Sharing your passions with other like-minded people is always a special time. For RWU’s very own a cappella groups, Hawkward and Drastic Measures, this could not be more true. This past weekend, the two a cappella ensembles brought their talents to the University of Rhode Island (URI) for the Rhody Rhapsodies Fall Invitational.

During the invitational, Hawkward had a blast performing among five other groups from around the area. The invitational was like a concert, where each group prepared a cappella selections to share with the other groups. Hawkward chose three different songs, including Estelle’s “American Boy,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and “Dusk Till Dawn” by ZAYN ft. Sia.

Ava Wilkens, business director of Hawkward, spoke highly of the experience and the passion that was shared by all that attended.

“My favorite part of the invitational was being able to be with my group and share our music with other group,” Wilkens said. “It is such an awesome feeling to be at an event where all of the people there share the same exact passion.”

The group rehearses twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-10 p.m., learning and practicing songs in sectionals, which means splitting into each respective voice part before coming together for the full group product. 

Hard work certainly goes into a successful result. Wilkens voiced the purpose for their rehearsals.

“We always want to put on the best show possible for others,” Wilkens said.

Performing and hearing music from other schools was a highlight for the group and acted as an inspiration to keep persisting in their endeavors. The opportunity to have their work heard made all the practice and time put into the group worth every second.

What’s next for Hawkward? Coming up soon are the ICCAs, which is a large-scale a cappella competition. Think “Pitch Perfect” style. With such a big event and goal in mind, the group is getting ready to practice and get their name out there. Motivated by the music and the love of creating, the future of Hawkward is bright.

Drastic Measures also found the experience to be exciting and rewarding. President of the group, Tess Alexandre, found the invitational enjoyable due to the talents displayed by all of the groups that attended.

Drastic Measures performed two songs from their setlist, including “Love Runs Down,” which is a mashup of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” and OneRepublic’s “Love Runs Out,” featuring soloists Jayda Ragas and Sydney Dawson. The group also performed “Gives You Hell” by the All-American Rejects, featuring Alexandre as the soloist.

The energy within their performances was large and exciting. 

“We performed with a lot of energy and URI is always such a receptive crowd. We had a lot of fun there, we do every year,” Alexandre said.

Next up for Drastic Measures is their end-of-the-semester concert, which will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. in the GHH Atrium. They will be performing their entire setlist while serving cookies and cocoa. During intermission, they will feature other soloists or talents from RWU who would like to perform a song of their own.

“We like to use this concert not only to showcase our own skills but also to shine a spotlight on some of the other talented performers we have on campus,” Alexandre said. 

Don’t miss out on these two wonderful a cappella groups!