Katie Cerulle ’22
Features Editor
Trinity College has four acapella groups on campus; one co-ed, two all-female, and one all-male. The Quirks and the Trinitones are the two all-female, the Pipes are co-ed (and the oldest collegiate co-ed acapella group formed in 1938), and The Accidentals are the all-male group. During a semester that has been significantly altered by the presence of COVID-19, all four of acapella groups are struggling to sing together when their meetings must be conducted virtually. Some groups, such as the Quirks, are using Zoom to try and replicate practicing in person and posting the recordings to Instagram. The Tripod sat down with Maya Anand ’22 and Maura Thompson ’21 to discuss the current state of their acapella group, the Trinitones.
Maya Anand has been a member of the Trinitones since her first-year fall back in 2018. Being one of her first commitments in college, she has been able to grow through her passion for singing. Not being able to sing with the group has been a difficult adjustment after practicing once a week last semester, but the group has been attempting to maintain some sense of normalcy through a medium many are familiar with; Zoom. Despite not being able to sing together, they use their Zooms to prepare arrangements for when they can come back together and to just remain in contact through these difficult times. “It’s been tough not having a singing outlet for sure,” Maya stated, “and I cannot wait until we can rehearse again!”
Singing has been a part of Maura Thompson’s life since she was a young girl and she would not have it any other way. She is also in the Trinitones and this year, being a senior, she has taken on the role of president. Her duties are unfortunately limited due to this abnormal semester, but she has been trying to maintain the same chemistry within the group by implementing weekly zooms and active group texts. The weekly Zoom meetings, that Maya also referenced, are used to prepare new music so that when they can rehearse again, the group will have a multitude of options to chose from. “This semester has given us a unique opportunity to take a step back and work on new projects that we would not normally have time for,” she states. Her role as President has slightly shifted this semester from planning rehearsals and gigs to keeping spirits up and planning virtual events that are still beneficial to the success of the group.
Both Maya and Maura spoke upon the wonderful impact that being in Tones has had on their college experience. Being able to sing with a group and foster a community of dedicated and talented musicians has been wonderful for both of them. “I have made some of my best friends while being in Tones. I couldn’t be more grateful for the community it has given me!”
