A Community in Harmony

If you love singing with friends, you’ll want to learn more about Grinnell’s student-led a cappella group, Con Brio.

“There’s something so special about creating music together — the shared experience of harmonizing and creating something actively that you’re enjoying as you’re doing it,” says Kate Guiney ’23, a senior and a member of Con Brio.

Guiney says that singing a cappella builds an amazing sense of collaboration and creativity. “You’re relying entirely on your voices to create the music,” she says. “It takes a lot of very active collaboration in the actual process of the singing. It takes listening to each other, relying on other people to build this piece of music that you could not make on your own.”

Guiney came to Grinnell from Granville, Ohio, after she fell in love with the College on a campus visit. She majors in French and sociology with a concentration in film and media studies. Although she’s not a music major, she knew she wanted to continue singing at college. “When I was looking at Grinnell, I was definitely looking for ways to keep up with singing, to meet other people who liked to sing as well, who were really interested in music,” Guiney says.

Grinnell offers many opportunities for people who love to sing. Guiney has also participated in the Grinnell Singers and Collegium Musicum, an ensemble that focuses on early music, and she loved them both. But she says there is something special about Con Brio.

“Because it’s a student group entirely, led by students, it’s really just hanging out with your peers and doing something that you all really enjoy doing and are passionate about,” Guiney says. There is no “leader,” per se, although some members do pick up special responsibilities, like creating new arrangements for the group or organizing the schedule.

“It really is so collaborative. And there’s not really a hierarchical structure,” Guiney says. Anyone can audition for Con Brio, regardless of prior experience or musical knowledge — you don’t even have to read music.

“We encourage anybody who’s interested to audition,” she says. “The process also is very laid back. Because it’s all student led, it’s simply coming to us with a song that you enjoy singing and singing it.”

Con Brio comprises a variety of singers with different musical backgrounds. “People come with all sorts of skills and all sorts of voices,” Guiney says. “Every semester is just a unique combination of people and interests and musical types. It’s always different.”

Con Brio is relatively small (16–22 singers), so the members often become quite close, Guiney says. “I would say everybody in the group has become my friend,” she says. Besides rehearsing for two hours each week, they also hold social events, like karaoke night or outings to the local bowling alley. “We also will get dinner together after our rehearsals,” Guiney says.

Grinnell is a great place to be a musician, no matter what your major, Guiney says. “You can always find someone who’s interested in collaborating with you on whatever kind of style you want to make.”