The History of Euphoria
Formed in 2006 as the first co-ed a capella group at Grand Valley State University, Euphoria quickly found a niche and an identity in the world of registered student organizations. From the first performance happening in the Kleiner Student Commons to an audience of 20, to singing at center court of The Palace at Auburn Hills last year, the group has seen constant improvement over the past five years.
Euphoria is entirely student-run. This means everything is done by the members - writing arrangements, leading rehearsals, creating choreography, etc. As such, performances are solely the group's creation, with everything the audience sees being pure Euphoria. At present, approximately half the group is comfortable writing arrangements, three members are proficient in vocal percussion, and everyone contributes to the sometimes notorious choreography. Official leadership comes from an Executive Board, a six-member board in charge of everything from booking off-campus gigs to maintaining the bank account, elected by and from the performing members.
In the past few years, careful attention has been paid towards performing at a capella competitions. These include any performances from the yearly "Acapell-off" competition hosted in Allendale for college groups across the state, to the International Competition of Collegiate A Capella, a national competition Euphoria has made it to quarterfinals for the past three years.
At the end of every year, Euphoria takes a one-week tour, performing in venues across the state and midwest. These performances range from hosting choir clinics for high school and middle school choirs, to collaborative workshops with other college groups, to center-stage performances in communities wishing to book the group for the night. It is often the highlight of the year, bringing all yearly efforts together in one massive tour.
At present, no official recordings of the group exist, though a debut CD is in the works. You can keep up to date with everything happening with the group either here, the group's official webpage, or via Facebook, at facebook.com/euphoriagvsu.
Euphoria is entirely student-run. This means everything is done by the members - writing arrangements, leading rehearsals, creating choreography, etc. As such, performances are solely the group's creation, with everything the audience sees being pure Euphoria. At present, approximately half the group is comfortable writing arrangements, three members are proficient in vocal percussion, and everyone contributes to the sometimes notorious choreography. Official leadership comes from an Executive Board, a six-member board in charge of everything from booking off-campus gigs to maintaining the bank account, elected by and from the performing members.
In the past few years, careful attention has been paid towards performing at a capella competitions. These include any performances from the yearly "Acapell-off" competition hosted in Allendale for college groups across the state, to the International Competition of Collegiate A Capella, a national competition Euphoria has made it to quarterfinals for the past three years.
At the end of every year, Euphoria takes a one-week tour, performing in venues across the state and midwest. These performances range from hosting choir clinics for high school and middle school choirs, to collaborative workshops with other college groups, to center-stage performances in communities wishing to book the group for the night. It is often the highlight of the year, bringing all yearly efforts together in one massive tour.
At present, no official recordings of the group exist, though a debut CD is in the works. You can keep up to date with everything happening with the group either here, the group's official webpage, or via Facebook, at facebook.com/euphoriagvsu.
