Have you ever seen a YouTube video or live performance of a collegiate a capella group and wanted to be part of one? With the formation of The Macaulay Triplets, now you can! Raj Basak (CCNY ’15) tells the Messenger about his inspiration to start the group, what’s on his iPod, and his hopes for the coming year.
Q: When did you first become interested in singing (or music in general)? Were you in a choir or other singing group in high school?
A: I have been singing casually my whole life, but I got picked up in high school by the music department and I’ve been really serious about it since. I was in choir, vocal ensemble, several bands, leads in several musicals and a cappella groups in the past. When I was at The International Scotland Fringe Festival this past summer performing an original musical, I got SO SO inspired by the incredible a cappella groups there and decided to join/ make one in college!
Q: Why the name?
A: The name Triplets comes from the resemblance of a musical triplet to a “M”.
Q: How did you generate interest for the group?
A: So far, interest has spread through word of mouth! Tomorrow, it will be featured in the Macaulay Monday, so hopefully we’ll get some more interested singers and musicians.
Q: What music do you hope to perform? What music do you like to perform/listen to?
A: The group is intended to be very versatile having repertoire ranging from pop, jazz all the way to rock n’ roll. By training, I sing a lot of opera and have been in many musical theater shows. As for what i listen to — practically everything! My friends are often startled by how I can have Pavarotti and Eminem on the same iPod. There is not one genre that I do not like.
Q: What do you hope to see happen in the a capella group’s first year?
A: We have big dreams for the group! We hope to start out strong this year and get our name out – make Macaulay students come and enjoy our shows, etc. Hopefully by the end of the year, we will be ready to send our audition tape to the Collegiate A Cappella Championships! (Oh, and definitely generate interest from incoming freshman!) The hope is to start a lasting tradition at Macaulay which brings talented students from all campuses together who can put on a great show for their peers and develop a sense of community, while hopefully at the same time having our name out there as one of the better A Cappella groups in NYC!
Q: Tell us anything else you think should be known about this new group!
A: The group encourages singers and musicians of all levels to audition this upcoming Wednesday and Friday. I was once told by a teacher that the best A Cappella singers are often shower singers!
