There’s nothing cuter than a cat, or more accurately, a tiny, wide-eyed kitten poking its head out of a boot. There’s something so innocent about its posture and expression that sucks you into its gaze and won’t let you go.
It’s very possible that the members of Up the Octave (UTO) knew that this irresistible image would reel audiences in for their semester show on Saturday, April 18. It worked. The “Boots and Cats” theme was a deliberate play on the sound that beat boxers make when they suck air in and push air out. It just happens to sound like they’re saying “boots and cats and boots and cats” over and over again.
Up the Octave is an a cappella group known for its covers of modern pop music. To prepare songs for their performances, the group members dedicate a full seven hours a week just to singing. The amount of time they spend together each week collaborating has enabled them to become more than just an a cappella group, but a close-knit family that finds pride in what they do.
In Pollack Fine Arts Building, the performance showcased a total of 12 songs, two of which were senior solos. One of the senior solos, “Godspeed,” was written and composed by Jonah Hirst ’15, the musical director of UTO. From Lorde’s “Royals” to The Beatles’ “Drive My Car,” the range in musicality allowed almost all of the group’s 12 performers to take a step up to the plate. What’s astounding about UTO’s group is the varied musical talent; the voices are not one and the same, as in some groups, but vary from an Adele-like voice—deep and powerful—to a more Taylor Swift-sounding voice. Together these voices blend to produce an angelic and inspirational sound.
The songs “Cosmic Love,” sung by Jessica Star ’17, and “Gotta Have You,” soloed by Margaret Morris ’17, were poignant. As was apparent in these songs and others throughout the program, UTO as a group has an incredible ability to speak to its audience. The song’s original message, as the artist intended it, becomes all the more gut wrenching, emotional and moving. It might be the soloist’s powerful, supported voice, it might be the composition itself, or it might be the complex background vocals; it could be a mix of things, but what we can take from it is that UTO is one exemplary a cappella group.
As a final goodbye to UTO, senior Bethany Adam soloed “Streetcorner Symphony,” a lively and fun-loving song, near the end of the performance. Though she hobbled back and forth on the stage on crutches, nothing seems capable of hindering her spirit or optimism. After the performance, Adam had a few words to say to reflect on her time with UTO. “I cried during a lot of senior solos. I didn’t because I picked an upbeat song. There’s such a loving and accepting environment, and I’m glad that I was given closure with the best people in the world,” Adam said.
UTO is a must-see a cappella group that does nothing but harmonize, sing covers that sound better than the original recordings and find a way to touch our hearts. Hirst spoke to his UTO experience. “I had an interesting relationship with UTO as a woman and individual, though I almost wound up leaving the group. However, I formed relationships and found I understood them [the group members] as musicians. I am the one man in the all-female a cappella group, but I only got support and sheer love. I have been able to do musical things that I couldn’t have done otherwise. In a lot of ways I’ve fulfilled my personal dreams.” And with that, it becomes all the more apparent that UTO has gone places, is going places and will go places.
