Juilliard Voice Student Transfers to Penn Due to Superior A Cappella Scene

Of the fourteen a cappella groups in the A Cappella Council (curiously abbreviated "ACK"), the average undergraduate might watch five at most during their time at Penn. But for some students, the amazingly diverse and slightly excessive number of a cappella groups in ACK was the sole reason they even applied. 

Christopher Moore is one such student. Moore is a current freshman studying voice and opera at the Juilliard School in New York, which had been his dream school for fifteen years. He discussed with us his motivation behind applying for transfer admission to Penn.

"I'm receiving top-notch vocal training at the most famous conservatory in the world," Moore said. "But I just feel like something is missing here." While watching the Shabbatones show during a visit to Philadelphia last semester, Moore was struck by an epiphany. Juilliard, while an overall decent music school, lacks a crucial ensemble, arguably the most important avenue for artistic expression of the century: an a cappella group.

"When you factor in its immeasurable opportunities in a cappella, Penn is simply the best school for vocal performance in the country," Moore told us. "I don't have to deal with pesky instrumentalists there. It's just the human voice, in all its tender and beautiful glory."

Moore's plans to become a professional opera singer haven't changed, however. "My artistic vision remains the same," Moore explained. Although he plans to audition for every single a cappella group, including the all-female ones, Moore confided that he had even bigger dreams. "I'm thinking about starting a new group. We'll perform full-length operatic works, with just our voices. How cool is that?"