On Saturday, April 4, the Colgate Dischords held their annual Spring Concert at Colgate Memorial Chapel and showed off their vocal talent. The event was run by the Dischords, and was open to both the Colgate and Hamilton communities, drawing many students, family members and folks who enjoy a cappella. 

The co-ed a cappella group was founded 13 years ago, and has since become known as one of the most energetic and enjoyable singing groups on campus. Past events include Family Weekend a cappella Concerts, co-performances with the Colgate Resolutions and an a cappella Invitational Concert.

 Senior Wesley Gross has been involved with the Dischords for the entirety of his four years at Colgate, and as a co-musical director has actively worked with the group and co-director, senior Justin Lannin, in determining song selection and scoring. For this Spring Concert in particular, Gross says preparation differed from the usual rehearsal strategy.

“This time we focused a lot on getting with our parts and working an hour outside of rehearsal,” Gross said. “When the parts came in together we all knew the songs and could get right into it as a group.”

The Dischords featured an exciting set list. The evening began with the All American Authors “Best Day of My Life,” and eventually worked towards the B-52’s “Love Shack,” featuring soloist sophomores Katie Lannin and Alexa de Alessandrini, junior administrative director Ben Kauffman and Lannin.

While other tracks included Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping,” the group’s rendition of Pentatonix’s “Run to You” was especially impressive to the audience as the chapel lights were dimmed to create a surreal ambiance, and the song also marked a new territory for the group themselves.

“Run to You is the sixth song we did,” Junior Logan Keig said. “We hadn’t performed that yet in the chapel so that was the first time for us to hear that echo, and we dropped the meter a little bit, slowed a bit down to let that ring and it was a really good moment.”

Overall, the nine songs performed encapsulated the group’s energetic stage presence, allowing the singers to exemplify their solo ability as well harmonic talents.

“We’re a democratic group … We really do have a lot of fun choosing our set list,” said Keig. This could not have been more spot on, as the Dischords kept the audience engaged for entire hour-long show from innovative beat-boxing, to dialogue between songs.

The Dischords rolled out their finale in dramatic fashion with P!nk’s “Just Give Me a Reason,” followed by Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying,” to wrap up an excellent program of a cappella.

Overall, the event was a great way to spend a Saturday evening, but also enjoy the unique musical talent at Colgate.

“I had a great time,” commented first-year Derek Sherry. “It was an excellent show and I really enjoyed myself.”