KELSEY LITTLETON;Â Guest Writer;Â littlekn@plu.edu
Editor’s Note: The author of this piece, Kelsey Littleton, is a member of HERmonic.
As the end of the school year is only weeks away, Lutes are preparing for some of the biggest events of the year, from LollaPLUza to spring sports playoffs to finals. Two groups at Pacific Lutheran University are working especially hard preparing for their final concert of the year. HERmonic and PLUtonic, the women’s and men’s a cappella ensembles, are ready to share their talents with the school.
Their journeys started days after the school year began by acquiring several new members, including first-year Luke Hartley.
“The best part of being in PLUtonic is having that instant bond with a group of guys over the same love of music,” said the music education major.
The a Capaella group’s first concert was on November 12 in Eastvold Auditorium. HERmonic and PLUtonic were joined by the Clay Crows, who entertained the crowd during mic changes between sets.
Each group sang approximately eight songs each, with highlights being PLUtonic’s rendition of “Stressed Out” with the rapping stylings of Hartley, and HERmonic’s “My Boo,” featuring first-year Kamryn Littleton, junior Tegan Mitchell and junior Sarah Crum doing the running man.
“One of the best things about HERmonic is getting to collaborate with such a talented group of women,” said Crum. “Being in HERmonic is one of my favorite things at PLU.”
Both HERmonic and PLUtonic traveled to Western Washington University in Bellingham to compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). The women started with a mashup entitled “I Need Me, Myself, and a Little Party,” followed by “Back to Black,” and finished with a throwback to Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.” The men sang a hilarious version of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You,” Zayn’s “Pillowtalk,” and ended their set with a mashup of Maroon 5 songs.
“The highlight of ICCA was seeing the community of a cappella,” Hartley said. “It was amazing to see all different kinds of people from all over the place get together and share their love of a cappella music.”
Although neither of the two groups won, HERmonic did have one member take the stage for an award. Junior Rizelle Rosales received the award for best solo for her soulful rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.”
PLUtonic and HERmonic’s final performance of the school year is Friday, May 5 at 6:30p.m. at the amphitheater at Mary Baker Russell. They will sing their setlist from ICCA, as well as debut new music arranged by group members.
“You should come to our concert because you’ll get to hear amazing music,” Crum said. “The amphitheater concert is always really fun because we get to be outside and let loose in a very different environment than our normal concerts.”
HERmonic and PLUtonic hope to see you on May 5 for their last performance. Come enjoy singing, celebration and hopefully sunshine!
