A cappella group auditions for National Broadcasting

The Boston auditions for the National Broadcasting Company, or NBC’s The Sing-Off, will take place at Emerson’s Paramount Theatre on Thursday (May 5), and Noteworthy, one of Emerson’s a cappella singing groups, is gearing up for the audition. If selected, members will fly to Los Angeles as one of the top 10 a cappella groups in the nation, competing for a Sony Music recording contract and $100,000.

The group will perform three contemporary pop songs for the audition. “We usually lean toward more of a jazz or indie sound,” said Maria Murray ’13, co-president of the group. “But of course for a competition like this, we’ll have to perform some more well-known songs.”

Murray believes that many people associate a cappella groups with the popular Fox television show Glee, but she assures audiences that Noteworthy is different. “We focus less on show choir and choreography,” she said, “and more on finding our own creative way to translate the sounds that we hear in our favorite songs into a cappella music.”

Noteworthy typically performs once a week, either at Emerson events or off campus. It was one of the featured groups at this semester’s memorable “To Jackie with Love: A Tribute to Jacqueline Weis Liebergott.” It also performed at Rhode Island’s Hasbro Children’s Hospital Radiothon, an annual fundraising event.

One fact that sets Noteworthy apart from the competition, Murray believes, is the bond that the members share. “We’re like a family. I consider everyone in Noteworthy to be a close friend of mine. It’s more than anything a team effort, and the fact that we are so close—alumni and current members—really gives it that family feel.”

Groups that move on to the next level at the auditions will fly to Los Angeles in the fall to film the show. The Sing-Off is a special five-episode event that will air once a week in December. Noteworthy members hope their diverse range of personalities and voices will earn them a spot in the top 10.