On Nov. 1, the a cappella group Beyond Unison celebrated its 10th anniversary with a concert in the Campus Theatre. Thirty Beyond Unison alumni came back and performed with the current members to a full audience of families and students.

A total of 13 songs were performed at the concert—six by the students, five by the alumni members, and the final two by both alumni and students. Individual students or alumni personally crafted the arrangements of the songs performed.

President of Beyond Unison Daisy Bourne ’15 was in contact with the alumni for a year to plan the event. To make the collaboration of the final two songs possible, she emailed sheet music to each returning member and scheduled two practices with them shortly before the concert.

Though Bourne was featured as a soloist in Beyond Unison’s performance of Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love,” she stated that her favorite songs to perform are those in which she’s a part of the background.

“It’s fun to perform as a solo voice, but it’s also really fun to perform in the arc because there’s a connectedness you feel with the group that I think you miss sometimes singing as a soloist,” Bourne said.

Following intermission, the alumni and students surprised the audience by returning to the stage in Halloween costumes. The change in clothes was an ode to the group’s creation on Halloween 10 years ago.

Dave Allen ’06 is an original member and the first alumnus of Beyond Unison. He was featured as a soloist in Ben Folds’ “Rockin’ the Suburbs.”

“It’s crazy. I’ve sung it as a returning alumnus more times than I sang it as a member of the group,” Allen said.

The song was a highlight of the show, and Allen drew laughs from the audience through his dancing and rapping.

“I just wanted it to be funny and silly. It’s not like a big, belty, showy song. It’s a silly song,” Allen said.

Allen has continued to pursue his passion for singing. He has sung with various choruses and now sings with a post-collegiate a cappella group in his hometown of Philadelphia. He remains close friends with many of the founding members of Beyond Unison, and is grateful to be a part of its legacy.

Though Beyond Unison dedicates four hours a week to perfecting their performances, Bourne says that learning the songs is a constant process.

“Even the songs that we performed today, there’s still work to be done, and we’ll constantly be improving them,” Bourne said.

Bourne stated that Beyond Union has shaped her entire college experience.

“It’s defined who my friends have been and the things I’ve been involved in. When you make music with people, you bond in a special way that I don’t think you can get in any other club. [Beyond Unison] is such a family,” Bourne said.