The crowd in Devlin 008 roared as the lights illuminated the names of five a cappella groups competing for the title of “Best of Boston.” Voices singing the opening notes of “Daydreaming” by Harry Styles started to sing and the Boston College Dynamics descended down the stairs from the back of the lecture hall.
The BC Dynamics hosted the Best of Boston A Cappella invitational show on Saturday, welcoming the Heightsmen of BC and three teams: Upper Structure of Berklee College of Music along with Pitch, Please! and The Nor’easters from Northeastern University.
After the Dynamics kicked off the show, co-ed group Upper Structure was the first to take the stage. Upper Structure opened with Tei Shi’s “A Kiss Goodbye” featuring leading soloist Maggie MacKenzie, who brought strong vocals to the breathy song.
The Upper Structure singers balanced their voices on the song “Spirit Cold” by Tall Heights. To close out the set, soloist Maxwell Addae garnered roaring applause for “Around” by Durand Bernarr.
The Nor’easters, a co-ed group from Northeastern University, also impressed the crowd with pop covers. The group shifted to a more mellow mood with “FOOLS” by Troye Sivan but quickly returned to upbeat tunes when the next soloist stepped up to sing “Sweet & Sour” by Elli Ingram.
The group’s last song, “Stayaway” by MUNA, was the most memorable of The Nor’easters’ performance due to the striking voice of soloist Julianna Zannikos. The crowd’s applause rewarded her impressive high notes. Even after the performance came to an end, people whispered in awe of Zannikos’ voice.
The Heightsmen, BC’s all-male a cappella group, then took the stage. The group started off its performance with Michael Bublé’s “Haven’t Met You Yet,” covered by soloist Jake Parkman, MCAS ’24, whose contagious energy made the crowd cheer.
Nick Rossi, MCAS ’23, sang “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees, which fit the group’s voices and energy perfectly.
The members of the crowd erupted into applause as members of Pitch, Please! assembled in front of them. Isha Kumar showcased her powerful vocal range on the all-female group’s first song, “All For Us” by Labrinth and Zendaya. After the song ended, Olivia Materetsky started to beatbox to open “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus. The last song was “Titivating” by Kiah Victoria, and the group received applause throughout the song.
The Dynamics returned to the stage to close out the show with three songs. First, they sang “Everybody’s Gay” by Lizzo. Next was “Oh My God” by Adele, and the sweet yet powerful voice of Caroline Sloan, MCAS ’24, garnered extended applause.
To bring the show to an end, the group sang “Golden” by Harry Styles, and many audience members exited the lecture hall still singing the hit to themselves.
