Fort Hays State University’s University Activities Board, headed by Vince Bowhay, is excited to invite not only students but also the Hays community to experience an a cappella performance first hand. The show will be held on Monday, October 26th at 7:00 pm in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
What started as barbershop quartets in the early twentieth century has recently exploded into a fad people of all ages have come to enjoy. Recently, the a cappella craze has grown thanks to the movie Pitch Perfect; and now the fad is coming to Fort Hays State University with the a cappella group Eh440. A cappella music is singing without instrumental accompaniment, some groups use their voices to emulate instruments; others are more traditional and focus on harmonizing; or as Elizabeth Banks says in Pitch Perfect, “making music with their mouths!”
Eh440 is an a cappella group based out of Toronto, Canada who began performing in 2012. In 2014, they released their debut album Turn Me Up. Eh440’s first performance was singing the national anthem at the Toronto Raptors vs, New York Knicks NBA game in 2012.
The group members include; Janet Turner, Stacey Kay, Luke Stableon, Mike Celia and Joe Oliva. They are a mix of five people from five very different backgrounds, but together they form an unforgettable combination of crazy beat boxing, sassy rapping, killer harmonies, and fresh, urban, R&B influence compositions.
Student Jordan Sparrow, Junior at FHSU, says, “it’s amazing how they can bring such great talent to such a small university out here in Kansas. It really gives us the same experiences as a division one university. I’m really looking forward to the show!”
Many students like Jordan are looking forward to Eh440. With the a cappella craze sweeping the nation, FHSU is excited to bring a piece of it to campus. Students should prepare themselves for an acca-awesome performance! All FHSU students get in free with their Tiger ID card.