The Melodores, a Vanderbilt student a cappella group, is one of six teams selected to compete on The Sing-Off’s one-night-only holiday special. The show will air Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. (CST) on NBC.
Hosted by Nick Lachey, The Sing-Off features six vocal groups competing for a $50,000 grand prize. Each group performs live and without a backing band, covering hits from the pop, rock, R&B and country genres. Boyz II Men vocalist Shawn Stockman, singer-songwriter Jewel and Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump serve as judges.
The Melodores are the only collegiate group and the largest ensemble selected for the competition. Formed in spring 2009 on the Vanderbilt campus, the group includes about a dozen members, all of whom are current Vanderbilt students. In 2011, The Melodores placed third at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella held at New York City’s Lincoln Center. In 2012, they were selected as one of six groups to compete at SoJam, an a cappella festival in North Carolina. The Melodores were also featured performers at Nashville’s TEDx Conference in March 2014.
The group performs about 30 concerts for Vanderbilt’s Greek community, charitable organizations and administrative functions each year as well as biannual concerts for the student body, faculty and general public. The Melodores also tour each fall to cities like Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, where they perform at local high schools, speak about continuing music in college, and generate interest in applying to Vanderbilt.