Headlines:
After Dark proudly welcomes its newest member, Katie Sullivan !!
ICCA Quarterfinal will be held THIS SATURDAY at 8 hosted by After Dark! Tickets are on sale in the DUC during lunch and at the door. Don't miss it!
Spring Auditons 2012:
After Dark will be holding auditions for all voice parts on Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21. Sign up on our Auditions page or in the DUC between 11-1pm on Tuesday-Thursday. See you there!
Upcoming Performances:
Come Audition for AD!
Spring auditions for After Dark will be held on January 20-22, 2012. Sign up now on our Auditions page!
Congratulations to the newest members of After Dark---Julia Brown, Jimmy Li, and Aaron Rhee!
Thanks to everyone who auditioned! We saw a group of exceptionally talented individuals. Keep on singing!
Callbacks:
Keaton Armentrout
Diane-Jo Bart-Plange
Julia Brown
Matt Bullock
Lianna Cohen
Parker Crist
Britt Devore
Tyler Frank
Sophie Graham
Alison Kleiman
Caroline Leffert
Jimmy Li
Tim Lin
Cassie Parks
Emily Pipes
Jake Pulitzer
Aaron Rhee
Allison Rosengard
Camil Sanchez-Palumbo
Liza Seiden
Tommy Tang
Kevin Vondrak
Graham Wyly
Michelle Zhu
Vivian Zhu
Hey everybody! Get ready for After Dark dormstorming this Wednesday, 8/31!
7:30 pm: Ruby/Umrath
8:00: Koenig
8:30: Park
9:00: Elliot
9:30: Dardick
10:00: Lien
10:30: Danforth
11:00: Lee/Beau
Fall auditions for After Dark will be held on September 2-4. Sign up now on our Auditions page!
Check us out at the following events:
And keep an eye out for dormstorming and tabling in the DUC during the first week of classes!
We can't wait to see and hear all of you!
After Dark was founded in September 2001. Since the moment that our legendary founders unleashed their creation upon the world, After Dark has been achieving, improving, and looking good all the while.
Maybe it starts with the sleek AD jackets. Perhaps it happens with that first taste of Oreo cupcake. It could begin the moment that an After Dark member realizes his or her sudden fondness for black and white clothing. Whenever it starts, members of After Dark all know that there is something unique about this group. After Dark is not only a group of students who love to perform, but a team. Together, we choose how we want our group to evolve and determine how to achieve our goals. Musically, we make each other stronger by giving constructive advice, pushing each other to give our best performances, and offering infinite support. But more than that, we help each other get through life.
After Dark remains a close-knit group of friends long after the rehearsals and performances are over. You might find us at Ursa's, talking, laughing, and eating ice cream until someone realizes that it's long past midnight and we should probably start on our homework. Wherever we go, there will be food, especially an abundance of baked goods. We cheer for each other in all of the activities we're involved in outside of After Dark, and we cheer loudly. Any AD gathering is full of laughter, teasing, and at least a handful of ridiculous nicknames. And when things get tough, we're there to catch each other. We give each other backup, a much-needed hug, or a ride to the hospital after developing laryngitis the night before ICCA (yeah, we wish we made that up). Our friendship is what makes performing together so amazing. And these friendships last long after our college years. Each spring, many of our alumni come back to cheer us on and join us in our alumni song, "You Gotta Be".
With After Dark, it all comes back to the music. Sometimes at the end of a long rehearsal, we follow one of After Darks many traditions: we turn off the lights and sing our favorite, most beautiful, or most moving songs in total darkness. There is nothing but our voices and the presence of our close friends. This is After Dark.
IT STARTS WITH THE MUSIC.
Before After Dark, we came from all over: some of us lived for Gleelike show choir while others got a kick out of madrigals and chamber choir. Some of us grew up playing piano or guitar and others got into singing by belting alone in the car. This crazy thing called a cappella is a way to continue that passion and make some awesome memories in the process.
ARRANGING
After Dark's love of music is greatly manifested in what we choose to sing. We compose our own arrangements, covering just about every facet of contemporary music from The Jackson Five to your favorite B-movie theme song, "Snakes On a Plane". We pride ourselves on taking on bold and challenging songs, like the epic Guitar Hero classic "Through the Fire and Flames".
