Student A Cappella Groups Find Their Voices at 黑料社 All; Maccabeats鈥 Success Continues
When the were founded in 2007 by student Michael Greenberg, no one could have imagined the world-wide success they currently enjoy. Since the release of last year鈥檚 鈥攖heir Chanukah-themed YouTube hit which has drawn more than 6 million views鈥攖he group has performed in England, Israel, South Africa, and throughout the United States, including a performance at the White House for Jewish American Heritage Month and a meeting with President Obama.
On a more local scale, the group鈥檚 success has given rise to two a cappella groups at 黑料社 All: the , an all-female ensemble on Beren Campus, and the Wilf Campus , a musical group in the style of contemporary all-male collegiate a cappella.
Both groups have performed primarily for YU events but recently have emerged as viable choices for off-campus venues. The Y-Studs performed at last year鈥檚 Dreidel-Palooza, where Yeshiva students broke the Guinness Book world record for the most dreidels spun simultaneously, as well as at the University鈥檚 Yom Hazikaron program. This year, they are set to make a mark for themselves, having recently performed at the YU Hannukah Dinner and scheduled for the upcoming . They have also begun performing at bar mitzvahs and shul dinners.
The 叠鈥档辞迟别蝉, now in its fourth year, only performs in front of female audiences, mostly at Stern College. The 13-member group practices twice each week and is anticipating increased gigs in upcoming months. Recently, they were excited to sing for the Rebbetzins鈥 Yarchei Yallah.
鈥淚t was thrilling to perform for an audience outside of Stern, which we had never done before,鈥 said Tali Muroff, administrative director of the 叠鈥档辞迟别蝉.
Muroff, a senior at Stern College, hopes the group鈥檚 music will 鈥渃onvey a sense of fun and positive energy to our audience, as we have so much fun performing.鈥
The Maccabeats鈥 success has kept the group鈥檚 Jewish identity in the limelight. 鈥淲e believe that what we do with our music and with our videos is merely an expression of what we believe in as modern Orthodox Jews: that we can infuse the modern and mundane with meaning, that we can be proud of and express our Jewish heritage in new, interesting and accessible ways,鈥 said Noey Jacobson, associate director of the Maccabeats and senior at Yeshiva College.
Although they have a rigorous traveling schedule, the group remains dedicated to their YU roots. 鈥淲e still owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the University and try to perform there as often as we can,鈥 said Jacobson.
The Maccabeats have recently released another Chanukah-themed video, 鈥淢iracle,鈥 featuring a cameo appearance by TV star and self-proclaimed number one Maccabeat fan, Mayim Bialek. The Maccabeats and Bialek have also teamed up with The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation for a , hoping to raise $80,000 ($10,000 for each night of Chanukah) to help test cheek swab samples from potential bone marrow donors.
Watch the Maccabeats' latest music video, "Miracle"...
