The USC music scene is bustling. Some Trojans perform in huge symphony orchestras, while others get their jam on as a part of loud rock bands, but some create entire arrangements with just one instrument: their mouths.
Aca-believe it! The a cappella scene at USC is enormous and enormously popular. There are 10 groups on campus, each specializing in different genres and interests.
“When I was coming into USC, I heard that there was a really big a cappella scene here, and I’d also heard that like USC a cappella scene was like what Pitch Perfect was based off of, and I was looking to live my Pitch Perfect fantasy,” said Roy Gantz, a tenor in SoCal Vocals.
The VoCals are the oldest and arguably most popular group at USC. They’ve competed at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, or ICCA, and won five times.
Though Pitch Perfect isn’t actually based on the VoCals, they’ve definitely impacted the world of collegiate a cappella and the music industry as a whole.
“We have amazing alumni that I’d heard about, like Scott Hoying from Pentatonix. Ben Bram does all of their arrangements and is a really big music arranger in the industry. Nina Nelson, just really, really cool people. And I really wanted to be a part of that legacy and that family,” Gantz said.
Family is something that many of the groups on campus have in common. Ashleigh Conner, president of Troy Tones, said she joined to find just that.
“Everyone just goes out of their way to always be there for each other. Like, no matter what the ask is, somebody in that group will have your back,” Conner said. “I’ve never had a group of people who were like that for me before, and it was so refreshing coming to college and instantly having that insane support system.”
Another student group, Reverse Osmosis, is known to have “the purest sound at USC.” But it’s not all about their sound. Diana Khariton, a member of the group, described their commitment to putting on a good show.
“We are very interactive. We have a couple of members who specifically love to do interactions with the crowd,” Khariton said.
On one occasion, Khariton recalls the group including the audience in a happy birthday celebration.
“[They] divided the audience into different harmonies and melodies, and it was just a really key moment. We just know how to have a good time,” Khariton said.
Whether you’re looking for notoriety, a family, or just a good time making music, a cappella at USC may be pitch perfect for you.