Last updated on Nov. 1, 2025 at 02:34 p.m.
Eight of the University’s a cappella groups gathered to perform at Foellinger Auditorium for their annual fall showcase, Acatoberfest, on Saturday.
Each year, No Strings Attached, a competitive coed a cappella group with jazz roots, hosts the performance. This year’s theme for Acatoberfest was “Night at the Museum,” which allowed each group to showcase its creativity and deliver compelling performances.
Morgan Lease, junior in FAA and music director for No Strings Attached, started preparing the group for its Acatoberfest performance at the beginning of the academic year. While the group has a few gigs each year, Acatoberfest is the first large performance of the semester.
Lease has been hard at work preparing No Strings Attached for its Acatoberfest performance by arranging music, working with the group on dynamics, matching pitches and overseeing rehearsals to ensure everything runs smoothly.
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“We’ve been working for the past two months on learning the music, cleaning it, choreo — all sorts of things — and I think it’s really going to pay off,” Lease said.
No Strings Attached opened and closed the concert, followed in order by Girls Next Door A Cappella, The Other Guys, Off The Record A Cappella, The Xtension Chords, The Illinois Rip Chords, No Comment A Cappella and Illini Awaaz.
For some of the University’s a cappella groups, Acatoberfest is the first performance of the year. Many new members of the a cappella community took the stage in their first performance with their respective groups.
Brianne Bush, sophomore in LAS and member of the Illinois Rip Chords, was excited to perform at Acatoberfest for the first time.
“I think I’m most looking forward to being onstage with basically my family,” Bush said. “They’ve been so welcoming and so amazing to work with, and I think the best part about Acatoberfest is getting to put your work out on the stage and also have fun with your friends.”
While many new faces showcased their musical talents onstage, it was some members’ final Acatoberfest performance, which brought back memories of previous concerts and Acatoberfest experiences.
Kaya Owczarek, senior in Engineering and president of the Illinois Rip Chords, experienced Acatoberfest for the first time last year.
“It was just really great to have a performance with all the different groups at U of I because this is pretty much the only time that it ever happens,” Owczarek said. “It’s a really fun collaborative environment, and I’m just so excited to see all the other groups perform.”
Max Linder, junior in LAS and PR manager for No Strings Attached, prepared promotional material for Acatoberfest and coordinated efforts to select the event’s theme and brand. This allowed for further creativity among the groups and ensured that each group’s image was cohesive.
“For this concert, leading up to it, I did a lot of the planning in terms of what’s going to be the theme of the concert and how we’re going to dress and what the photos are going to look like,” Linder said.
Each performance stayed true to the “Night at the Museum” theme as groups chose to perform “moodier” pieces. For example, No Strings Attached performed “Headlock” by Imogen Heap, incorporating intricate choreography and layered vocals. The emcee for the performance interacted with audience members through humorous jokes, inviting them to visit the “exhibits” of the museum as they came to life. Each “exhibit” was a different a cappella group’s performance.
Other performances included Girls Next Door A Cappella’s fun-filled rendition of The Weather Girls’ “It’s Raining Men,” Off the Record A Cappella’s entertaining performance of Lady Gaga’s hit song “Disease” and No Comment A Cappella’s soulful take on “It Will Rain” by Bruno Mars.
As a whole, Acatoberfest was filled with musical talent, friendship and passion. The performers put their hearts and souls into their pieces, making the performance even more enjoyable to watch.
Each group had its own unique combination of creative choreography and timeless song choices, and what resulted was ten unforgettable performances and an amazing “Night at the Museum.”
