The Ladies in Red female acapella group featured new arrangements of popular music during their annual concert Saturday night.

The Ladies in Red have been performing since 1993 and typically have one big show per semester. This semester the “Ladies” were Tricia Artim , Gracie Bell, Tracy Kristin Johnson, Ashley Oskardmay , Chelsea Schwabe , Olivia Springer and Krystal Rodas . They performed their yearly show to a packed theater of onlookers and supporters.

Sponsored by the N.C . State Music Department, the group has a diverse makeup of girls with various singing talents. Though a professional staff supports them, the girls manage themselves and are responsible for the quality of their productions.

This year, music directors and members of the group Chelsea Schwabe and Ashley Oskardmay took the ladies in a Top 40 direction, selecting and arranging popular songs and riffs for performances.

“[Ashley and I] have been doing collaborative arranging with songs we like and putting a creative spin on them,” Schwabe said. “We [music directors] have a vision for the group – where we want to take it – and we’re looking to appeal to a younger crowd and reach out to the N.C . State community.”

According to Schwabe , Saturday night’s performance boasted one of the girls’ best arrangements yet. She said their song “Hell on Heels” was a collective harmony that turned out to showcase their best assets and talents.

“Each of our parts mattered. Each was an important piece of the song as a whole,” Schwabe said.

Group member and sophomore in communications Olivia Springer said she agreed with Schwabe about the arrangement.

“‘Hell on Heels’ really fit our voices. It definitely was a very appealing song,” Springer said.

Springer said she also felt strongly about the group’s “Rolling in the Deep” and “Crazy” mash up. She said it was a vocal-intensive song that was fun to perform. Songs that are popular and relatable with the university community are, according to Springer, vital for good performances and the success of the group.

“It’s really important, especially for an a cappella group, to give people stuff they’ve heard before but with a twist. That’s what draws people in,” Springer said.

 Stephen Wrightenberry , senior in mechanical engineering and former member of the Grains of Time, is a fan of the Ladies in Red. He said he thinks the girls have a solid foundation of talent that will carry them to success. Wrightenberry said his old group, which is an all-male version a capella group, is supportive of the Ladies’ musical direction.

“They have some raw talent that is unmatched. All the girls have really strong voices and as a group they perform well together,” Wrightenberry said.

Schwabe , senior in communications, said although she is leaving the group when she graduates in May, she feels comfortable about the future of the Ladies in Red. With Oskardmay taking over the musical direction of the girls, Schwabe said the group will only get better.

“I feel like I’m leaving them in a good place. We’ve progressed and grown so much and Ashley is going to be a really strong leader,” Schwabe said.