St. Thomas’ all-male a cappella group, the Summit Singers, will release its first studio album “Under the Arches” on Wednesday.
The group’s 13 members worked for months alongside former club president and St. Thomas alumnus Chad Berg to complete the album.
“‘Under the Arches’ is a final salute to our collective legacy, and a time capsule for future Summit Singers,” Berg said.
Sophomore Tony Perrella said the album is contemporary and features some of the club’s favorite songs.
“The idea behind … this album was like a Summit Singer greatest hits,” Perrella said. “(It’s) our favorite songs that we’ve done for the last four years.”
Berg said one purpose of the album is to raise funds for the club. Because the Summit Singers is an exclusive club that holds auditions and only allows men, it receives no funding through St. Thomas.
“I hope this album can provide plenty of future funding for the group to continue putting on concerts for years to come,” he said. “It’s much easier to focus on your goal if you’re not so pinched for funding.”
The album took time to come together because, according to sophomore Alex Noto, the club’s current president, the recording process is complication. With the studio located in Buffalo, Minnesota, the men had to travel in groups in order to complete recording sessions.
“Trying to organize the schedules of 13 guys can be very, very challenging.” Noto said.
Because of the hard work and effort put into the album, the group is excited to share its work with St. Thomas students and with the community as a whole.
“We put all this time into it, and we’re just hoping that people love it, and not only just buy it, but share it with other people,” Senior and Danny Glass said.
Noto reflected on how the experience of recording the album has impacted the club.
“This has been a really rewarding process for everybody involved, not just myself,” Noto said. “I do feel really blessed for the opportunity that it’s provided for me, not only to grow my professional attributes but also contribute to memories that I can help create for everybody.”
Berg said the club has taught him the importance of leadership and allowed him to make lifelong friends; the CD is just the final step.
“We’ve put hundreds and hundreds of collective hours into it, and it’s become a very special project to me,” Berg said. “(The club has) given me great friendships, unforgettable experiences and a greater understanding of the power of the music.”
Noura Elmanssy can be reached at elma7206@stthomas.edu.