PERFORMING AND COMPETING
Like many Wash U a cappella groups, we enjoy countless performances in Graham Chapel, the DUC, and the Whittemore House, but After Dark also enjoys spontaneous midnight performances at IHOP or Courtesy Diner. In recent years, we have proudly competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). We've performed at Saint Louis University, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the nationally syndicated Steve & DC Morning Show, and all around the great city of Potosi, MO (the home of our yearly retreat). In October 2008, After Dark entered the political spotlight by performing live on national television for The Early Show on CBS during coverage of the Vice-Presidential Debate. This past fall, After Dark spread the a cappella love on tour in Indianapolis. We are eagerly planning more opportunities to travel as a group (we love road trips almost as much as we love singing).
RECORDING
Beyond performance, After Dark showcases its music the way any group of rock stars would: CDs. Although we are a young group compared to some of our campus counterparts, After Dark has already released three full-length studio albums. Eclipse received the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards for Best Co-Ed Collegiate Song and Runner Up fo Best Co-Ed Arrangement. "Mama's Room" was selected for the Voices Only 2007 and the SING IV compilation albums. "Ready For Love" appeared on Voices Only 2008. Our most recent album, Aftermath, was released in February, 2011, and has been a smashing success! You can check out all of our music on iTunes.
REHEARSING
All of this success comes from several hours of rehearsal a week. We critique and workshop our arrangements, perfect notes in sectionals, and sing over and over until we're satisfied. Later, we create choreography that makes us smile. After all of these hours, days, and weeks devoted to our love of music, we have learned something else: we love After Dark.
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Julia Brown is no average girl. Despite her slim figure, she is quite obese. She may not possess rolls of fat or show any stretch marks, but she is very passionate for food. Some would even go so far to call Julia a Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus - noun. a small-headed quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur of the Jurassic and early Cretaceous period). Fun Fact #1: Julia was once fascinated with the study and discoveries of Jurassic creatures. But she resembles the Stegosaurus mainly because she is a vegetarian eating machine (although she does eat meat in Latin America). Fun Fact #2: Julia has travelled to three central American countries! She can actually speak Spanish quite fluently (si se puede) and is currently adding German to her language repertoire (Ja, das stimmit). In her free time, Julia loves to chase rainbows on her pet unicorn. Fun Fact #3: Julias ears are artificial. She believes meditating will bring her closer to the meaning of life and hopes you will join her on the conquest for happiness!
Ally Mohr is five years old. Actually. We really only let her into After Dark because we were so awestruck by her ability to disguise her preschooler self as a 20-year-old college student. Plus, it's really fun to have a 5-year-old around. Her mismatched, colored, patterned, striped, starred, you-name-it socks never fail to brighten up one's day, and her infamous response to any question posed to her is so innocently honest that you can't help but melt in the palm of her tiny, 5-year-old hand ("I. Don't. Know!"). A little known fact is that Ally's entire family wore handmade paper pilgrim hats on Thanksgiving (presumably made by Ally), and perhaps her most striking, incredible quality is the ability to amuse herself for at least 4 hours with a scrap of paper. Downside: she still wets the bed.
Jimmy Li, aka lil' Li, aka Slim Jim, aka Eminem, always finds himself in the lab. Whether he's mixing chemicals for class, making sparks fly with his pure tenor voice, making chicks swoon with his classic good looks, writing raps for upcoming battles, or working on his amateur career as a masseur, Jimmy is always hard at work. Since joining After Dark, he feels as though he's become considerably cooler, and he's probably right. As the poster child for Asians Sleeping in the Library, youll probably find him on the second floor of Olin, drooling all over the couches, but when hes not wasting time in the library he enjoys being bad at ping pong and stealing silverware from campus eateries.
Aaron Rhee comes from a tiny town near the San Francisco bay called Saratoga. There he sang for talent shows, but never joined an organized group of singers until WashU - a life-changing decision that he will always remember and never regret. He is pre-med and will major in chemistry, loving to talk about not only quantum mechanics (someone teach me quantum teleportation!), but also philosophy. In addition to
singing, he plays piano, clarinet and guitar; is the unofficial
handler for the After Dark ultimate frisbee players; and sometimes writes music when he is ridiculously bored. He also really likes pandas and penguins, because they're freeking awesome for lack of a
better description.
