Kyle Whitaker ’14 was in the zone. To perfect his arrangement of Sara Bareilles’ “I Choose You” for his a cappella group, Twisted Measure, he listened to the song for hours each day — while driving, while doing homework and while walking to and from classes.
His work paid off, and he was nominated for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) for Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement, which are the best arrangements by individual members for college level male/female a cappella groups.
The CARA winners will be announced April 11. He will be competing against University of Denver Colorado’s Edifice, University of Delaware’s Vocal Point, Pennsylvania State University’s The Pennharmonics, University of Saint Andrew’s The Alleycats and University of Rochester’s After Hours.
When Whitaker joined Twisted Measure his freshman year, he said he became a part of an “incredible family” that he is still in contact with.
Whitaker tried to keep his arrangement of “I Choose You” as close to Bareilles’ version as possible — a likely reason for the nomination.
“I think the instrumentation of the voice parts and the syllables we used really sound just like strings being plucked or background singers singing a call-and-response, just like the original,” he said.
Whitaker was after a sparse and simple feeling that would become a more emotional and complicated arrangement.
“As the song and the emotion behind it grow, I added more harmonies, more complex rhythms, and really just let the arrangement fall into place from there,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker arranged the song in fall 2013, but the group still performs it in his absence. Junior Tyler Meacham is the lead soloist for the arrangement — her first solo performance — with senior Stanley Dowell as a vocal percussionist and other members providing soprano, tenor and bass.
The difficulty of the song meant Meacham did a lot of practicing in order to hit the harder notes. To make the song her own, Meacham took a few aspects of Bareilles’ original and enhanced them.
“‘I Choose You’ is originally a lighter pop song, pretty easy listening, but to get that climax that a cappella demands, I decided to belt on it more than Sara did in the original,” Meacham said.
Dowell, president of Twisted Measure, said their recording of “I Choose You” has a live-sound — as opposed to a recorded — feel to it. The recording can be downloaded from iTunes.
Twisted Measure has been performing since 1999, but in the past two years they have had more exposure in the wider a cappella community. They were recently invited to sing at the Georgia Tech.
“We’ve begun to branch out,” Dowell said. “I’ve been able to watch it, and it’s pretty cool.”
Even if Whitaker doesn’t win the CARA, the nomination is an honor of its own and great for Twisted Measure’s exposure.
“Winning would be personally validating, but there’s no way it could ever compare to the intangible rewards that the group has given me over the years,” Whitaker said. “It’s always nice to feel loved and supported by the people around you, especially when so much of what you do is for your audience.”
Twisted Measure was previously nominated for a CARA in 2013 for alumna Emily Mooney’s ’12 performance of “What Turns You On.”
“That was the first time that I realized that the CARA board really does listen to the songs we submit,” Whitaker said. “It opened my eyes to the possibility of being recognized.”
This second nomination motivated Twisted Measure to produce their best work for their 15th anniversary album “XV,” because they knew judges would be listening to their submitted material.
Whitaker is teaching English to students in Malaysia on a Fulbright Grant until November. He has arranged two songs for Twisted Measure since graduating and will continue to do so over the next few years. But he is confident the group will continue to flourish without his help.
“It’s strange but really comforting to attend a concert as an alum and to realize that the group doesn’t really need you anymore,” Whitaker said. “It’s a testament to just how incredible Twisted Measure really is.”