Mizzou Forte to attend quarterfinals
The a cappella group will compete against colleges from around the U.S. and Western Europe.
Published Dec. 1, 2006
After waiting all day to check the e-mail that would seal their fate, the Artistic Director Michael Chesney finally checked his inbox in a computer lab on Nov. 15.
"I knew the e-mail was coming all day and was dreading looking in my inbox," Chesney said. "I was in the Arts and Science computer lab when I finally gathered up the courage. I saw the word 'congratulations' and went crazy with excitement. I was banging on the table and shouting with joy. I know I got a lot of looks, but I didn't care. It was a big moment."
Mizzou Forte, a co-ed a cappella group, will attend the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Midwest Quarterfinals on Feb. 23.
Mizzou Forte will compete against seven other Midwest teams for one of two spots in the college semifinals.
The quarterfinals will be held at Washington University in St. Louis.
"This is our first competition and the first one we have ever auditioned for too," Chesney said. "We have, though, been to other schools, like Truman State, to perform at a cappella festivals, just not competitions."
Associate Director Jenni Hanley shared Chesney's excitement.
"When we started, I know we always planned on competing eventually, but I don't know that we anticipated actually making the competition so soon, because it's pretty competitive, and this was our first time to audition," Hanley said.
Chesney said he hopes the group will live up to its name and one day become "Mizzou's forte."
The organization has begun to prepare for its 12-minute competition slot.
"We're going to spend most of January really polishing the four songs we're competing with, working on choreographing and perfecting everything before we start anything new," Hanley said.
A great amount of time is spent on arranging music, which the group members do themselves.
"At first it was just the director picking and arranging the songs for us, but gradually it's become more of a group process," Hanley said. "We like to do popular songs that people know, from Billy Joel to The Beatles to the All-American Rejects."
The group, which already practices roughly three hours every week, will compete against other competitive teams that, Chesney said, rehearse up to seven hours a week.
The ICCA, in its 11th season, takes place from January through April every year.
Universities audition for quarterfinals in one of seven regions: West, Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, New England and Western Europe.
It is also the only international tournament that showcases the art of student a cappella singing, according to the competition's Web site.
Chesney said he is not concerned about placing in the competition.
"This is about showcasing what we do, making MU proud and becoming a true member of the national a cappella community," Chesney said. "There are going to be a lot of great groups all trying to get one of the two available spots in the semifinal — groups that have been around a lot longer than we have and have experience with ICCAs. But, rest assured, we are going to do our best to give them one heck of a show."
Mizzou Forte will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 in Allen Auditorium. The show, "Instruments? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Instruments," is free to students and features special guests from Comedy Wars and Sweet Nothings, a co-ed a cappella group from Truman State University.