Celebrate the start of summer with Gold Vibrations
School will soon be out, and finals will be history. What better way to celebrate than attending Gold Vibrations’ final concert of the year, School’s Out AcapalOUza?
The Oakland University group’s 16 talented a cappella singers will put on the concert to mark the end of the year. They will be sing songs they performed in March at the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella semifinals in Chicago.
“Our spring concert always contains ICCA songs because we want to show the school what we do for them,” said Maria Gutowski, a junior double majoring in nursing and Spanish. It is Gutowski’s first year singing in Gold Vibrations.
Since the concert’s theme is the last day of school, the songs will be summer-y and fun, Gutowski said.
Besides the ICCA set of songs, Gold Vibrations will also perform songs by Panic! At the Disco, Bonnie Tyler and Ariana Grande.
Andrew Berkowitz, a member of professional a cappella group Six Appeal, helped Gutowski arrange the Ariana Grande song.
Throughout the concert, Gold Vibrations will be joined by three other a capella groups: Euphoria from Grand Valley State University and the University of Michigan’s Amazin’ Blue and Gimble.
According to Gold Vibrations Vice President Noah Hubbard, a junior majoring in creative writing and cinema studies, Amazin’ Blue will be performing in the ICCA finals right before the concert.
“We will have one of the top-10 groups in America singing with us,” he said.
Per tradition, Gold Vibrations alumni will also be joining the group on stage to sing “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro.
“We do this to emphasize that we are kind of like a family,” Hubbard said.
Gold Vibrations started rehearsing for the School’s Out AcapalOUza right after the ICCA semifinals in March, Gutowski said. According to Hubbard, the singers are still putting in a lot of hard work.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” Hubbard said.
He added that, despite their busy schedules, all members of the group have also put in effort outside of their rehearsals.
“The work that people put in is amazing,” Hubbard said.
“My favorite parts [about this concert] are getting to perform with all these wonderful people, getting to perform my first arrangement and getting to perform the ICCA set one last time as a group,” Gutowski said.
The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26 in Varner Recital Hall.
“This is open to everybody!” Gutowski said.
At-the-door-admission costs $8 for students — kindergarten through college — and $10 for general admission.
“At the concert, we’re going to have a special announcement for everybody,” Gutowski said. “So, come and find out what it is.”
For more information about the concert or Gold Vibrations, visit www.ougoldvibrations.com.