Shades of pastels and floral patterns filled the stage last Sunday as the female a cappella group, Sirens of State, took over SDSU’s Montezuma Theatre for their annual spring concert.
Emotions were running high as the performance would be the last one featuring this class of graduates, each senior getting a spotlight slide and solo in celebration of their time with the Sirens.
Prior to the performance, senior and co-music director Emily Chapman gave me an insight into her time with the group.
“I have been in the group for all of my whole college career and have loved every moment of it,” Chapman said. “I started my first few years as an Alto 2 belting out low notes but when we didn’t have any returning Soprano 1s this Fall, I stepped up to become section leader and learn a new part alongside them.”
This year Chapman joined senior Julia Stinger as a co-music director, an experience she says has allowed them “to grow as friends, but also as musicians working towards making our group more unified and energized.”
“Sirens has been a fun way for me to stay in touch with singing while balancing a busy school and work routine,” Chapman continued.
She recalls a favorite memory with Sirens, spontaneously harmonizing to “Royals” by Lorde with the returning singers during this year’s callbacks for fall auditions. A moment she says felt just like being in “Pitch Perfect”, the hit movie featuring another college female a capella group.
“I loved it!” Chapman said.
“It is bittersweet that it is my last performance as a Siren but I look forward to honoring all the graduates at this concert as a send off to accomplish great things,” said Chapman when I spoke to her in the days leading up to the performance.
During the performance, Chapman performed an intimate duet with fellow senior Isabel Miller to the song “So This Is Love” by Ilene Woods and Mike Douglas. The seniors also took a moment to sing “Mama Mia” by ABBA, the song that they all auditioned with and felt was representative of their memories with Sirens.
Seniors weren’t the only ones getting solos, sophomore Kripa Mayureshwar got her time in the spotlight singing “A Song for You” by Donny Hathaway. Solos are an experience she describes as “always kind of terrifying.”
“I think it’s a lot scarier than singing with a group, because if you mess up or forget the lyrics or anything, nobody is on stage to correct you or get you back on track, it’s just you and the audience,” Mayureshwar said. “However, I still really do enjoy performing and I feel like my love for singing outweighs the fear most of the time.”
“I’m really sad to see the seniors leave us,” Mayureshwar said in reflection after the performance. “They’ve shaped Sirens into what it is today.”
Some tears were shed among the singers during the last group song, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish.
“I think everything just kind of hit me at the end of the concert,” Mayureshwar said. “Like wow this is really it, I’m probably never going to be in a group with all of these people again, which is really sad to think about.”
Despite the sadness, Mayureshwar feels satisfied with the performance.
“Our last concert with this group of people left us on a really good note, and I’m excited to see where the next year takes us,” Mayureshwar said.
“I hope we can continue to grow and perform, and I’m really looking forward to seeing our next round of auditions because there is so much talent at this school,” she replied regarding her hopes for the future of Sirens.
The Sirens of State hold auditions for new members every fall within the first few weeks of school. For more information about the Sirens and auditions, see their Instagram page.
