UIndy Aces
Dressed inconspicuously and spread throughout the dining hall, members of the first University of Indianapolis a cappella group came prepared to surprise the crowd of unsuspecting students with their flash mob performance.
The group is named UIndy Aces. Thanks to television shows such as “The Sing-Off” and the movie “Pitch Perfect,” the popularity of a capella groups has grown.
Sophomore vocal performance major and student ambassador Andrew Wegg said he received a lot of questions from students and potential students asking if the university had an a capella group of its own. Wegg, too, had been interested in participating in such a group. However, at the time, there was no such group, which motivated Wegg to recruit some friends and create one himself.
“I always wanted to be a part of one myself, but I never made it a priority,” Wegg said. “But for once in my life, I was tired of wanting something and not doing anything about it. With a lot of support from friends and a whole lot of prayer to God, the UIndy Aces was born.”
Creating the Aces wasn’t easy for Wegg and other members, who said creating the new group and gain campus recognition was nerve racking and a bit difficult.
“I was terrified when I decided to start the UIndy Aces,” Wegg said. “I’ve never thought that I would have the capability to start an RSO.”
However, Wegg said that he and the rest of the Aces members put aside their fears and worked hard, somewhat under the radar, to produce their first performance. After performing their rendition of the 1979 Buggles hit “Video Killed The Radio Star” the Aces grew to feel more comfortable in themselves and their group. Their flash mob performance led to their most recent performance at the Alumni House.
Since their creation, the UIndy Aces have performed publicly only twice. However, Wegg is planning for the group to perform numerous times throughout the second semester and hoping to pick up a few more members too.
“I just want the Aces to become an RSO that can be a family of people who love to perform. We will perform for family and friends and grow in our passion for a cappella music,” Wegg said.
Freshman music education major Emily Townsley said she has grown in the family Wegg created.
“It is just really special to be able to get such talented people into one room and to make something from nothing,” Townsley said.
For Wegg, Townsley and the rest of the Aces members, they are just doing what they truly enjoy doing, which is singing. They state that their goal is to become an RSO that is based on friendship, family and song. As the group’s leader, Wegg said that he plans to spend his time at UIndy developing the group and learning from the experiences.
