A new semester means campus groups have been seeking new members, and Wheaton’s various a cappella groups are no exception. Having temporarily lost some members due to various study abroad experiences, each group was left with spots to fill. Thus, the Blend, VUJ, the Gentlemen Callers, the Wheatones, and the Whims all held auditions within the first few week of classes.

The Wheatones were the first to hold auditions, with only one round on the evening of Jan. 29. Originally, there was supposed to be an earlier round on Jan. 27, but this was cancelled due to snow. The snow also postponed their open rehearsal, which allowed interested singers to get a sense of how the group’s rehearsals are run. Following auditions, the new members were initiated into the group at its ritual Slype event that Friday night.

The next week was a busy week for a capella, as all of the remaining groups held their auditions. VUJ held its auditions Feb. 3 and 4, while the Blend held its auditions Feb. 2 and 4. To wrap up the week, each of these groups held their respective ritual Slype nights to initiate their newest members, with VUJ’s on Thursday, and the GCs, Whims, and the Blend joint Slype night on Friday. Though these Slypes were held in the bitter cold in the middle of the night, the excitement and, of course, singing was in no way inhibited.

Having just finished auditions, the groups have already hit the ground running. The Wheatones, for instance, recently began recording for their album at Bristol Studios in Boston, courtesy of generous donations via Kickstarter. Additionally, the Wheatones also sold Valograms for Valentine’s Day, where for $3, the Wheatones would sing a song to a person of your choosing. The Whims, meanwhile, are continuing to sell their latest album, “The Tree and the Vine,” which was released in December.

As each of the a cappella groups continue to rehearse, time will tell what they have in store for the rest of this semester.