A cappella weekly spotlight: the Chaimonics
As part of our A Cappella Fest series, our featured group of the week is the Chaimonics! The Chais are Muhlenberg’s Jewish A Cappella group. This doesn’t mean, however, that you have to be Jewish to be a member. Currently, less than half of the Chaimonics are Jewish. For those who are, however, singing traditional Hebrew songs mixed with new pop and alternative pieces is a great way to stay connected to their faith. Vice President Josh Young ‘19 spoke on being Jewish and a member of the Chaimoics. “It is really nice to get to sing those songs, because I’m not that religious and it’s a very easy and accessible way to connect with my Judaism.” The Chais’ music can be described as “mostly current pop and alternative music, with a sprinkling of Jewish songs to round it out.”
Founded in 2004, this fun and bubbly group has been singing on campus for nearly thirteen years. Assistant Music Director, Sarah Jae Leiber ‘19, says that the best part of the group is “getting to make something with your friends! I think that music, like everything else worth doing, is best when it is collaborative.” The group is made up of people who are very different but unite around a common goal, making music that they love and are passionate about. Some of their pop selections include “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat (soloists Aran Clemmons ‘17 and Rachel Brudner ‘19), “Show Me What I’m Looking
For” by Carolina Liar (soloist Jennie Silber ‘19), and “Ain’t Got Far to Go” by Jess Glynne (soloist Geneses Bello ‘17). Their repertoire also includes traditional Hebrew songs like “Hava Nagila” (soloist Young), and “Salaam” (soloist Ali Ruchman ‘19). These songs are a great way to connect Jewish members to their faith through music, but also to provide our campus (which has a high percentage of Jewish students) with an opportunity to hear Hebrew music that has been reimagined and features prominently in a group’s repertoire.
For new members, being in the Chaimonics has changed their Muhlenberg experience greatly. Silber, who got into the group this past fall, expressed how important this group was in maintaining her music hobby. “Being in the Chaimonics has given me an outlet to continue singing alongside a group of people who have such a great appreciation for music. It was hard transitioning from being in all of the musicals in high school and having a tight knit choir family to college, where I knew I might not be able to continue my passion for singing and performing. I really love a cappella and love singing with such an amazing group of people three times a week.”
On a social scale, the Chaimonics have a great bond and get along extremely well. Young mentions how integral a part they played in his ability to feel at home on campus. “It’s made [my time at Muhlenberg] a lot more fun because I get to sing and hang out with a really great group of people. It gives me something to look forward to every week and it’s given me a sort of family on campus that will always be there.” This support system is common in all of the a cappella groups and even across the a cappella community as a whole.
What sets the Chais apart, however, is how different they are from each other. Silber speaks on how that plays into their music. “We’re all very different but still understand each other and get along really well. As a whole, the members of the Chaimonics are welcoming, open minded, and passionate about what we do. We all have a lot of ambition and are part of multiple groups around campus. We put a lot of hard work and time into creating the best sound possible while also having fun and joking around from time to time.”
While a cappella is fun most of the time, there is a sizable amount of work that has to go into making songs perfect and performable. Leiber expressed how the group handles these moments of uncertainty. “The hardest thing I think is when it stops being fun, like we get too caught up on one measure and get frustrated with each other instead of realizing that in the long run it’s literally college a cappella and 20 years from now we’re not gonna remember a screwy measure 43.”
Overall, the Chaimonics are a friendly group with a crazy amount of talent and ambition that they put into each and every piece they perform. Make sure you catch their performance as well as the other groups on April 1!
Photo courtesy of Demetra Demetriades