Last Call, one of Cornell’s all male a cappella groups, attended the final round of the annual International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) last weekend. The group had the opportunity to perform their material in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. In addition they also appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Weekend Edition, which was broadcasted nationally on the morning of April 28.
Competition
The 14 members of Last Call were one of six a cappella groups that competed in New York City. Other groups that performed included University of Oregon’s On the Rocks, University of Maryland’s Faux Pas, Boston University’s Terpsichore and University of Michigan’s Compulsive Lyres.
Last Call came in second behind the Compulsive Lyres, which finished in first place.
According to the Cornell Chronicle, “the group has made it to the semifinals twice in previous years and has now become the first group ever from Cornell to advance to the final competition.”
The group arrived to New York City on Saturday for Sunday’s performance.
“We met up with the alumni of Last Call who currently live in NYC, and after having dinner walked around the city singing at random places simply because we love entertaining people,” said Eric Lippart ’02, the group’s manage. “One of these places was Times Square, where we stopped to sing a couple songs. Much to our surprise, we gathered quite an audience in the few short moments we were singing.”
On Sunday morning, the group made a guest appearance on NBC’s Today Show, Weekend Edition. They were the only a cappella group of the six invited to perform on national television.
Big League
“We are now recognized as one of the top a cappella groups in the nation,” said Eduardo Porto Carreiro ’02. “The Today Show appearance and the top all-male finish at the championship will definitely put Last Call and Cornell a cappella on the map.”
Evan Metter ’02 sang “Drops of Jupiter” by Train, live on NBC.
That evening, the group headed to Lincoln Center to compete.
“Our set was really designed to be a closing set, and we were lucky enough to be the last group to perform,” Lippart said. “When we went out on stage we had the time of our lives, and put on the most incredible performance I’ve ever seen from Last Call.”
“On Sunday in Lincoln Center, Last Call gave an unforgettable performance; a performance that the audience recognized as phenomenal” said Gregory Levow ’04, the group’s musical director.
“Seeing the entirety of Avery Fisher Hall — 2500-plus people — on their feet cheering for us was absolutely amazing” Lippart said. “We may not have ‘won’ the competition, but we definitely won the hearts of the audience.”
At the ICCA competition, Last Call sang “Breaking Up is Hard Enough” by 2Gether, with the melody sung by Carreiro , Will West ’03 and Ted Carr ’04. They also sang “Rain King” by Counting Crows, with the melody sung by Tarek Sultani ’03.
Some members of Last Call commented on their experiences at the competition.
“Being recognized as the second best a cappella group in the country is truly flattering,” said Metter. “However, it’s not the outcome that matters the most, it’s the way we got there. Not only are these guys great performers and singers, they are also a fantastic group of friends. I wouldn’t have wanted to be on that stage with anyone else.”
“This will certainly go down as one of the biggest days in Last Call history — singing on national television and at Lincoln Center on the same day!” Porto Carreiro exclaimed.
Archived article by Veronika Belenkaya