In a superstar-style gathering of a cappella groups from across Wildcat Country and the greater New England area, the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) all-female team Maiden Harmony presented their second annual “Fight Like a Wildcat” concert, held in the Memorial Union Strafford Room on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 5:00 p.m. The event brought together much of UNH’s a cappella community, featuring groups including Maiden Harmony, Off the Clef, the NH Notables, Alabaster Blue and Not Too Sharp (NTS), as well
as welcoming Boston University’s (BU) all-female Aural Fixation as a special guest. In addition to unifying local talent, all proceeds from the event went to the New York-based Breast Cancer Research Foundation; student tickets sold at $3 a piece, while visitor tickets sold at $8 each.
The show was split into two acts, each showcasing different sets of groups. Both before the show and during a 15-minute intermission, attendees could use raffle tickets acquired when submitting their admittance tickets into corresponding pink paper bags to increase their chances to win various prizes, including Subway gift cards, UNH t-shirts, tickets to a 2019 regular season Boston Cannons lacrosse home game and a dinner for two at Texas Roadhouse, among other prizes.
When embracing the stage, each group performed a series of two-to-three songs, mostly covers of hit songs from the past decade. After an introductory welcome from Maiden Harmony President Alyssa Porto, Off the Clef led the way, followed by the Notables, NTS and Alabaster Blue, who closed out the first act. Following the intermission, visiting group Aural Fixation initiated the show’s second half, followed
by hosting group Maiden Harmony. The groups received enthusiastic applause and hollers from audience members following their performances, especially so for Aural
Fixation and Maiden Harmony.
The show’s conclusion saw the members of Maiden Harmony hold up paper bags where raffle tickets for each of the prizes, with Porto announcing the winners by drawing tickets at random from each bag.
Considering the performances, prizes and welcoming atmosphere that made up the show, attendees and performers alike reacted positively to the night’s proceedings and cause.
“You know, they bring all the other groups together; it’s cool having everybody come together [and] perform, and it’s all for a charitable cause,” senior communications major Matt Eckman said during intermission, adding that he was looking forward to seeing Maiden Harmony perform in the second act.
 
Senior nutrition major Lily Vinocoor, a member of and social media manager for Off the Clef, said that the event was “amazing” as she praised its “good cause.”
 
“I love a cappella, it’s the best part of being at UNH; I feel like, this is my family and to get to do something I love to do here is awesome,” Vinocoor said.
 
Aural Fixation President SamanthaGagne, a pre-law senior at Boston University (BU), told The New Hampshire that their visit to UNH on Saturday marks their one road trip of the semester, a visit made possible after Maiden Harmony reached out to the BU-based
group and invited them to Durham.
 
“This event is super special because it’s a fundraiser, and I think a cappella doesn’t get enough time to go to fun draisers because we’re always doing concerts and stuff,” Gagne, who has been with the group for three years, said. “But it is really nice for us to share our talent and actually do something with it, rather than just perform for our parents and friends, which is always fun, but it’s always nice to have a meaning behind it.”
 
Porto, a senior recreational management policy major at UNH, said the event is dedicated to the memory of a former member’s grandmother, who passed away from breast cancer five years ago. She added that the turnout for that year’s Fight Like a Wildcat inspired the group to continue it even after the member graduated. Overall, Porto stressed that her favorite part of the night, and of a cappella itself, is the chance to use the platform as a medium of expression with people she trusts and cares for, as well as an alternative to the mundane routine of college life.
 
“It is the most welcoming, warm environment, and it gives me a chance to share my passion with a bunch of girls who share the same goal,” she said. “It’s a great thing to go to two nights a week to escape the madness… and the stress of school; so it’s the best group I could be a part of.”