Hoos in Treble Concert

On a rainy Saturday night in Charlottesville, there was one place where nothing about the environment was dark and dreary: the Hoos in Treble Concert! Of all types of musical performances, I believe a cappella demonstrates the largest amount of raw talent and perfected vocal skills. As a result of this natural talent found in groups like Hoos in Treble, it is absolutely amazing to attend an a cappella concert.

One part of the concert that stood out was the way the group fulfilled the concept of gender performance. As an all girl group, Hoos in Treble had no problem displaying their feminine side. All the girls were wearing black dresses and many wore high heel shoes. Each group member displayed their uniqueness by adding a splash of pink to their outfit in various ways including pink shoes, pink jewelry, and pink headbands. In our society and culture, there is nothing that shouts “girl” more than dresses, high heels, and the color pink. However, there were a few minor exceptions in their performance of gender. As stated, not all girls wore high heel and instead a few rocked stylish sneakers. Also, when performing a song about fraternities, the group completely ditched their feminine side and stepped on stage dressed completely in clothes considered to be the “typical” male attire at the University of Virginia: khaki pants, polo shirts, boat shoes, minimal jewelry, etc. This cross-dressing performance further supports the idea that gender is a social construction in which people develop definitions used to categorize things as feminine or masculine.

Another part of the concert that was interesting to me was the musical performances themselves. First, it is amazing that one or two people sing while the rest of the group makes the background music and with the combination of the two parts, the music sounds remarkable. Being able to beat-box and harmonize as a group is just as important as singing the solo of a song. If any part was missing, the performance would not be as good. Second, it was great how Hoos in Treble performed songs from a variety of artists and genres. The performance of Taylor Swifts’ “You Belong With Me” brought a little country pop to the concert and Maroon 5’s “Secret” added some pop rock. In addition to country pop and pop rock, R&B was represented in the performance of Beyonce’s “Halo”. To end the night of great music, the encore performance was a mixture of Michael Jackson hits. Ending the evening with songs by the “King of Pop” was an excellent and memorable way to conclude the concert.

This a cappella concert was truly an awesome experience and there was never a dull moment. Each and every performance by Hoos in Treble was wonderful and entertaining and including music from a variety of artists and genres only contributed to greatness of the concert. There is no doubt that this is one talented group of girls!