At this year's Silver Chord Bowl, the highly popular
showcase of a cappella groups from colleges across the country,
the between-performance announcements and banter may be as
entertaining for Smith community members as the outstanding
singing.
That's when President Carol Christ
will take the microphone, along with Northampton Mayor Clare
Higgins, as they emcee the festivities. The president-mayor
combination is a town/gown first for the event.
The Silver Chord Bowl will take
place on Sunday, February 2, at 2 p.m. in John M. Greene Hall.
Not to be overshadowed by the
historic emcee team are the performers, a "who's who"
lineup of college a cappella groups.
There will be Smith's Noteables,
a group recently referred to as "musical goddesses,"
now in their twentieth season; the Amherst College Zumbyes;
The Boston University Terpsichore, one of the country's best
women's groups, who last year were finalists in the International
Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), held at Lincoln
Center; The University of Michigan's Compulsive Lyres, last
year's first-place winners at the ICCA; the Wesleyan Spirits,
now in their twenty-second year; and the University of Pennsylvania
Inspiration, a co-ed group which celebrates the legacy of
Black music.
The Silver Chord Bowl, a non-competitive
event, is part of the Four Sundays in February series presented
by the Northampton Arts Council. The show has sold out at
John M. Greene Hall for the past two years. Tickets are $8
in advance (available at several local locations, including
State Street Fruit Store and the Academy of Music box office),
$10 at the door; order by credit card by calling 413-587-1269.
"If you have never seen
a college a cappella event you are in for a real treat,"
according to a Northampton Arts Council press release. "You
will be amazed by all the sound that can be created without
instruments, you'll laugh at the antics and be stunned by
the beauty of the harmonies."
For more information, consult
www.northamptonartscouncil.org.
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