The UC Men?s Octet, sometimes termed the Cal Men?s Octet or the UC Berkeley Men?s Octet, is an eight member male a cappella group at the University of California, Berkeley. Founded in 1948, the group?s broad repertoire features several genres of music including barbershop, doo-wop, pop and alternative, and a healthy dose of Berkeley fight songs. The Octet has recorded over a dozen albums and is the only multiple-time champion of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), having won the competition in both 1998 and 2000.[1]
While the Octet performs regularly around the San Francisco Bay Area for both alumni and the public, the group has toured all around the world including China, Australia, Europe and extensively throughout the United States. They also perform for Cal students every Wednesday during the academic year at one o?clock on Berkeley?s Sproul Plaza.
The group hosts a series of annual concerts. In the Fall, there is the West Coast A Cappella Showcase , where several groups from all over the country are invited to perform at Berkeley. Past guest groups in this concert have included former ICCA Champions Brigham Young University?s Noteworthy and Vocal Point as well as groups from Stanford, UCLA, USC, Mt. San Antonio College, and the University of Oregon. The group?s other annual concert performances include the UC Men?s Octet Spring Show and the year-end Unbuttoned Show .
The Octet has enjoyed worldwide popularity through the video posts of their various on-stage performances throughout the years. The most popular group seems to be the 2002-2003 UC Men's Octet, with favorites like "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Not Pretty Enough", "Stayin' Alive", "Big Butts", "Shout", "Blackbird", and the "Nirvana Medley". "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been viewed over 2,000,000 times on youtube.com. The 2004-2005 Octet's "Lion King Medley" and the 2008-2009 Octet's "Men in Tights" are also fan favorites. All musical arrangements are put together by the group members themselves, and though there are many requests for these arrangements, especially for "Bohemian Rhapsody", the group does not give out its arrangements to the public out of respect for the arranger and group as a whole.
Octet Albums
The UC Men?s Octet has recorded over a dozen albums.
Over the years, the Men?s Octet has been cited in several California Bay Area publications such as The Daily Review,[2] the San Jose Mercury News,[3] and the Contra Costa Times[4].
The Men?s Octet has also made several appearances in other media. From annual appearances on the San Francisco/San Jose radio station KFOG[5] to appearing on the WCAU News in Philadelphia[6], the Men?s Octet have been heard nationwide. The Octet has even recorded a public health service announcement with the California Department of Health Services entitled ?Wash Your Hands? as part of the Immunization Branch?s campaign against the spread of the flu[7]. The group also recorded a nationally aired radio commercial for Coors beer to promote "The Pigskin Can".
↑ Nicholas Galano, ?Sound of Music Inspires, Fulfills,? The Daily Review May 10, 2004
↑ Connie Skipitares and Glennda Chui, ?Joe Willits, Co-Founded a Pair of Vocal Octets: Valley Executive Maintained a Love of Song, UC-Berkeley,? San Jose Mercury News November 5, 2003
↑ Jackie Burrell, ?Old Style, New Sounds,? Contra Costa Times March 4, 2006
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