the simple hope of
joiningsomethingspecial isenough
to keepdiese Angels singini.
q
'U' students try out
for prestigious a
cappella group
By CHLOE GILKE
Daily Music Editor
At the Michigan Union on a
Friday night in September, one is
bombardedbythesightsandsounds
of audition week. Colorful posters
direct interested students through
a hallway of a cappella and dance
team audition rooms, all comically
situated in a row and ready for
the auditioners' a ca-shopping.
Countless clashing music samples
fight for attention with the smell of
Subway bread that seems to waft
through the walls and up to the
main floor. At an unassuming table
next to Au Bon Pain, a dark-haired
girl waits, siiniI and holding a
stackofpapers. only very friendly and kind people,
The University. boasts 16 but people who wanted to give back
prestigious acappellagroups.Every to their community," Engineering
year, the Michigan A Cappella sophomore Leora Goldbloom-
Council's "Aca Rush" gives each Helzner, an Angels board member
group a spot in the Michigan said.
League's Ballroom. But one group As a philanthropic organization,
is set apart - Angels on Call is the the audition process for Angels on
only a cappella group that identifies Call differs significantly from those
as non-competitive and focuses of other a cappella groups. Equal
primarily on philanthropy and weight is given to singing ability, the
community service. The Angels individual's fit with the group and
wear their charity-focus like a their dedication to charity work.
badge of honor, proudly advertising Would-be Angels must specify in
their success in fundraising and their application an organization
experience sharing their voices that they would like to give money
withhospitalstotryand attractAca to, and board members use the
Rush attendees. For good reason, auditioner's choice as a tool for
too - their philanthropy is what evaluatingthem.
attracted many current Angels to "There are a lot of good singers
the group in the first place. out there, but ... it's important that
"There are a lot of different (potential members) are really
a cappella groups, and I myself interested in philanthropy," LSA
auditionedforalotofthemlastyear, junior Jessica Leung, Angels on
but this one stood out as being not Call president said. Since members
EPISODE REVIEW
TRAILER REVIEW
Now in its fifth season, "Mas-
terChef" is a well-oiled machine.
When it reaches the end of each
seasonthe
FOX real- 131
ity series is
always at its MasterChef
best; they've Returns Next
narrowed Summer
down an FOX
entirely-
too-large
contestant pool to only the great
chefs. In the season finale, the
judges are familiar enough with
the contestants' cooking that
their criticisms are sharper than
ever. Concurrently, the contes-
tants' dishes are at their most
complicated and delicious.
"MasterChef"'s biggest prob-
lem however presents in the
series' editing. There'sdeliber-
ate work being done to draw out
every moment. Each time host
Gordon Ramsay speaks, itseems
like he's pausing after every
word. In this week's episode, the
camera cuts to several people
for about 30 seconds in between
Ramsay saying "the winner
is" and actually revealing that
Courtney, a former stripper who
makes some beautiful food, had
in fact won.
It's a shame that's the case,
because the actual"cooking
competition" componentcof the
show is actually quite delightful.
Each person in the final three
were excellent home cooks, and
the series displayed each of their
personalitieswell enough that
any winner would have made for
"Listen Up Philip" isdirector
Alex Ross Perry's third film, and
it arrives as one of the year's first
- and most
promising A
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based films. is
Philip (Jason Philip
Schwartz- Sailor Boat
man, "The
Fox Grand Buda-
a satisfying conclusion. pest Hotel") is a self-absorbed
It's a shame that the produc- writerawaiting the publication
ers of shows like "MasterChef" of his second novel. He isvery
feel the need to over-edit the big sure of himself and his work,
moments. Ifthey were willing and everyone he encounters
to change that, the agingseries knows this about him (if they
could be reinvigorated in agreat didn't already). But as his popu-
way. For now though, it's still larity grows, and as the profes-
fairly entertaining, and ulti- sional/social/spiritual demands
mately that's all that matters. of his work increasingly fog
-ALEX INTNER his mind, he becomes angrier
and more bitter, until he nearly
destroys the few relationships
he has with people. When his
literary idol Ike Zimmerman
(Jonathan Pryce, "Pirates of
the Caribbean") invites him to
spendsome time away fromthe
frantic rush ofthings, Philip
forces himself to look at who
he's become and determine
where he'd liketo go - both asa
writer and as a human being.
It's no coincidence that
Perry's writing style hearkens
back to that of Phillip Roth,
Jerry Lewis and Thomas Pyn-
chon. Perry is a lifelongstudent
of those authors, and a dedi-
cated fan who has spentcount-
less hours poring over their
methods. Their same genuine,
ordinarytone and bittersweet
sense of reality are essentially
transposed into "Listen Up
Philip", as the charactersbanter
with honesty, crack witticisms
frequently and express an inner
melancholy thatnever quite fes-
ters into despair. This film looks
to be every bit as smart, engag-
ing and funny asthe people who
produced it.
-BRIANBURLAGE
Eoach wek we, t*k l t, ht a
H~~~~~ 8 ~~hswk
Designby Jake Wefirs
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