A dozen Wittenberg songbirds will take their music on the road this weekend as members of Just Eve, the university’s female a cappella group, head for Pennsylvania. It is participating in one of four divisional competitions in the Midwest Region of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) at The Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Feb. 5.
The competition begins at 10 p.m. in the Hertzel Union Building on Penn State’s campus and will be hosted by LateNight-PennState. Just Eve will compete with six other groups including all male, all female and mixed voices from other Midwestern universities.
The group’s set list include a range of pop, jazz and blues numbers arranged by members of the group in collaboration with Wittenberg and Just Eve alumnae Lauren Snider, Class of 2004, and Libby Weaver, Class of 2004.
Organized four years ago, Just Eve participated in the divisional competition last year as well. Placing second, third or fourth will secure the group an invitation to The University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc., on Feb. 19, to compete in the regional semifinals. The first-place winner of each division will go directly to the regional finals, which also will be held at UW on Feb. 19.
Ashley Palker, Class of 2005, serves as president of the group, and she is the only remaining member of the original ensemble. She said the members of Just Eve have prepared well for this event, including a four-hour rehearsal that coincided with bid day for Wittenberg fraternities and sororities in January. Members of the group represent five Wittenberg sororities: Alpha Delta Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Kappa.
“Our participation at ICCA not only allows us to compete on a national level,” Palker said. “It also allows us to market our newly released CD, Lights Out, to a larger audience.”