The word “competition” is usually associated with athletics, but there is a whole other side that the school has never explored, until now. On Saturday, April 17, the Upper School’s a cappella group, the Knightingales, hosted Pitch In, their first-ever a cappella charity “smackdown.” Organized by Sophia Stafford ’25 and Nikki Minsky ’24, the event included performances from the Knightingales and three groups from Concord Academy, and was judged by Tufts University’s The Amalgamates. The winning school got to donate all the funds, raised through self-selected ticket prices, to a charity of their choice.
Sophia said she and Nikki came up with the idea because they were looking for a way to give back to their community.
“Between all countries, continents, and nations, music is something that unifies everyone,” Sophia said. “I wanted to bridge the concert with something to raise money for charity.”
The two students started by contacting private schools in the greater Boston area. A cappella teams from Winsor and Concord Academy replied. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication regarding timing, Winsor was unable to attend the competition and ultimately was not a part of the event.
Concord Academy Choral Director Michael Bennett said they were more than happy to participate.
“Concord Academy has attended some events like this in the past, but not since Covid. So, this was our first big interscholastic outing since the pandemic.”
Each group sang three to four numbers, all featuring soloists. The Knightingales performed “Traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Send My Love” by Adele, and “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna. The three groups from Concord Academy performed five songs in total, including hits like, “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Elvis Presley. To finish it off, the Tufts Amalgamates performed their set, comprised of “Stop This Train” by John Mayer, “Starman” by David Bowie, and more.
Knightingales member Abby Brown ’26 described Pitch In as a huge success. There was an added element of competition that impacted the singer’s nerves, she said.
“I think at the beginning, it was kind of stressful because it’s not just a performance but a competition,” she said. “Obviously, it’s all for a good cause, so everybody kind of wins here, but still, you want to represent the school well, especially when we’re performing on our stage.”
Abby described her overall experience as extremely positive despite her nerves and said she would “absolutely do it again.” She added that seeing a collegiate-level performance was inspiring to many of the Knightingales, as it showed them what a future in a cappella could look like.
One moment from the invitational stood out more than any other, Abby said. After the winner was announced and the judges gave their feedback, the Knightingales led the groups in Anna Kendrick’s “Cup Song.” The school’s own singers had put together harmonies for this piece beforehand; the Concord Academy singers, the Amalgamates, and some of the audience members joined them seamlessly.
“That represented the event as a whole because even though it was a competition, the goal was to have a greater positive effect,” Abby said. “If everyone had not come together like they did, the event wouldn’t have worked.”
It wasn’t just singers that enjoyed the competition. Friends and family in the audience showed up to support the singers and enjoy the performances.
Aparajita Srivastava ’25, who was in the audience, appreciated watching a show dedicated to just a cappella, she said.
“The majority of times when people see a cappella is in parallel to something else. To have something just focus on that group of really talented people was very nice.”
Being independent from other parts of the music department, like the orchestra and jazz bands, highlighted the singers’ talent, Aparajita said.
Through ticket sales and money made at a bake sale, the Knightingales were able to surpass their target of $1,500. Most of the money came from pre-purchased tickets online, which brought in $823. At-the-door ticket sales added another $605, and along with the bake sale’s $441, the event raised $1,869 in total. The winners of the competition, the Knightingales, plan to donate the funds to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that provides medical attention across the world to those in need.
Co-founder Nikki explained that in the future, as they have more time to prepare, the final product will be smoother. Ultimately, Sofia and Nikki hope that this will become an annual tradition at the school. They imagine the event expanding to collaborate with more schools and raise even more for charity.
