It was another sold-out, smash hit for the Archer Winter Concert this year. The live event featured musical and singing performances by the Archer School Orchestra and Archer Choir Groups, as well as the Archer A Capella Group, The Unaccompanied Minors. The lineup of songs commixed the new with the old, with classics like “Carol of the Bells,” fun songs like “Text Me Merry Christmas,” and concluding the show with a standing ovation of Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars.”
Archer’s own “Pitch Perfect” group, Unaccompanied Minors, performed their rendition of “Young And Beautiful/Sweater Weather” (OPB Lana Del Ray/The Neighbourhood), featured in Varsity Vocal’s Best of High School A Capella (BOHSCA) 2016’s album, slated to drop early January.
At the holiday event, the nationally recognized group performed a mashup of pop singer Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers with solosists Billie Wakeham (‘17) and Annie Schindel (‘17).
Previously, the Unaccompanied Minors were selected from a national pool of applicants to compete in the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA). This elite competition and its college counterpart (ICCA) were the inspiration for the Perfect” movie series.
Students will be representing Archer in the ICHSA West Semifinal on February 27 in Denver, CO. There, the girls will have an opportunity to perform for an esteemed panel of judges and vie for the title of West Champion alongside some of the most talented groups from the West Coast. The winner of this event will advance to ICHSA Finals in New York City on April 29, and tickets for the event are on sale now.
The Unaccompanied Minors have been invited to perform at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Conference in San Francisco in February. The event brings independent school leadership from around the globe to a weekend of speakers, interest sessions, and professional growth with the 2016 conference focusing on stories and the connections between people and institutions. The conference, entitled “What’s Your Story? The Power of Trailblazers, Catalysts, and Calamities,” features speakers like Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media; Archer students have been invited to perform just before her opening keynote speech to the more than 4,000 attendees.