POPulus and frequency often collaborate to work together —the groups even talked about touring at one point.
frequency started in 2009 when Diane Orlofsky, professor of music and director of University Choirs, now the director of the group, noticed that most colleges and universities that have large music programs also have local jazz groups.
“I’m a big fan of ensemble vocal jazz, and in 2009 it started to become popular with contemporary a capella, thanks to shows like ‘The Voice,’ ” Orlofsky said.
In 2011, frequency dropped an album titled “Fields of Gold.”
“We were very young and had just started out,” Orlofsky said.
The group is open to anyone from any major —about 12 members aren’t music majors.
This term, there are 12 singers in the group, along with a small instrument combination, such as percussion, guitar, acoustic bass and keyboard. Some pieces are a capella, and there are some small instrument combinations in a few of the pieces.
“We perform a cross-section of what we consider vocal jazz style,” Orlofsky said. “We do pieces similar to artists like Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices and Take Six to contemporary vocal jazz covers of pop songs by artists like Imogen Heap.”
The group also does pieces from arrangers in Finland and Sweden because Scandinavian Jazz is popular now.
frequency normally plays at one big venue each term and has a lot of smaller performances. The group has also been selected to perform at the State Music Conference. It is the first jazz group selected to sing, and this will be its biggest audience to date.
POPulus started in 2012 to formulate an ensemble-like setting around popular music, rather than classical or jazz.
The idea was to take students who want to go into the contemporary music industry and show them the daily work while still being in a class setting.
The group normally plays contemporary American pop music, which covers a variety of genres.
“Pop music is the music of the people,” said Wyatt Edmondson, a junior music industry major from Montgomery and one of the lead singers and acoustic guitar players. “It’s full of influences from our culture.”
POPulus plays two to four times during fall semesters, as well as a few small performances. Most of the time this semester has gone towardsworking on the upcoming CD “Who You Are,” which will be debuting at the concert.
“It’s been interesting working with frequency for this concert. We’ve never actually had duals concerts,” Edmondson said. “We have similar goals, just in different ways for us both in our own genre. It’ll be a good musical blend.”
The performance for POPulus will be free of admission and sponsored by Momma Goldberg’s.
The performance for frequency is billed as an “open rehearsal,” with free admission and food. The studio will be set up as a jazz club, and the audience will see what goes on during classes and how the group rehearses.
Songs won’t necessarily be performed in full, but there will stopping and starting, playing different sections and having a lot of interaction between the group and audience, similar to a rehearsal.
On Dec. 2, frequency and POPulus will be having concerts. POPulus will hold its concert at the Square at 8:30 p.m., and frequency will hold its in the Studio on Walnut Street at 7 p.m.
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