Barden University might have “The Bellas” and “The Treblemakers,” but NC State has Acappology, the first all-gender a cappella group founded in 1994.
Emily Ramsey, a fourth-year studying psychology and business manager for Acappology, said there’s a diversity of majors within the group; however, what all members have in common is their love for music.
“We’re a group of people who come from all different kinds of backgrounds and majors,” Ramsey said. “We all joined the group to just embrace and share in a mutual love of music.”
The selection process of songs involves voting. At the beginning of the year, each group member presents song ideas for upcoming performances, and then they listen to them and vote.
“What our repertoire ends up being is a very mixed bag,” said Connor Donovan, a third-year studying physics and a bass/tenor for Acappology. “A majority of it is a lot of pop music, but we’ve got a little bit of everything. We embrace the mutual interests of the group.”
What sets the group apart is its known to be one of the few a cappella groups to use a collaborative arrangement style, allowing everyone to contribute during performances.
“There is usually a moment when a song falls in place,” Ramsey said. “Sometimes, that’s the first time we sing it together, and other times it takes a lot longer for us to get it, but there’s always that moment when the first little bit of a song falls into place and everyone sounds really good together. There’s definitely something a little bit magical about all of that.”
Acappology is working to release its first single, featuring two songs, in the future.
“One of my favorite [songs] … is a mashup of ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley and ‘Bellyache’ by Billie Eilish,” Ramsey said. “We have a single that will be coming out in the near future … that will have two songs on it, and that’s one of them.”
The single will also include “I Found” by Amber Run.
Both Ramsey and Donovan joined Acappology in 2021.
“In high school, I sang with an all gender a cappella group,” Donovan said. “I had a great time doing it, and then I came here to NC State and thought Acappology was an awesome fit.”
Ramsey’s interest in a capella started after watching Pitch Perfect.
“I was like, ‘That’s really cool,’” Ramsey said, talking about Pitch Perfect. “And then I came to college, and I was looking for clubs and extracurriculars to involve myself in. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a capella, that’s a real thing,’ and I was like, ‘I want to do that. I love it.’”
In the past, Acappology has performed at Parents and Family Weekend, the Grandparents’ Tea, several last day of class celebrations and Homecoming. In October, the group held a Halloween-themed fall concert, in which group and audience members dressed in costumes, conjuring a sense of community and festivity.
Next semester, Acappology will be competing in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, and will present its 30th anniversary concert March 3.
Donovan said Accapology has not only helped him make connections with others, but also improve his voice.
“The best part for me is not only growing close to one another but also watching myself grow as a singer,” Donovan said.
Acappology is currently raising money to record tracks for an EP through a Krispy Kreme fundraiser. For more information, visit its Instagram or website.
