UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 13, Page 3
December 2, 1993
Campus a cappella groups to present concerts tonight, tomorrow 

     Forget the guitar pyrotechnics, the keyboard wizardry and the pounding
drumbeat. For four student groups on campus, the musical style of choice is
the unaccompanied voice.
     These four separate a cappella groups entertain area audiences with
their voices and antics.
     The Golden Blues is the oldest group, a coed endeavor that was founded
by some interested students in 1988. Christie Starrett, current musical
director explained the a cappella attraction.
     "It's not just du wop from the '50s," she said. "It can be anything.
We don't limit anything from our repertoire. We sing everything from James
Taylor to Saturday morning cartoon themes."
     The 12-member group plans on visiting other schools to sing, including
Franklin and Marshall College, the University of Maryland, and the
University of Pennsylvania. Other groups also occasionally perform with
them, such as The Poor Richards from Franklin and Marshall, which will be
appearing at a campus concert Dec. 2.
     The D Sharps is an all-women group founded in 1990. It lists peace,
cultural diversity and human rights in its credo. Consisting of 13 members,
the D Sharps toured the East Coast, singing in North Carolina, Georgia and
Florida.
     Occasionally gracing the stage at The East End Cafe for Open Mic
Night, the group performs selections ranging from The Doobie Brothers to
classical pieces.
     The Deltones, founded in 1991, consists of nine coed members who sing
and have fun.
     President Dave Alick said, "We're singers, as well as performers, we
really want to have fun and put on a good show. I think that a cappella
singing is becoming more and more popular because it's a different sound
than something you'd find on the radio. It's more creative."
     The group's repertoire includes selections by the Rolling Stones as
well as Swahili folk songs.
     "We'll try anything, and if we like it, we'll keep it," Alick added.
     The youngest of the campus a cappella groups is the Hen Harmonics.
     President Matt Rickards explained his attraction for the medium: "I
have always liked the sound, and it has a wide variety. There are the du
wop songs, and we do "Goodnight Sweetheart," but we also do "Brown-Eyed
Girl" by Van Morrison. There is a wide range of sounds you can get, and
they might be performed differently by all different groups."
                                                  -Mary Beth Lynch