Early in the morning through the halls of the Wilsonville High Performing Arts Center, the muffled sound of voices can be heard through the choir room door. A wave of sound breaks free as the door is opened, revealing the sound of… Imagine Dragons? Every morning, a select few students arrive to rehearse.
Contemporary a cappella first rose in popularity in the 1990s, then gained more recognition through media like Pitch Perfect or Glee. The craft of performing popular songs without the use of a backing track has now become a well-known practice, with many high schools having their own teams.
Soul’d Out, the Wilsonville a cappella group, first formed in the late 2000s, performing at concerts and participating in vocal showdowns with other schools. Since then, the group has received many awards for their performances in contests such as ICHSA or Rose City Sing-Off, showing the commitment from students for many years.
Senior Soul’d Out member Sydney Cederberg shares, “It’s given me a lot of good opportunities to sing on stage. Being able to see a really cool genre of music, cappella being super unique, it’s all really incredible. It’s given me a chance to try new things out vocally and to learn.”
The group practices every morning, often preparing for different events such as concerts, gigs, or competitions. The a cappella group requires an array of talents from each member that range from soloing, vocal percussion, music theory knowledge, and even some dancing ability which is necessary for singing competitions.
“I would say Soul’d Out is a group that you can’t hide in. You have to be willing to put your vocal talent forward. You have to be able to step into new ideas positively such as movement, choreo, soloing, and improvisation,” says choir director Karen Bohart, also known as “Kbo” to her students.
The group’s accomplishments are dependent on the hard work contributed by students, especially without the help of instrumentation or an accompaniment track. The magic of Soul’d Out comes from each individual’s efforts towards the music, making for an incomparable performance. This can be seen each year without fail, even as new students cycle through the group.
With each morning spent in the choir room, Soul’d Out only grows more impressive in their craft. Each performance bringing them closer together, the group is unlimited in their potential. Soul’d Out shows that a cappella is not only an art, but a delicate process requiring extreme precision and dedication to see its success.
