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![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
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Guy’s Gig to perform in upcoming spring concert
Guy’s Gig members rehearse with adviser Susan Nace. They will perform in the upcoming spring concert on April 29.
March 22, 2016
Vocal harmonies of Guy’s Gig, the upper school’s boys’ a capella group, fill Dobbins room 108 four times a week as they practice for their next performance.
This year’s members include seniors Alex Henshall, Maxwell Smitherman, Rishabh Chandra, Kaushik Sankar, Johnny Trinh and Gurutam Thockchom; juniors Brendan Tobin, Brandon Stoll, Emre Ezer, Andrew Tierno and Ashwin Rao; sophomores Adriano Hernandez, Markus Wong, Praveen Batra, Rahul Bhetanabhotla and Shreyas Chandrashekaran; and freshman Mathew Mammen.
Formed when the upper school first opened in 1998, Guy’s Gig allows boys from all grades to come together and sing a capella. In addition, they sometimes sing a more traditional a capella like doo-wop, barbershop, or video game music. They even compose their own music.
Performing arts teacher Susan Nace directs two Harker chamber ensembles, Cantilena and Camerata. She is also the adviser of Guy’s Gig. She also enjoys teaching the boys as well as spending time with them during their rehearsals.
“They punish me with their terrible puns and doggedly annoy me with their “sirius” jokes,” Ms. Nace said. “I love them anyway, they make me laugh.”
In the past, Guy’s Gig has performed not only during upper school performances, such as the fall and spring concerts, but also alongside a capella groups from universities, such as Yale and Brown. Last year, The Brown Derbies performed for the upper school, and Guy’s Gig also sang their version of Bruno Mars’s “Lazy Song” and Harvard Veritone’s “McDonald’s Girl.”
Mathew joined the club as the only freshman and sings tenor two, which is a high singing voice at the adult male range.
“I’ve always kind of been interested in a capella,” he said. “I’ve never done it before. It sounded interesting, so I went with it and it turned out be a lot more fun than I expected.”
Alex believes that the club is an important place for boys to spend time together while doing something they all love, singing.
“We like high commitment and would like to be able to push what we can do,” Alex said. “We all love to sing and hang out. That’s why I think it’s important. I would be affected greatly if I didn’t have this.”
Ashwin, who has been a part of the group since his freshman year, believes that Guy’s Gig allows for boys to expand their musical interests and enjoy themselves.
“Guy’s Gig is significant because it’s a place for any and all guys to try singing or choir and have fun with [it while] making new friends,” he said. “It’s definitely a great way to show that performing arts and choir is really fun and is not a girly thing.”
Guys Gig’s will be performing at the upcoming spring concert on April 29 at 6 p.m. They will be singing “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen, “Danny Boy” by Frederic Weatherly, and their theme song, “Good Old A Cappella” by The Nylons. The seniors will be wearing ties during their performance to symbolize that they are no longer “guys,” but are now “men.”
