Starving Artists kicked off their season with a “Newbie Debut” concert, to introduce the newest members of the a cappella group. It was the first time the group has performed live since the winter of 2020, and the room was packed with fans and abuzz with excitement. The newest members of the group are Leila Haller ’25, Sarah Kim ’25, Sam Newman ’24 and Rachmiel “Rocky” Klein GSAS ’22. 

The concert consisted of four songs, and it provided a taste of what the group has to offer. The songs were all arranged by senior members of the group, and each song featured a different soloist. The group performed “Broke” by Samm Henshaw, “Don’t Leave Me Lonely” by Mark Ronson and Yebba, “I Need a Dollar” by Aloe Blacc, and “BHC,” Starving Artist’s alumni song. 

“It was my first time performing a cappella live, so I was definitely really uncertain about how it was going to go,” Haller told the Justice in an Oct. 29 interview. “Even though the whole experience felt somewhat out-of-body, I enjoyed every minute of it.” Kim shared a similar sentiment: “After Sunday’s concert, I was so out of breath, but I was glad that the performance went well.”

Klein, a student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, knew he wanted to join an a cappella group on campus, but was torn by which group to join. After meeting other members of Starving Artists, he knew he wanted in. “I chose the Starving Artists since I loved their sound, the quirkiness, loving energy of the members, and I could tell that there was serious musicianship. When I got in, I received a phone call with all the members yelling congratulations, and I knew I was about to find a family at Brandeis, being new and all.”

Haller and Kim knew that they wanted to be a part of Starving Artists as well. Kim says, “Music has always made me super happy, and it’s so nice to be around a group of people who also like to sing.” Haller said her fellow members are “such a dynamic and fun group of people.” She also spoke about the disposition of the group: “Even though rehearsals require a lot of focus and hard work, everyone is super dedicated to our sound. Every time we rehearse, it is evident how much each of us just enjoy the opportunity to sing together, whether it is in front of an audience or not.”

Starving Artists was founded in 1995, and for the last 20 years has been performing both on and off campus and has released five studio albums. In 2010, the group reached the Semifinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, and won the Best Vocal Percussion Award twice in a row. 

Starving Artists has two more on-campus events scheduled for this semester. They will be performing at the Kindness Day Coffee House, on Nov. 8, and their Semester Show will be on Dec. 9. They will also be opening for the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall on Dec. 21.