LAHS Graduate Back with A Capella Group

On Friday, March 11, LAHS Class of 2007 graduate Nicky Gelman brought his a capella group from college, the Pitchforks of Duke, back to the school to perform in two concerts. Nicky is now a senior in college and director of the Pitchforks.

Talon: How is college life?

Nicky Gelman: It’s been awesome. I love Duke so much it was totally the right decision. Long way from home but honestly the South is not that different from the West Coast. People are still really friendly.

Talon: How is it like singing with the Pitchforks?

Nicky: I remember the first time seeing the group as I was auditioning—in our call-back auditions, they bring us in and have us sing with the group—it was the first I was in a room with the group and when they sang, it was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It was so loud and a lot of power and a lot of just emotion.

[Singing with the Pitchforks] has honestly been one of my most involved things I’ve done, and I’ve loved it. It’s been so much fun.

Talon: How has your four years with the Pitchforks been? How has it changed you?

Nicky: You see the group perform during Orientation Week on stage with all the other a capella. The Pitchforks are the oldest and most well-established and most impressive as a freshman when you see the group on stage. Which makes it pretty outrageous to audition and then get in, you just sort of feel like you’re the lowest of the low.

And through four years I’ve grown up and grown into this role; I was Assistant Music Director last year which was a huge step in taking more responsibility. Then this year I’ve been directing which means I do all the arrangements, I run rehearsals and I direct all the performances.

It’s been a huge, huge learning experience in how to manage people; honestly, the people aspect is the most challenging—much more challenging than the music. Just sort of running a group where everyone is happy and I think we’ve done that and everyone is having an amazing time.

It’s been great and we’ve gotten to come to California—a huge portion of the group has never even been to the West Coast. It sort of brings a full circle to mean to go to the East Coast, spend four years in college working on this, now I am the Director and I get to bring it back and sing for my own high school Choir Director, who taught me how to sing. It’s fun and it’s cool that we got to do this.

Talon: How has it been coming to LAHS?

Nicky: It’s been great. I mean, I come back a lot because my sister goes here, she’s a sophomore. It’s not like I haven’t been around but it’s really fun to bring my music that I’ve been doing since then.

I hope for kids in Main Street [Singers] too to see that music is something that continues in college. It doesn’t have to be the same thing but it can be something new and something totally different, but you still use all the skills and all the things you learned from Mr. Shaull and Main Street. But it can be something totally different. It’s been great for me to come full circle and bring everybody back here and show what I’ve been doing with my life.

Talon: Do you have any suggestions for musicians and singers?

Nicky: Don’t lose it. Keep it. Do not stop—whatever your music is—do not stop when you get to college. College is crazy, college is a busy time and it’s really easy to lose track of [music]. But it will keep you sane; it will keep you from losing you mind in hard college classes if you still have music in your mind. There’s really no choice but to keep it.