CORDERO ESTREMERA, Asst. Sports Editor—Music is an integral part of our lives.

We often sing or hum our favorite tunes, but don’t ever consider performing for an audience. However, it’s something that holds a lot of passion and emotion.

Now, imagine singing in the shower carefree with your eyes closed.

Then you open them and in front of you lays an audience, packed with your peers clapping in appreciation.

On a Tuesday night both the Hilltoppers and Ladies Night Out, Denison’s male and female acapella groups, respectively, performed their annual Halloween Concert at the Bandersnatch.

The night began with the Hilltopper’s new members: Sam Wyckoff ‘23, Devin Milton ‘22 and Ben Bonebrake ‘22 telling dumb jokes that really set a playful atmosphere. These new members wore a cowboy-inspired outfit and had a terrible “hick” accent. My favorite joke was said by Samuel, “Two cows are standing in a field. Cow 1: did you hear about the outbreak of mad cow disease? Cow 2: No, good thing I’m a helicopter.” I absolutely don’t understand this joke, however, it makes me genuinely laugh, as it played upon the absolute ridiculousness which happened on stage.

This was followed by a set of performances from LNO. The group sang with such energy that it was infectious and the crowd played off this.

They sang a variety of pitches that worked in tandem and it was fun to watch. This especially had a specific vibe or tone to their iteration of the piece. I found myself constantly smiling and bobbing my head to their beat.

LNO’s performance overall was very enjoyable and illustrated their level of commitment to music. Their passion throughout their pieces emphasized the amount of practice required to perform. You could hear it in their voice.However, once LNO wrapped up the Hilltoppers began their performance.

The Hilltoppers sang Seven Bridges, The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, Lay Me Down, Wisely and Slow, House and Blue Lights, and Wagon Wheel. These songs were given extra attention during Hilltopper practices.

Hilltopper veteran Jack Robinson ‘20 said “The preparation for our concert included our regular rehearsal schedule with 2 or 3 added rehearsals. We ended up meeting everyday Friday-Tuesday before the concert.”

Their hard work paid off because there were some truly breathtaking moments. I had chills during one of the later songs.

Overall, both groups performed excellently providing a very enjoyable and genuine musical experience. I’m beyond simply being impressed.