Amanda Victoria Nipper, as much as she tries, is no Anna Geiserman. However, she does have some redeeming qualities, like having the greatest parents in the world (Sup, Randy and Susan?!), and she's a
monster in the kitchen. Literally. The Nipper enjoys long walks on the beach, evening bubble baths (but only if rubber duckies are involved), and spontaneously yelling at strangers. On the outside, she's a precious little doe from "the Chicago area" (suburbia), but deep down
there exists a fiery pit of passion, which finds its true form in her
voice (it actually has a life of its own--it's scary). Lastly, she
gives a shout-out to English punctuation for its introduction of the parenthesis (she's a big fan). Oh and be sure to call her "Nippy" or simply, "Nips". She will love you forever.
We are quite certain that Anna Geiserman was raised by lunatics. Her audition for After Dark scarred not one, but four members. They will always remember 2008 as a very, very bad year. That being said, she has now elevated to the respectable status of the most handsome member of After Dark. While she's not busy capturing the hearts of Wash. U's finest with her long, cascading, chestnut- brown locks (auburn in the sun!), pearly whites, and impeccable French, she's stealing the stage with her contagious charisma and attempting to tell hilariously clever jokes (key word: attempting).
After twenty or so years of living on the beach in Florida, she thought it too bland and opted for a change of scenery: the beach in California. It's "sooooo different"! However, she spends most of her time in good ol' St. Louis, psychoanalyzing your every move, snapping photos of weird decrepit stuff (she's "artsy"), embarrassing herself to the point of necessary confinement, planning treks to faraway lands (the sun is her fave!), and basking in the presence of her family away from home, After Dark. Also, she prefers to be called "Annie".
Hailing from Oklahoma City, Carson "Broseiden" Klingenberg has been described by himself as "dashing," "talented," and "chivalric." He spends his time bro-ing out with the bros, playing games such as bocce or soccer, and he serves as the trainer for the After Dark intramural volleyball team. Carson is known around campus for his astounding lingual talent; he speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and French and is majoring in Applied Linguistics. While not in school, he volunteers teaching language classes in his native Oklahoma and has served as an English instructor in Mexico. It has been said that "women want him, and men want to be him," no doubt as a result of his membership in After Dark, where he sings baritone and vocal percussion. He loves making music, kicking it, and bro-ing with all the bros (females included) in After Dark.
Chetan Vakkalagadda was born and raised in San Jose, CA. He is currently a junior majoring in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry, and he would like to go to medical school after graduation. Chetan has always held a deep love of music, playing the piano from age five and learning Carnatic (South Indian classical) vocal music since age twelve. He also sang bass in his high school all-male a cappella group. On campus, in addition to singing with AD, Chetan is also a research assistant in the Department of Pediatrics at the Wash U School of Medicine and is a resident advisor (RA) to the wonderful freshmen of Eliot 0 - go Gators! Although at times he does miss the California weather, Chetan is thrilled to be a part of the vibrant Wash U community. As a member of After Dark for the last two years, he is honored to have had the opportunity to perform alongside such talented and amazing individuals, and he is excited for the many performances and opportunities that await AD in the upcoming years.
Rachel Greene, known to most as Georgie (the most obvious denomination from Rachel, of course) is, you guessed it, the girl from Friends . But when she's not being the girl from Friends , she's a mad chill girl who harkens from Somethingreallylong, Switzerland. Although she resembles Snow White, she in fact does not have seven dwarves follow her wherever she goes (although I'm sure they're somewhere, lurking...), and contrary to our fair, foolish Disney character (whyyy would she eat that apple?!), she's actually quite the badass: won the Olympics in snowboarding or something ridiculously awesome like that, dances on the Wash. U. step team, and saves children from burning fires (aka university students from alcohol poisoning) with the school's Emergency Support Team. Dreamgirl, much? She's actually my secret crush, but shhh, don't tell anyone!
John Nye was born and raised in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. After not getting a part in the 4th grade musical, he swore off theater and singing until losing a bet and trying out for his senior year musical, Aida, in which he played Radames. Following his newfound love of singing, John attended college at St. Olaf College, singing in the Viking Chorus. Halfway through his sophomore year, John decided
he wanted a more tropical location a bit farther away from home, so naturally he chose St. Louis. He has loved his time here so far, and especially loves singing with After Dark. In his free time, John plays guitar and watches a boat load of Netflix.
