This Saturday, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get Classified. With the Class Notes, that is.
Their premiere concert of this academic year will be held in Sage Chapel (the second performance will be in late March or early April). “This is the first time we’ve had this concert,” Notes Assistant Musical Director Andrew Scott ’01 said. “We’re the oldest co-ed group — the original. We identify ourselves with tuxedos and formalwear at our concerts.”
According to the Notes, this concert, in particular, is going to be an adventure for the audience with a thematic, spy motif approach. “It’s more of a show. It’s more fun and a greater overall experience [than past shows],” Ari Friedland ’03 said. “I guarantee it is the most fun anyone will ever have in a church,” Ben Lowe ’04 chimed in.
The concert will include their personal favorites, consisting of Fiona Apple’s “Criminal,” their signature song “Only You,” Melissa Etheridge’s “Come to My Window,” as well as a new song by the band Guster, a recent Cornell visitor.
The Class Notes were founded in 1983 and performed their first concert in 1984. They were the first co-ed a capella group on campus. “We belong in a beautiful tradition of tight harmonies,” says Friedland. Lowe added that the benefit of a co-ed group is “all about range.”
The Class Notes average about 30 gigs per year, including concerts, parties, art events, and benefit shows. Every spring they have a Spring Break Tour, on which they have gone to Jamaica, the Bahamas, Miami, and Los Angeles. This year, they hope to venture to New Orleans, said Tour Manager Becky Simpson ’03.
Claims Musical Director Amy McIntire ’01 on the try-out process, “Auditions are very rigorous. We test people on hearing, tonal memory, as well as their ability to blend. We want people to shine both as soloists and as a group,” she said. “We pride ourselves on a very diverse group of soloists. Quality music is what we try to focus on. This is very characteristic of our group.”
This year brings many new faces to the Class Notes. “There are a lot of new members. We are showcasing a lot of new talent,” says Andrew Mong ’01.
The Class Notes are comprised of 13 members: six men and seven women. They include three freshmen, five sophomores, one junior, three seniors, and one third-year law student, Jesse Eggert.
This group has a very unique sound, with a full a capella experience. The enthusiasm is shown through the intense background, as well as the eager overall participation. Audience members can expect a great show that will be extremely exciting and fun. The Class Notes tend to have a louder sound than other a capella groups on campus. They are focused and determined to provide an intense show for their audience. No one will leave disappointed. Further information can be found at www.theclassnotes.com.
Expect to see some surprises at this Saturday’s performance. “We could tell you … but we’d have to kill you,” Florin said.
The show will be at 8:15 (20:15) p.m. this Saturday at Sage Chapel. Tickets are $4 at the Willard Straight Hall ticket desk and $5 at the door. In addition to the unique talent of the Class Notes, there will be a performance by special guests: all-male a capella group the Brandeis Voicemale from Brandeis University.
Make sure you get Classified (CN:C) this Saturday. It is not a show to miss.
Archived article by Cory Sinclair