Some of Maine’s top college a cappella ensembles will perform at ArtsFarmington’s first “A Cappella Festival” starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 7, in Nordica Auditorium located in Merrill Hall on the campus of UMF at 224 Main St. in Farmington.
Host group, Northfield, the Farmington-based a cappella group, will open the show. Northfield has been singing together, in varying line-ups, for more than 30 years, and draw their repertoire largely from the music of Renaissance and Medieval Europe and the early American shape note tradition.
Two of the groups, The Megalomaniacs from Colby and the Clefnotes from the University of Maine at Farmington are comprised of male and female voices, while the Merimanders founded in 1958 on the campus of Bates College is an all female ensemble and the Meddiebempsters are an all male group from Bowdoin College. The UMF Clefnotes are a student-led, co-ed group consisting of about 20 students from the University of Maine at Farmington. They sing a variety of genres but mostly focus on contemporary pop music. The 16 members of the Megalomaniacs (aka “Megs”) derive their name from the psychological phenomenon “megalomania” defined by delusions of grandeur. They have brought their unique and quirky arrangements to the a cappella scene for 23 years.
The Merimanders, “The Meris,” Bates’ oldest female singing group, hail from all around the globe, but are united by their dedication to the group and their love for all things a cappella. Rounding out the program will be the Meddiebempsters, from Bowdoin College. Founded in 1937, the oldest a cappella group at Bowdoin began as a quartet. Now numbering 14 singers, they still honor and perform old favorites reveling in tight harmonies and the all male sound. The afternoon’s program promises a wide variety of music from the world of classical, jazz, and pop.
As the college groups are organized, directed and led by students, each group brings their own distinctive style to the performance of the a cappella genre. Many of the musical arrangements are created by the students themselves or, in some cases, alumni of the group.
All of the ensembles perform throughout the New England area and beyond, entertaining all those fortunate enough to hear. We, in the Farmington area, are looking forward to having them share both their talent and their enthusiasm for a cappella music.
General admission tickets will cost $10, UMF students, $5 for students from others colleges with ID, and those younger than 18 will be admitted free.
For more information, visit artsfarmington.org or call 778-5074.
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