Julia Belsky, the most attractive, talented, amazing member of After Dark knows a thing or two about moonshine. Not really. Julia grew up in on the South Side of Chicago and recently won American Idol! Not really. In reality, Julia is a girl from Highland Park, Illinois and has always loved to dance, make art and, most of all, to sing. Since singing at Interlochen Arts Camp at age 10, Julia has gone on to sing in Jubilate Childrens Choir as well as numerous High School choirs and Musical Theatre Productions. Julia is so happy to be a part of After Dark because, when entering college, the only thing she actually wanted to do was join an a cappella group. She will probably be dropping out soon, as her goals have been reached. Not really. However, she would like to thank her family, her awesome choir directors along the way, her voice teachers and, of course, the SICK NASTY members of After Dark who, for some weird reason, decided that she has an ounce or two of talent and took her in from the streets. Not really.
Luke Lones is....well, tall. In fact that's the only way to describe him. He doesn't know how to sing, he doesn't even know how to talk, except to occasionally mutter the word "tallllllll" (sometimes he moos too). But he's 6'7" ("a little less", he says). And you know what they say about guys who are a little less than 6'7"....
One encounter with Melissa Jane O'Brien is like diving into a box of
Lucky Charms and living there for 10 months. She is the happiest, most gleeful person since sliced bread, which is shocking considering she lives in a place called Mukwonago, Wisconsin (Mukwonago got its name thanks to one of its founding fathers, who set foot in it and immediately said, "Yo, this place is all muck, wanna go?"). She seems to enjoy this muck, almost as much as she loves Disney movies, her sisters, arranging music like a madman laughing at the rain, bacon chocolate (either we misunderstood her weird accent or she's just a really weird gal), and Anna Geiserman. Most importantly, however, when she isn't personifying a box of toasted oat-based cereal with delicious, colored, sugary bits that you stuff in your pockets to save for later when your mom isn't looking (who can resist hearts, stars, and horseshoes?), Missy is the epitome of one thing: SOUL. And by that I simply mean that she has one, and the rest of us don't.
Born and raised in hilly Springfield, Missouri, Nathan enjoys long walks on the corn field and playing near the chicken coops.... No, not really. Contrary to popular belief, Missouri has some bustling cities other than St. Louis. And he does not have a southern accent. What Nathan actually does enjoy is singing, playing piano, singing while playing piano, and doing math homework. Nathan is pursuing a B.S. degree in Computer Science and Engineering (2014), but, ever the iconoclast, Nathan's favorite pastime is not actually designing video games. No, music is his hobby of choice, and he enjoys a diversity of flavors: piano, French horn, concert choirs, gospel choirs, and of course, a cappella . One of Nathan's "bucket list" items is to learn how to play one of every type of instrument (with the bagpipes having nearly first-tier priority). For now, though, Nathan retains the humble positions of tenor and Assistant Musical Director of Washington University After Dark; and he is loving it!
Sheila D'Sa hardly needs a biography because, let's be honest, who doesn't already know her? For those of you who live in a hole, here's a quick breakdown about this exotic beauty: Sheila was born and raised on the mean, dirty, crime-ridden streets of New York City/Long Island. She turned down a full ride to college on a body-building scholarship because she decided she wanted to focus on her education. Since then, she has also dedicated much of her time to music, even choosing to drop her steroid-ridden physique for a more slender, singer-friendly look. Despite this physical change, however, she remains a tough New Yorker at heart and has been known to frighten many a small child. While described by Anna Geiserman's mom as "Shy, sweet, smart, and a lot of energy!", we know her more accurately as a sassy, fried- food-binging, 90's song-singing ghetto badass with a low tolerance for shenanigans but a high tolerance for camels.
Walker Hope is the best thing to come out of South Carolina since...well, let's face it, South Carolina doesn't really have much to be proud of. So let's just say he's the best thing to come out of South Carolina, period. Now there's one question that's almost certainly on your mind: "Wow, was he the inspiration for Chuck Norris' character in Walker Texas Ranger?" The short answer is yes. The long answer is yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssss. You're welcome, internet. Attribute every good Chuck Norris joke to him, and attribute all the bad ones to 4chan. Walker sings bass, which is just a single letter from the word "boss." Is this just a coincidence? I think the entire academic field of linguistics would beg to differ.
