SUNY Fredonia’s a cappella groups Much More Chill (all-male) and Some Like it Hot (all-female) will open for alternative rock singer-songwriter Ben Folds, who will perform with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) during a concert on October 8 at Kleinhan’s Music Hall in Buffalo.
The concert follows Folds’ April 2009 release of Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!, a collection of his songs sung a cappella by thirteen university and one high school a cappella groups from across the U.S.
More than 250 student groups submitted their a cappella tracks over YouTube and 15 were selected for the recording. The BPO contacted the Fredonia groups to perform, continuing Folds’ spirit of university outreach. Much More Chill will perform Folds’ single, “Underground,” during an approximately 20-minute set, while Some Like it Hot will perform “Annie Waits” and “Zack and Sarah” during a set of equal duration.
“Music education has been atrophying,” Folds says in an article on his website about this project. “And yet, at any given school, any number of a cappella groups are getting together a few times a week to rehearse and perform. What’s more is they’re really good. If there are thousands of a cappella groups out there, it must be amazing to sing in them. I wanted to capture that magic.”
Folds, a classically-trained percussionist and North Carolina native, has been performing songs from his new studio LP, “Way To Normal,” as well as many of his greatest hits with orchestras across the world, a list that will soon include the BPO.
“Over the past 10 years, we’ve covered at least three of Ben Folds’ songs, seen him live, and we all love his music,” said Gerret Swearingen, a Much More Chill member. “This is an awesome opportunity for the group and we can’t wait to rock it in a Much More Chill style.”
“This is one of the coolest things any of the girls and I have ever done,” added Katlyn Jennings, Some Like it Hot’s Vice President and Business Manager. “We are performing ‘Annie Waits,’ which is one of the original arrangements by our group’s founder, Betsy Stambach-Fuller. She loved Ben Folds, so it’s only appropriate that we perform this song for the concert. I hope she’ll get the chance to hear it.”
Along with SUNY Fredonia’s a cappella groups, two groups from the University at Buffalo will also perform. Starting at 6 p.m. in the Mary Seaton Room at Kleinhan’s Music Hall, each group will perform a twenty minute set of Ben Folds’ and other artists’ songs. And to order tickets for the concert, visit www.BPO.org.
