The annual a cappella jam that took place Saturday, Feb 7th in the A&A drew over 200 people. This live singing event includes several schools around the area, including St. Seb’s and Xaverian. A portion of the proceeds went to the Elizabeth Mary Clare Schickel Scholarship fund. Check out this video from the event.
This article explores the history of the Treblemakers before they got their name and from the early days led by Mrs. Demirjian to the student-run club of today. Mrs. Demirjian was the music teacher at Montrose beginning in 1994 when the chorus only consisted of nine Montrosians. The high school chorus, then called “The Montrose Singers,” sang their first Christmas concert in 1996. The concert consisted of singing, instruments, and even Ms. Cusack singing in the high school chorus! By 1999, the chorus doubled to 20 singers. Mrs. Demirjian expressed her desire to expand the content that the group performed.
She said, “I wanted to have a group that was especially motivated and willing to spend extra time to learn more difficult music, without accompaniment, so I started a smaller, extra-curricular, auditioned group that was simply called the “Montrose a Cappella Singers.” After several successful performances, Mrs. Demirjian and Mrs. Leist decided it was time to come up with a more creative name for the group. Thus, in 2002, the “Treblemakers” a cappella group was born.
At first, Mrs.Demirjian auditioned and chose the individuals that she accepted into the Treblemakers. Over time, she thought it necessary to hand those responsibilities to the students themselves. She said, “gradually, in order to develop both leadership and musical skills, the group became more student-run. The girls manage the responsibilities of running auditions, choosing and arranging music, planning gigs and running rehearsals.” Today, the group is student-run and supervised by Mrs. Sullivan.
Over time, the group adjusted to modern-day customs. Mrs. Demirjian said, “I started the group in order to sing challenging classical music, particularly madrigals and sacred motets. As the actual high school chorus became larger and more proficient, they began to sing a more diverse repertoire, and the Treblemakers gradually transitioned to contemporary, popular music.” In addition to the change in style of music, the group has incorporated dancing and costumes in their performances as well.
Currently, the members of the Treblemakers are Kate Wahle ‘16, Nora Clancy ‘18, Maillane Morrison-Werner ‘18, Maddie Crump ‘15, Molly Cahill ‘16, Rachel Solomon ‘16, Catherine Melley ‘16, Abby Gillis ‘16, MaryGrace King ‘16, Shubo Yan ‘15, Nora Sullivan ‘16, Madeline Reilly ‘15, Sarah Baker ‘15, Liz O’Neil ‘16, Megan Bellavance ‘16, Erin Golden ‘17, Olivia Hastie ‘18 and Anneka Ignatius ‘18.
This is the second year Montrose hosted the jam. The event is run by parents who help build co-ed connections and camaraderie with other local school’s a cappella groups. “They are very excited,” says Mrs. Sullivan, “to be hosting this 2nd yearly event in our home space, the new A&A.”