Rockapella coming to campus Jan. 15

World-renowned a capella group Rockapella will be on Cornell College’s campus on Saturday, Jan. 15, to perform their dynamic mix of pop music and acrobatic vocal stylings and give a workshop to the winners of a campus-wide a capella contest.

The show is at 7:30 p.m. in King Chapel. Admission is free for students, faculty, staff, and Purple Pass holders, and $10 for the general public. Tickets may be purchased at the door or at The Commons Info Desk Jan. 3 through Jan. 14. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with general admission seating.

Rockapella’s performance is part of an annual series of performances and lectures funded by a gift from alumnus Richard Williams ’63 and his wife, Marlene. Past performers include Second City and the Capitol Steps.

Rockapella is best known as the house band for the hit PBS game show “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” That show, which ran from 1991 through 1996, was the longest running game show ever on PBS, and drew as many as 10 million viewers each week. They’ve also appeared in programs on HBO and recorded commercials for Folgers, Almond Joy, Doritos and others. The group is on tour in support of its latest studio album, “Bang,” released in October.

The group, made up of four singers and a vocal percussionist, was called by the New York Times “…the most accomplished contemporary a cappella group,”

Scott Leonard, the group’s high tenor, has found himself in the center of contemporary a cappella creating the arrangements, sounds, and songs of this multi-national phenomenon.  Profoundly influenced by the Motown greats and especially Stevie Wonder, Scott Leonard’s music emerges as a unique brand of pop and soul – smart, often witty and entertaining.

The student a capella group The Accidentals will get a workshop with Rockapella and also have a chance to open for the group. The Accidentals, a mixed a capella group, won a campus contest for a  workshop with Rockapella and performed twice for students in The Commons.

For more information about Rockapella, visit www.rockapella.com.

For more information about the concert, contact Tera Kringle at 319-895-4335.

NOTE: King Chapel will not be handicap accessible in 2010-11. Replacement cost for the chair lift is prohibitive as the college prepares to fully fund and install an elevator.