Karin Chandler/Winonan
Students enjoyed a different type of concert for Winona State University’s Homecoming Coronation Oct. 16.
The a cappella group, Six Appeal was sponsored by University Programming Activities Committee, UPAC.
Six Appeal consists of six members, and it began as a group in 2006 at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Six Appeal won an a cappella competition two years later and started touring the Midwest.
Six Appeal sang a variety of songs before the introduction of the Homecoming court, such as Lion King’s, “The Circle of Life” by Elton John and a surprising combination of “Moondance” by Van Morrison and “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.
During the opening song, the six group members began in a semi-circle around one of the members, and eventually panned out.
After singing “Harder to Breathe” by Maroon 5, Andrew Berkowitz, the vocal percussionist, demonstrated his ability to sound like percussion. He also demonstrated his singing skills when he sang his original song “On Your Love.” Hannah Baartman, a student, said, “They were so good. I was really impressed.”
After each court member entered and received a short biography, Six Appeal came back, noticing the disco-themed decorations and singing a disco-esque song: “I Will Survive.” Six Appeal’s performance was energetic; group members danced to the beat, especially during their last song, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers.
Six Appeal also participated in the coronation process. The vocalists brought out chairs for each of the queen candidates, singing “Everything” by Michael Buble.
Chelsea Falconer, member of the Homecoming court, said, “I loved every second of it.”
The group entertained the audience not only with singing, but also with dancing and humor. Members of Six Appeal talked about singing something from the future, and then each member made different sounds.
Sarah Traeger, a student, said, “It was a nice blend of comedy and music. They played music for everyone.”
Throughout their performance, Six Appeal members liked to make funny statements about their sizes. Michael Brookens, the shortest member, said, “We come in sizes; tall, medium, and awesome.” A little later into the performance, Brookens laid on the floor to see if Trey Jones’s (another member) stride was as tall as his. It was.
Each member kept picking on each other, and then they made a joke saying that if an article was written about them, it should be entitled: “A capella group breaks into a brawl at WSU.”
Six Appeal sang a variety of songs that adhered to the interests of everyone. Kelly McGough, a student, said, “It’s not something I was expecting. They were pretty awesome. I liked all their songs, and they kept the audience entertained.”
UPAC members were pleased with their performance as well. Andy Hamilton, Assistant Director of UPAC, said, “It was really cool how they sang for the queens, and they had pretty good humor.”
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