On Sept. 24, two of Brandeis' most beloved a cappella groups debuted their new members at the first coffeehouse of the semester. About 75 adoring fans of both groups crowded into Cholmondeley's to support their friends and the Click Drive, a competition among colleges to collect money that then goes toward creating microcredit loans to give to impoverished people.Like most universities, Brandeis has a plethora of a cappella groups that includes everything from all-male Jewish a cappella companies to groups composed only of female folk singers. And, judging by the response that Wednesday night, Brandeisians love to see their peers sing in harmony without instruments.

To start off the evening, the improv comedy group Bad Grammer entertained the crowd with silly skits inspired by suggestions provided by the audience. Bad Grammer was followed by the first a cappella group of the evening, Proscenium, the only all-musical theater a cappella group on campus. They performed the songs "Nicest Kids in Town," "How Does She Know You Love Her?" and "Suppertime," which demonstrated the abilities of new members Megan McGrath '12 and Xan Weinstein '12 to blend well with the rest of the group. Proscenium was slightly out of tune during certain parts of the performance, but the group made up for its musical missteps with exuberance, their love of performing musical theater made apparent to everyone in attendance.

"The members of Proscenium are great performers," attendee Michelle Miller '11 said. "They bring something different to their performance since they are actors as well as singers. They had tons of energy."

After Proscenium took its bows, the group made way for Starving Artists, to cheers from the crowd. The 13-member Starving Artists is perhaps one of the most popular a cappella companies on campus. All the singers were dressed in black, except for the four new members who stood out in brightly colored T-shirts. The new members this year are Lisa Berger '12, Jordan Brown '12, Russell Foxworthy '12 and Jon Widberg '12, and they soon removed their colored shirts to reveal black ones underneath in a move that symbolized their acceptance into the group.

"It was a real adrenaline rush to see all of the students who came out to support us," Berger said. "I didn't know what to expect for my first performance, but I was really pleased at the end of the night."

Starving Artists performed the songs "Always Someone Cooler Than You," "Don't Wake Me," "When I Am King" and the crowd favorite "Before He Cheats," all of which were arranged by Damien Lehfeldt '09. At the end of the night, Starving Artists sold some of their recorded albums, including their newest release, for $10.

"So many people came to see all of the groups, which was great, especially for the newbies. The new members were smiling the entire time, which made us smile," Starving Artists member Rachel Wolfman '11 said.

Overall, the night was an enjoyable way to experience the singing and acting talent Brandesians possess. And, as was clear from the packed room, everyone their enjoyed it as well.