Last Friday night, students and parents crowded into Golding Auditorium to hear VoiceMale, One of Brandeis' all-male a cappella group, and Up the Octave, one of Brandeis' all-female a cappella group, in their joint concert titled "An Acapella Mixer." The idea for this concert has been on the table for months but had not occurred in recent history.

"Both groups were very excited at the prospect of collaborating in some way since we are [both] single-sex ensembles," said Dena Ayzikovich '13 of Up the Octave. "We thus decided that Fall Fest would be the perfect time to have a joint show that would showcase the unique sound that an all-female and an all-male group have to offer."

The audience cheered at the entrance of the a cappella groups. It was also an opportunity to compare and contrast the two and see the richness that each group has to offer. With five songs each, the two groups displayed their ranges, from classics like VoiceMale's "In the Still of the Night" by the Five Satins and Up the Octave's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder to contemporary songs such as VoiceMale's original creation "Ask Myself" and Up the Octave's "This Love" by Maroon 5. "Our groups have somewhat similar musical tastes in that we both perform a variety of genres, such as pop, rock and oldies," said Ayzikovich.

"The phenomenon of Justin Bieber," as Chase Hiller '12 announced, also made its way into the VoiceMale repertoire. They performed "Baby," complete with corny choreography, as Hiller—the most Bieber-esque member of the ensemble—sang the solo. If that wasn't enough, Ben Udo '14 stepped in for the Ludacris rap verse. In brilliant irony, they poked fun at Bieber with their humor yet honored his talent with their silky-smooth sound.

Up the Octave's members demonstrated that they were no strangers to comedy either, performing "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls, also with choreography. Each of the group members belted out a section of the solo, and when they reached the climax of the song, all pointed at VoiceMale, belting, "Halleluyah." The juxtaposition of their soulful voices with over-the-top moves elicited laughter from the audience. For both groups, these punch lines never distracted from the music but rather creatively built on the songs.

Their performance completely engaged me; I felt both the groups and the audience reveled in the moment. Though the two groups differed in personality and sound, they were united in their commitment to and joy in the music and each other. "We set our sights high, but we don't forget to have fun in the process. At the end of the day we can look back and admire what we've accomplished as a group," said Udo.

Margaret Huey '13 of Up the Octave agreed with the sentiments. "I honestly feel like I can have so much fun with every single one of the girls in the group, and they are an amazing support group. However, when it comes to rehearsal time, we can really get down to business and push ourselves to learn the songs and perform them well. We play hard, and we work hard."

The real purpose of the event was to share music.

"We felt like this would be a really great way to give parents, relatives and friends of both groups an exciting show for Fall Fest weekend," Udo explained. "We also hadn't done this kind of thing either with Up the Octave for Fall Fest, so we thought it would be an exciting first for our groups."

In addition, the collaboration between these a cappella groups promised progress for the future of Brandeis a cappella. "As a member of A Capella Etc., [an organization that facilitates communication between groups] I hope that this show promotes positive relationships among all a cappella groups on campus" said Ayzikovich.

"We hope for fans of Up the Octave and VoiceMale to come together and get exposure to the group that they do not usually see," added Huey. "I would also agree with what Dena said about this being another step in bringing a cappella groups together to work on more collaborative projects."

When the night closed, the audience roared. Immediately after the rustle to leave began, a man yelled from the back, "Duet?! Duet?!"

"Oh, I forgot!" announced an Up the Octave member to the audience. "VoiceMale and Up the Octave are doing a duet Dec. 3. Please come!"