Frequently Occasionally Asked Questions

We are constantly inundated... okay, maybe not constantly... okay, maybe not inundated....

Every once and a while we are asked questions about the group. We hope this will answer most of them for you.

The Questions

Who are the Catatonics?

Most of us are graduate students, but we've also had post-docs, visiting scholars, friends of members, twentysomethings from the Chicago area, and former grad students in the group. A wide number of disciplines and areas of study have been represented in our group, from economics to materials science.

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What is your repertoire?

Pretty much anything we want. Our current set list includes both traditional and classical works and arrangements of oldies, jazz and pop songs.

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Does the group work with precisely notated music, or do you improvise?

We usually work with notated arrangements. Our members are on a spectrum of musical experience that runs from absolute zero to folks who had years of vocal training, music theory and experience running a cappella groups. So some of us are more comfortable learning an arrangement one way and sticking with it fairly closely. Also, because we rehearse only once a week and sometimes take longer breaks in the summer, it's easier for us to use written music so that we can pick up right where we left off the last time. However, we often tinker with the arrangements we use, so we don't think of our music as set in stone.

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How big is your group? How big do you want it to be? How many people are you looking to add to the group this year? Are you looking for particular voice parts?

We don't set limits when we audition, but we wouldn't want to have the group get much larger than 24 people total (we presently have 12 members: 5 men, 7 women). We never rule out adding great new singers! Also, because graduate student schedules are so zany, we rarely have everyone at a performance, so we find that trying to artifically "balance" parts is usually a waste of time. Speaking of which...

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What kind of committment is expected from members of the group?

Unlike many a cappella groups at Northwestern, The Catatonics understands that graduate students have unique demands on their schedule. We usually rehearse during the school year one weeknight a week, and while we would love for everyone to be at every rehearsal, we will understand if you miss a few, especially if we know ahead of time. Our rehearsal time changes from quarter to quarter, so ask us for an up-to-date schedule.

We usually perform two to three times a quarter, depending on the time of year (we do a lot of holiday concerts and also go carolling on occasion). Usually the gigs are short, 45 minutes or less.

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Are you strictly singers, or do you include comedy/dancing/choreography as part of your performances?

Despite the fact that we have some wonderful and talented people in the group, we stick to singing. Of course, we are always open to trying something new...

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Is the group somehow sponsored by the School of Music or is it an independent student group?

The Catatonics are an independent group, although the University officially recognizes us. This means that the music school allows us to use space in Music Administration Building to rehearse, which is a real boon. Eleven people in one of those little upstairs practice rooms is about nine too many for comfort.

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