Under normal circumstances, these 16 people probably would’ve never met. But they all had something in common that weaved them together.
Welcome to the wide web of No Southern Accent.
With nine new members this year, No Southern Accent, UF’s co-ed competitive a capella group, will reach new heights and bring you more energy than ever before.
“They are a big bundle of joy,” said Pamela Daitch, a 22-year-old geology senior and fourth-year member of the group.
Almost doubling the size of last year’s intake, the “Newbz” are helping string the group of eight guys and eight girls along. Let’s meet them:
The Newbz
Ari Sharfstein, Bass
Sharfstein auditioned for NSA because he always had an interest in music and loved singing, but it gives him more than a vocal outlet.
NSA also helps him get through the toughest of days.
“It’s a great outlet for when I’m super-stressed,” said the 19-year-old philosophy freshman.
He recalled the first NSA rehearsal.
“It sounded awesome. It was a really good indicator of what’s to come,” he said. “It’s great how a group of people can come together and make beautiful music like we do.”
As a bass, Sharfstein contributes to the foundation of the group’s music.
“When you’re building a song, you have to start with a strong foundation,” he said. “If you don’t have a strong foundation, you can’t build upon it.”
Claudia Stantzyk-Guzek, Alto
She almost cried when she found out that she made NSA. After all, she is the baby.
The 17-year-old journalism freshman said she was excited to join the group. After discovering that all of her high school choir friends joined a capella groups, it took her no time to Google “a capella at UF”, and that’s how she discovered NSA.
“I found that this is where I need to be,” she said.
She said she’s sarcastic, and sarcasm seems to run deep in this rhythmic family. That’s one thing that mends them together.
“Everyone’s the same but different,” she said.
And as it did for some of the other freshman, NSA helped her get acquainted to UF.
“I’m definitely more involved now,” she said. “Through them, I hear about other things. Without them, I don’t think I’d be as involved as I am.”
Elliott Mitchell, Tenor/Vocal Percussionist
A performer with eight years of a capella experience, Mitchell said NSA is one of the coolest a capella organizations he has been a part of. The 22-year-old first-year law student said he experienced being in groups that were either inexperienced or lacked passion, but NSA had the whole package.
“I’m finally in a group where there’s a lot of enthusiasm, and there’s so much talent,” he said.
The oldest of the new members, Mitchell said he probably blended into the group a little better than others at first, but they all get along the same.
“We’re close-knit,” he said. “We’re already laughing and making jokes with each other.”
Fallon McKain, Soprano
After not being able to take chorus classes at UF, Fallon tried out for NSA. The Tallahassee transfer wasn’t too happy with her audition, but NSA members loved it.
“I was ridiculously excited,” she said.
The 20-year-old mechanical engineering junior said she’s the quiet one, but that’s not always the case.
“It’s crazy-awesome,” she said. “The personalities are just crazy.”
The sopranos are the fierce ones.
“We’re the middle note that’s hard to find,” she said. “I feel very fortunate to be a member.”
Kaitlin Healy, Alto
Singing in the car can pay off. Well, it did for Healy.
“I went from singing in a car to singing with 15 awesome people,” said the 20-year-old family, youth and community sciences junior.
With no prior singing experience, she said she feels honored to be part of a well-recognized organization.
“It’s the best thing that has happened to me in my two years in college,” she said. “It’s a really great community of people.”
Although she’s only known them for a few weeks, she said she feels closer to them than anyone else she’s been friends with.
Healy first heard about NSA her freshman year.
“I was too chicken to try out then,” she said.
But that fear has turned into dedication.
She said she’s probably one of the most serious members of the group because as a new member, her mindset is all about working hard so she can do well.
Laryn Cura, Soprano
Singing had always been a part of her life, but Cura said she had never been so excited for something as when she got accepted into NSA.
“The people in general are just, like, amazing, and the experience itself is really fulfilling,” she said.
After the first rehearsal when everyone sang together for the first time, Cura said it was then that she realized that NSA is where she belongs.
“This is what I’ve been looking for,” she said. “Everyone’s really talented, and I think it’s going to be a great year.”
The 18-year-old microbiology and cell science freshman found her home away from home.
“I feel really comfortable,” she said. “I can be myself and do something I love with amazing people.”
Robbie Bromley, Bass
Bromley’s obsession turned into a birthday present.
The day he found out that he made NSA was the day he turned 18.
“I was overcome with emotion,” he said. “It was, like, the best present.”
The chemical engineering freshman had been in a choir since elementary school and needed a new place to release his chords.
Now, he’s one of the deep notes that everyone relies on. “Collectively, the basses are the foundation and the comedic release of the group,” he said.
It didn’t take long for Bromley to feel like he had a family.
“Immediately from the first day, I felt like I was friends with everyone,” he said. “I always look forward to practice. It’s the best part of my week.”
