Naomi Warren’s resonant alto reverberated in the McKay High School choir room Monday morning.
“When you need a shoulder to lean on / I’ll be your bridge over dangerous waters,” the senior sang. A dozen of her classmates harmonized, going from a light percussion to a cascading echo of the word “waters.”
The haunting rendition of “Call On Me” leads a trio of songs the Scots-Apella group will perform this weekend at a national competition in New York City.
It’s the second year in a row the school’s acapella group has made it to a national stage. Last year, they took second place.
Eight of the group’s 13 members are returning.
Acapella singing uses no instruments, instead relying on singers’ voices to provide percussion, harmony and accompaniment.
Warren, 17, who’s been singing her entire life, said last year’s New York competition was “one of the best experiences of all time.” She’s excited to travel again with her fellow singers, who she described as her best friends.
“We’re all like siblings and it’s really chaotic but it’s lovely,” Warren said.
Scots-Apella is under the direction of teacher Hannah Abercrombie, who’s in her first year teaching at McKay after moving from southern Oregon.
The group has selected songs that aren’t as well known as the top 40 and pop hits acapella is often known for. Their other selections are “The End of Love” by Florence and the Machine, and “Little Blue” by Jacob Collier and Brandi Carlile.
“They put a lot of emotion behind what they’re singing,” Abercrombie said.
The group took first place in the semifinal March 9 in Los Angeles.
They’ll perform Friday, April 26, in the Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella. The group has raised about $2,665 toward a $10,000 goal to cover the cost of the trip and is accepting donations online.
Senior Anthony Del Rayo Larios, 18, a baritone, is one of the group’s new members. He watched the ensemble perform at a competition in Sherwood and said they “took my breath away.”
“It definitely broadened my view on music as a whole,” he said.
Del Rayo Larios had never sung in an ensemble and had to learn to read music to audition.
“It was very hard, very arduous,” he said. He said Abercrombie has helped him find his voice and tone this year.
“From me being an audience member to actively participating on stage and making good music for everyone … it was surreal, out of this world,” he said of the semifinals competition.
He’s both excited and nervous for the national stage.
Del Rayo Larios said his hope is to “get up on that stage and be proud of what we were able to accomplish this year.”
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
