Making music - acapella college ensemble dresses the part

All wearing a combination of blacks & purples - shoes vary

Shoes and the rest of one's clothing say something about the person and the occasion. In this case it is the 15 acapella singers from Grand Valley State University, Euphoria, on the stage of the Grand Rapids Public Museum for the 2025 annual Cultural Heritage Festival on Saturday morning. The group formed a gentle arc to back the featured singer or singers in each of the songs in their set list. There are a couple of observations to make about the visual effect of the college students on the stage, ranging in abilities and musical experience from amateur to enthusiast to almost professional.

One observation is the symbolic meaning of putting so many different kinds of singers and personalities together. Just as they themselves are different to each other, so is their clothing all different; nothing is duplicated or uniform within the loose, organizing color scheme of blacks and purples. In other words, just as they are different on the inside, they are also different on the outside; however, in a loose sense they all fit together under the blacks/purples organizing principle. As with visuals and personalities, also of their sonic roles in the production of blended voices a capella - all of them contributing differently but woven into a whole.

Another observation is the footwear. It is true that it follows the overall plan of black as sign of formal, stage presentation. But there seems to be even wider boundaries or room for personal interpretation of "wear black shoes" by comparison to "wear clothing that is black and or black with purple." At the end of their legs are boots, open-toe, high heels, tennis shoes, perhaps slippers, too. In other words, while the clothing styles and shapes certainly come in many kinds and emphasis, within the shoes visible on the stage somehow the diversity seems even wider than is the case with choice of costume. Again making a symbolic reflection, if the range in footwear stands for the many kinds of personality participating in the music ensemble, then even more than the clothing it is the choice in footwear that illustrates the many kinds of singer, it is the shoes that signal the make-up of this singing group.

Lastly, even though there seems nothing exotic or peculiar about a group of dressed up young adults composing, rehearsing and then today performing a set of songs without the aid of accompanying instruments (other than human voice, including beat boxing), by pausing to study the spectacle more carefully, it becomes clear how truly amazing it is that such different people can share their commitment to group effort and their delight in collectively producing sonic art. One minute they are off-stage milling around. Another minute they are filing onto the stage under the bright lights in their accustomed formation, attending to the tuning note, and then -as if by magic- they are filling the room with harmony, melody, rhythm and emotion (see video clip below). The words may lift some listeners out of their comfort zone or do the opposite, lead them into their comfort zone.

In conclusion, echoed in the clothing, the shoes, and in the diverse personalities the Euphoria choral group from GVSU illustrate the motto stamped on the coinage of the realm in USA, "E Pluribus Unum," from many - one. Humpback whales have long-distance "songs" and birds have melodies that function in many ways for their lives, but homo sapiens sapiens does seem to be strangest of all in thinking up and then practicing and finally performing in front of others (or recorded privately to distribute to others). There is something baffling and beautiful about making the music, of the many brain areas that are activated in making (or hearing) rhythms and pitches (and lyrics) in sync with other voices and/or instruments, and in the experience of being on the stage or in the audience to resonate, respond, and appreciate the whole thing.