The Coda Conduct, Penn State’s newest co-ed a cappella group, will focus on jazz, hip-hop and R&B genres in its first concert in 111 Forum tonight at 8.
As the brainchild of a former member of BLUE in the FACE, another co-ed a cappella group at Penn State, Ricky Jabarin wanted to create a group focusing more on different genres.
Auditions were held for the group in the beginning of the semester, and Jabarin (senior-supply chain management) said there were about 60 applicants, one of who was Caitlin Bailey, who consequently became assistant director of the group.
Bailey (freshman-music education) said she had a very good feeling about the group of 16 students who formed into The Coda Conduct and wanted to get involved, especially after directing an a cappella group in high school.
“For being together only a semester, we have really developed a great dynamic,” Bailey said. “We are really lucky to have become a family so quickly.”
Membership Chairperson Trevor Johnson said he helped develop the group with Jabarin, and what started out as a whim has even allowed them to audition for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella competition in February, where well-seasoned groups will compete.
“It has been a learning experience, though, since some of us haven’t been in a cappella groups before,” Johnson said.
Johnson (junior-kinesiology) also said The Coda Conduct has been performing smaller gigs in front of the Student Bookstore Downtown on football weekends and also on campus at places like Redifer Dining Commons, where they sang this past week.
“We’ve been getting positive feedback, and I’m impressed by the progress we made in just the first semester,” Jabarin said.
Jabarin said the group has been meeting to practice twice a week, and they were able to pick songs to match the uniqueness of each vocalist, allowing for every one of the 16 members to showcase their singing abilities at the concert, whether through a solo or duet.
Jabarin said some of its arrangements in its set list for tonight include contemporary R &B songs, like “Thinking of You” by Frank Ocean as well as a mash-up of “So Close” by Calvin Harris and “She Wolf” by David Guetta.
At the concert, The Coda Concert will also be in cohesive dress with men wearing black pants and dress shirts accessorized with hot pink ties, while the women will wear black dresses with hot pink high heels.
Jabarin said he hopes the 11 songs they perform at the concert tonight will leave a good impression on the student body, perhaps enough of a good impression that audience members will want to audition next semester for the group.
