She waited outside for her turn.
It was a Thursday night, the school year had barely begun, and she was just getting into the swing of things. As she went over and over in her head what she would say, she asked, “How many
students have tried out for this so far?”
“About 50,” he said.
“And how many will make it?”
“Maybe five or seven.”
She gulped. Soon, her name was called and she walked in the huge lecture hall. She had a class in this room. It was one of those huge freshman classes in Marquette Hall. But now it was all so different with only seven other people in the empty classroom—all eyes on her.
“What’s your name?” they asked.
“Nathalie Rahner,” she said.
“And what will you be singing for us
today?”
“‘Down to the River to Pray’ by Alison Krauss.”
“Whenever you’re ready!”
She took a deep breath and sang. Surprisingly, she didn’t forget the words. That usually happens when she gets nervous. Next, they tested her sight reading abilities, memory retention and asked her to sing some scales. Then, it was over.
“You’ll hear from us at 9:30 tonight,” they said. “Then you’ll know if you’ve gotten a callback or not!”
She left feeling relieved. Her phone was at her side the rest of the night. As 9:30 came and went, there was still no call or email. Disappointment began eating her optimism. She started to accept the fact that she may not go on to the next audition.
Minutes dragged on. She counted every second. Then, at 9:45, she got an email inviting her to a callback. She yelled to her friends down the hallway of McCormick Hall telling them the good news.
They made her sing the rest of the night.
On Sunday, she came prepared with a new song to sing. Sixteen other students had progressed in the auditions and her nerves were back at it. The seven judges separated the students into sections: soprano, alto, bass and tenor. They taught each group the a capella version of “Brown Eyed Girl,” a song they were to memorize on the spot at the audition. After about an hour of practice, they had to sing it with one person from each section.
They broke up again and had to sing another prepared song of their choice. This time, Rahner chose to sing “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson because it showed off her vocal range.
Again, they told her she would get an email.
“I didn’t think I would make it,” Rahner said. “I didn’t know if I did my best. I was so nervous.”
She went back to her McCormick dorm room feeling a mixture of emotions: a little proud, but a little down.
“I saw so much talent on Sunday,” she said. “I was just really happy to be there. I was proud of myself for trying.”
Rahner, however, is used to the audition process. It was three years earlier, her sophomore year in high school, that she had her first major audition. She tried out and joined her school’s show choir. It’s when she really fell in love with singing. After that, she sang and performed in four musicals and sang in music ministry.
“The more I sang, the more it became such a great escape,” said Rahner. “You can just get away from the usual high school drama…it’s a good place to go.”
After starting at Marquette, she discovered its a capella group. She knew she had to audition.
“I felt like I needed music in my life.”
And she’s not the only one. In the fall of 2008, two seniors Hilary Braseth and Katie Blazek, both 2011 graduates, started the Gold ‘n Blues. They wanted to form a wider spectrum of music groups on campus. Specifically, they wanted an a capella group—something Marquette was lacking.
Every year since, students work together to come up with their repertoire. With the help of a computer program called Finale Note Pad and some
especially talented singers in the group, they are able to form melodies, harmonies and a finished song the group can sing.
Mike Massimino, a junior in the College of Communication and president of the Gold ‘n Blues, helps with song arrangements. With his musical background—he has played the saxophone since he was a high school freshman—arranging music comes easy.
“I can pick up on things that other people wouldn’t,” Massimino said.
Songs the group members want to sing are manually added into Finale. Students create parts for each section—soprano, alto, bass, tenor—after studying the song. “You listen to it over and over and over again…you kinda’ get sick of it,” Massimino said. Once all the harmonies are just right, the group tries it out to see how it sounds.
At any given time, a member of the group may know up to 25 songs that they can perform. The members are always thinking of new ideas and songs that can be put together.
When Braseth and Blazek started the group four years ago, the Gold ‘n Blues only sang at open mic nights in the Brew, accepting any singing outlet they could. As the group grew in size and talent, so did the Gold ‘n Blues’ performances. Now they have concerts for different clubs and sorority events around campus.
They also have gigs around the nation.
“We’ve progressed so much,” said Bennett Kerwin, a senior in the College of Communication and public relations manager of the group.
This past year, the group was able to travel to Boston, Chicago and all over the Milwaukee area.
The group first traveled to Boston where they sang with Harvard’s a cappella group at a concert. They also traveled to Chicago when they were invited to Northwestern University. There, they performed in Best of the Midwest Concert for a cappella groups.
The group travels around the Milwaukee area too—schools, churches and events for organizations: Relay for Life, Colleges against Cancer and the Children’s Hospital—just to name a few.
With a talented lineup of strong leaders, the Gold ‘n Blues have been able to sing their way to success. Massimino oversees the group and works with the technicalities: planning events, concerts etc. Liz Heinrich, senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and music director, mainly controls practice, plans what the group sings, leads warm-ups and chooses the set list for concerts.
In addition to overseeing the group, Massimino is also in charge of booking venues, fundraising events and puts the Gold ‘n Blues CDs together.
The group has two CDs out and is working on a third.
With Kerwin marketing the group, Peter Sargent, a
sophomore in the College of
Engineering as treasurer, and Laura Walsh, a junior in the College of Communication as vice
president, the Gold ‘n Blues seem unstoppable.
This close-knit group of students spends a lot of time together rehearsing and finding new songs. They meet twice a week for two hours plus whatever gigs they have booked. But being a part of the Gold ‘n Blues is not all about singing.
“My best friends are in this group,” Massimino said. A typical practice not only includes singing, but also catching up, inside jokes and celebrations.
“I think being in a group like this where we travel and hear about different people’s backgrounds…you learn from each other,” Massimino said. “It’s definitely made my Marquette experience.”
Besides performances, the Gold ‘n Blues have also set up multiple charity funds. They hold a concert every spring called Harmony for Hope that raises money for different causes.
“We have concerts for different charities every year,” Kerwin said. The group has donated to causes like Haiti
relief, Pakistani floods, Western Africa and different campaigns for hunger issues.
What does this school year hold?
The group plans on continuing to raise money for various charities and is working on preparing for their first concert, which is Dec. 1 in Varsity Theater. They also are working on a Christmas CD.
“We already had done Christmas stuff this past winter and we thought it would be a good idea to put a CD together,” Massimino said.
They have a few new songs picked out, as well. Massimino has been working on arranging “Shake it Off” by Florence the Machine and “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Joss Stone.
From singing at open mic nights at the Brew to having two CDs out and touring the nation, the Gold ‘n Blues have come a long way.
Oh, and 2013 also includes a few new freshmen.
Back in McCormick, Rahner sat in her room. This time around, she wasn’t glued to her phone. But when she did receive a call, she didn’t recognize the number.
“Hey Nathalie, this is Mike,” Massimino said.
“Hi.”
“You forgot to sign some paperwork at the audition today, would you mind coming down in the McCormick lobby to fill it out? I’ve brought it here for you.”
“Sure,” she said, a bit confused.
She walked down into the lobby to find Mike and two other students who had also auditioned that day.
“The forms are outside, you guys,” Massimino said.
They walked through the double doors and outside were greeted by the entire ensemble of the Gold ‘n Blues.
Congratulations! You made it! Welcome to the group! We’re so excited to have you!
All three freshmen were bombarded with hugs and encouragement. It was their official welcome as the newest members of the Gold ‘n Blues.