We are highly appreciative of our alumni. They are wonderfully supportive and all around great people. Every spring we invite all of them to join us at our concert and sing some of their favorite songs, especially our official alumni song: You Gotta Be. But of course, they are always welcome to come hang out with us anytime they can take a break out of their busy, fancy lives in the real world.
2011
David Giles - Bass
Caroline Fehr - Soprano
James Siddall - Tenor/Baritone
2010
Colleen Davis - Mezzo
Zach Griffen - Tenor
Jessie Hu - Alto
Brian McCamley - Tenor/Baritone
2009
Jim Morin - Tenor
Graham Showell - Baritone/Bass, VP
Stephen Harrison - Baritone/Bass
Emily Reisman - Soprano/Alto
Barton Sackett - Bass, VP
2008
Chris Stephenson - Tenor/Baritone, VP
Katie Berg - Soprano
Rachel Tepper - Soprano/Alto
Amanda Coppock - Soprano/Alto
Rachel Yoon - Alto
2007
Jazzy Danziger - Soprano/Alto
Lindsay Miller - Alto
Veronica Woolley - Soprano
Julie Kling - Alto
Jason Parkhill - Tenor
Ryan Lahey - Bass
2006
Brian Jones - Tenor
2005
Elyse Seder - Alto
Phil Chen - Tenor, VP
Brian Loyal - Bass
Andy Knutsen - Bass/Baritone
Al Dault - Bass, VP
Kristen Kittel - Soprano/Alto
2004
Becky Briones - Soprano
Ben Ogilve - Baritone/Tenor
Cara Shugoll - Alto
Jonathan Lowe - Bass
Laura Butler - Alto
Lexi Menish - Soprano
Omar Young - Tenor
2003
Andy Park - Tenor
Erin Hickey - Soprano
Kristi Anello - Alto/Soprano
Roanne Lee - Mezzo
2002
Debbie Siegelbaum - Soprano
Eve Agna - Alto
Gret Hitt - Bass, VP
Molly Halvey - Soprano
Sam Oyer - Bass
Song Title Original Artist Arranger Soloist/Counters
Coming Soon:
Promise This Cheryl Cole Missy O'Brien Luke Lones
All My Life K-Ci & JoJo Sheila D'Sa Choral
Many Moons Janelle Monae Luke Lones,
Missy O'Brien Missy O'Brien
Fighter Christina Aguilera Missy O'Brien Amanda Nipper
Current Repertoire:
This Woman's Work Greg Laswell Walker Hope,
Missy O'Brien Jimmy Li
Sweetest Girl Wyclef Jean Walker Hope Walker Hope, Jimmy Li
Kiss from a Rose Seal Nathan Duke John Nye
Parachute Ingrid Michaelson David Giles Julia Brown/Jimmy Li
Resistance Muse Missy O'Brien Nathan Duke
All You Need is The Beatles ( Love Missy O'Brien Luke Lones
Love Actually rendition)
Rolling in the Deep Adele Missy O'Brien Missy O'Brien
To Where You Are Josh Groban David Giles Luke Lones
Undo It Carrie Underwood Missy O'Brien Amanda Nipper
I Want You Back The Jackson Five Lindsay Miller Amanda Nipper
You Gotta Be Des'ree Gabe Rutman Missy O'Brien
MLK U2 Bob Chilcott Caroline Fehr
Older Repertoire
After Dark will be holding auditions for ALL VOICE PARTS this coming Spring 2012. Questions about Auditions? Check out the Auditions FAQ to the right. Sign up using the form to the right, and keep an eye on our headlines, facebook, and twitter to make sure you don't miss a single AD performance! We look forward to hearing all of you!
Auditions FAQ
Sign up for an audition here!
Name:
Email:
Phone Number:
Anything else you'd like us to know: voice part, year of graduation, conflicts, etc.
For booking and general questions:
Amanda Nipper
Group Coordinator
nippera_wustl.edu
Anna Geiserman
Auditions Coordinator
ageiserman_wustl.edu
For music-related questions:
Sheila D'Sa
Musical Director
sheiladsa_wustl.edu
For web-related queries:
Luke Lones
Webmaster
lonesl_wustl.edu
For financial inquiries:
Chetan Vakkalagadda
Business Manager
cvvakkal_artsci.wustl.edu
For questions regarding auditions:
Copyright Washington University After Dark 2011
my business copyright 2000 no animals were harmed in the making
