It might not have had millions of hopefuls like "American Idol," but the auditions held in Boland Hall the weekend before Spring Break did give a number of students a chance to display their singing voices.
The 20 male students ranging from freshmen to juniors who showed up for the auditions were trying out for a new, all-male a cappella singing group on campus. A cappella, Italian for "in the manner of the chapel," refers to groups of people singing together without instrumental backup.
The group, called The Gentlemen of the Hall, was the brainchild of Kevin Scimecca, a freshman journalism major, who sang in an a cappella group at Mount Olive High School and was disappointed to find that such a group did not already exist at Seton Hall. He got together with four other SHU students and decided to create one.
"We're just a group of guys of different majors that like to sing for fun," Scimecca said.
The founding members also include Clayton Collier, a freshman journalism major; Austin Romano, a freshman political science and history major; Patrick Maroun, a freshman diplomacy, public relations and journalism major; and Luke LaChac, a sophomore education and history major.
With five students already, the founders looked to expand their group through auditions, with no set number of members in mind.
"We are looking for quality, not quantity," Romano said. "If we get 15 amazing singers, there will be 15. If we only get a few great singers, then the number will be smaller."
Collier, who sang in his high school chorus, said they "were blown away by the talent we saw in auditions, so our decision process will be extremely difficult."
The group wants to become an official club recognized by SGA, which would bring more publicity throughout campus and possibly qualify them for some financial support.
Scimecca hopes to book performances on campus and in South Orange as well as take part in competitions. The boys want the group to reach out to a large number of people on and off campus.
"We want to make the a cappella group something that can be enjoyed by all, not just those in the group," Collier said. "If anyone has suggestions for songs, they can let us know on our Facebook page."
The group's Facebook page is listed as The Gentlemen of the Hall and auditions for new members will be held each semester. For more information, email gentlemenofthehall@gmail.com.
Kristyn Lyncheski can be reached at kristyn.lyncheski@student.shu.edu.
