Campus a cappella groups Cadenza and the Summit Singers are planning to begin their season this semester, despite COVID-19 regulations.

Both groups held preliminary auditions over Zoom and held in-person call backs once university regulations allowed.

Despite being online, senior and Summit Singers President Matthew Farho said that preliminary auditions went as well as could be expected.

“There were a few times where there would be little awkward moments,” Farho said, “but it was pretty easy to work through.”

Senior and Cadenza President Thuy-vy Tran anticipated that singing over Zoom would make the first round of auditions difficult to judge.

“(We’re) just hoping we can hear the voices as clearly as possible,” Tran said.

Cadenza usually holds blind auditions where members sing from behind a curtain during auditions, so that members can make a decision based only on the sound of the auditioner’s voice.

“This year we won’t have them be blind,” Tran said, “they’ll just have their names on the screen and they’ll have the option to turn their camera on or turn their camera off.”

Per state and university regulations, members will have to wear masks for in-person callbacks. Junior and Summit Singers member Landon Javens said the mask requirement could present some challenges.

“It makes it harder to hear each other,” Javens said, “which is super important when we’re starting to learn songs.”

Since their concerts usually draw over 100 people, holding two concerts a semester is no longer an option, Farho said. Despite this, both clubs have plans for the future.

The Summit Singers are planning to record an album of covers, which will be released on multiple streaming platforms.

“That’s such an exciting opportunity that I don’t know that we would’ve had time for if we were still planning on doing a concert in December,” Fahro said.

Cadenza hopes to compile some type of recording while still following social distancing guidelines.

“We have a lot of other plans coming this semester,” Tran said, “so stay tuned for that.”

Ultimately, safety is a top concern for both groups. Tran wants to keep communication open between executive members and the rest of the group about COVID-19 concerns as they move forward.

“We want to hear what makes people feel safe and what will be comfortable for everyone,” Tran said.

Annie Terry can be reached at terr2351@stthomas.edu.