A CAPELLA: Riverside Poly High School recently created two a capella groups, the Polyphonics and the Acabellas.
By Esther Whang, Staff Writer
The Polyphonics and Acabellas are two new a capella groups at Poly High. The Polyphonics consist of a mixed group of female and male singers from Chamber Singers, and the Acabellas is an all-women’s group with singers mainly from Bella Voce.
Because the Acabellas incorporate a few performers from Chamber Singers, the girls from Bella Voce and Chamber Singers have a chance to connect. “Having this group.. they can have chemistry, they can build relationships with people they may not be in class with,” Cameron Webb (12), president of both the Polyphonics and the Acabellas, said. Building connections among one another is beneficial, as chemistry ultimately makes it easier for the group to sing as a whole.
The choir teacher, Mrs. Walton, came up with the idea of an a capella group existing at Poly. “At the various competitions we’ve gone to we’ve seen different groups have smaller a capella groups within them; there was one group that stuck out when we went to San Francisco from Fountain Valley,” Webb said. “They were an all-women’s group and they sounded fantastic and they were a really solid group so Mrs. Walton wanted to start something like that at Poly,” Webb continued. Seeing other acapella groups perform is what inspired Mrs. Walton to start the Polyphonics and Acabellas.
The president of the a capella envisions the groups performing at events such as pep rallies, and basketball or volleyball games. Not too long ago, Polyphonics performed at a gig at the Riverside Art Festival on Saturday, September 15. It’s more convenient for groups like the Polyphonics and Acabellas to represent Poly while performing in and around the city due to their smaller size and mobility.