On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the South Campus Commons, co-ed a cappella group Voices of Soul will perform its spring semester show. Geraldine Rothschild '12, who joined Voices of Soul her first year and worked her way up to the position of president, wrote about the social and professional atmosphere of the group that originally attracted her during auditions. Because she sang in different venues before attending college, joining an a cappella group was one of Rothschild's top priorities upon entering Brandeis. The group she chose, which has members with many additional interests outside of music, is known in particular for its lively performances of R & B and soul numbers as well as for its unique arrangements of popular songs. JustArts: What is unique about Voices of Soul?

Geraldine Rothschild: Voices of Soul is the most diverse group on campus, not just with our song selections, but also with our members. Our members come from all different walks of life, but we all unite around music. Voices of Soul also boasts some of the greatest vocal talent at Brandeis.

This is reflected in VOS members participating on the Brandeis stage (Rent-Darlene Zephyrine '12 and Stephanie Johnson '13) and a couple members having great followings on YouTube (Josh Kahane '12 and [me]).

JA: How many times a week does the group rehearse? What are rehearsals like?

GR: We rehearse twice a week for 2 hours. Rehearsals start with warm-ups, followed by a fun song to get everyone excited. Then, most of rehearsal is spent learning and perfecting new and old songs.

We usually end with a "jam session," where we pick a song and everyone can be musically creative and invent a part for it.

JA: How does the group choose its songs and soloists?

GR: Our song-selection process usually happens at the end of each semester. Each member is allowed to propose three songs that they think fits the group. We then choose around 3 to 4 songs by popular vote and group members arrange over the breaks for the following semester.

In addition, if a member feels passionate about a song, he or she can arrange it and we will add that to our repertoire. What's really cool is that all members of the group are given the opportunity to compose a song, with the help of our Musical Director Joe Recabo '13. In addition, Voices of Soul has a strong alumni connection and we still have alumni composing songs for us, such as "F- You," which was composed by alumn[us] Soohan Song '08.

JA: Can you talk about the history of the group at Brandeis?

GR: Voices of Soul was created in 2001 by three Brandeis students who were interested in starting an R & B and Soul a cappella group. The group has blazed a trail here ever since.

JA: When did you join and what interested you about Voices of Soul in particular?

GR: I joined Voices of Soul my first semester here. I tried out for many groups and got a lot of callbacks and acceptances, but Voices of Soul's callback stood out the most in my mind and that's why I decided to join VOS. The group seemed to have the best balance between fun and hard work.

Also, unlike other a cappella groups where a couple members led and the rest followed, VOS seemed to respect all its members equally and give each the opportunity to be a leader within the group. For instance, when I auditioned, the president was a sophomore and the musical director was a junior.

JA: How long have you been singing for? Did you sing before coming to Brandeis?

GR: I can't exactly remember when I started singing, but my parents have always encouraged music in the house. My sisters play the harp and violin and I started piano lessons early on-all these instruments can be found in our living room!

Singing has been a huge part of my life. I always sang in school and synagogue chorus in elementary and middle school. Then, my high school was very big with music. Everyone either sang or played in orchestra or band.

So, I was a member of the chorus and also a select all-girl's singing group. I knew I wanted to continue singing by joining an a cappella group when I got to college!

JA: What is special about this week's performance that might influence people to come see it?

GR: People should definitely come to our semester show because it will be entertaining and fun. Unlike other groups, VOS shows are free, and you know what they say, the best things in life are free.