NSA helped him with his transition from high school to college.
“Since UF is a big school, it’s easy to get caught up in everything and get lost,” he said. “It’s great to have a group of friends to rely on. They made me more comfortable at UF as a freshman.”
Robert Pomeroy, Bass
NSA also helped Pomeroy’s transition from high school to college.
“Joining NSA was finding my niche,” he said. “It’s a way to make a university with 50,000 students smaller.”
The 18-year-old English and criminology freshman got to continue his high school favorite. He was in an a cappella choir in high school for two years.
“The chemistry we’ve created in such a short amount of time is amazing. I love every single one of them to death,” he said.
Spencer Jordan, Tenor
Forgetfulness landed Jordan the deal of his life. One night, he was about to sing at the Swamp and realized he forgot his microphone, but he met Alex Greene, an NSA member, who saved his performance.
Greene let Jordan borrow his mic and encouraged him to try out for NSA.
This was new to Jordan, but he agreed.
“Any chance I got to sing, I just wanted to take it,” he said.
Now, NSA is the one thing Jordan, an 18-year-old journalism freshman, looks forward to during the week.
“I’ve never been so involved with music,” he said. “I’ve never met so many great musicians that I’d love to spend my time with.”
He described NSA as a big, crazy, weird family and he wouldn’t change it for anything.
“It’s the one part of my week where there’s completely no stress,” he said.
The Oldies
Brian Jones, Bass/Treasurer
Brian sang Gospel most of his life, but other than that, he had no other singing experience.
That changed when he was introduced to NSA through IDEAL, a UF organization that helps students get involved in other campus clubs.
“The second you join the university, you step into the a cappella world,” he said.
“It’s pretty weird when a cappella groups get together. We have a close degree of separation with people all over the world.”
That’s something that sets the group apart. He compared it to the film “Pitch Perfect,” which he said is like the “Bring It On” of a cappella, “It’s really a pretty accurate representation of a cappella.”
Jones, a 21-year-old industrial and systems engineering senior, said it’d be really cool to find a job in the industry.
Through NSA, he said, “I’ve been opened up to a whole new range of opportunities.”
C.J. Wittus, Tenor/President
Wittus said he had a tough freshman year — living in a crummy apartment, being nervous and taking classes he wasn’t interested in — but NSA helped him get through it.
“I would not be where I am without some of the members,” he said.
Now, the 20-year-old management, and criminology and law junior, helps others as president of NSA, and he does whatever he can to maintain group dynamics.
“Group dynamic is just as important as musicality,” he said.
The group has two-hour practices three days a week, which may seem overwhelming, but Wittus thinks otherwise.
“Always going through music is such a stress reliever because I’m with my best friends,” he said. “We make beautiful music with our best friends.”
Alex Greene, Tenor/Vocal Percussionist/Musical Director
He likes to see himself as a bridge. As the musical director, Greene is in charge of bringing things together as he writes and leads rehearsals.
“As much as you are teaching, you’re trying to bring out the best performance in people to create the best performance possible,” he said.
And knowing how to blend with each other is important, he said, because there aren’t any solos in a capella.
The 21-year-old materials science and engineering junior has a classical background and has been singing with NSA for three years. As a vocal percussionist, he beat boxes; however, he prefers to sing. “Your face hurts after you do multiple songs,” he said.
But overall, the out-of-state student cherishes the opportunity to be a part of NSA.
“A capella was always something that seemed really cool, but it was an opportunity that I didn’t have until college,” he said. “I instantly got 18 new, really good friends. I didn’t know a single person, and right away I had people to hang out with.”
He said he loves being with the quirky mix of singers.
“This is by far the best thing I’ve been involved with,” he said. “It’s given me the most opportunities.”
Pamela Daitch, Alto
As the oldest member of the group and previous musical director, the 22-year-old geology senior said she’s like the irritable grandma.
“But I hope no one would actually describe me as that,” she said, laughing. “I’ve seen what we can do, and I’m just a really big advocate for the group.”
Daitch said she helps keep everyone under control, but it’s never too hard to do because the group yearns to learn and be really good.
“We’re at the point where we can take the best of the best,” she said. “Everyone is so talented and dedicates so much of their time.”
She loves that NSA has no other motivation behind their singing other than the fact that they’re really passionate.
Alissa Kotranza, Soprano/Performance Director
She began singing at the age of 10, but NSA was her window to the real world of a capella.
The 19-year-old psychology and English sophomore said NSA is different from anything else she’s ever experienced, but she loves it.
“I auditioned because I know if I didn’t have an outlet, I’d probably go insane,” she said. “If I wasn’t in NSA, I don’t really know what I’d be doing.”
Now as performance director, Kotranza’s in charge of making the group look good on stage.
“It’s gonna be a lot of mental effort and physical effort,” she said. “But it’s an amazing group of people. We bring in a very multifaceted group of people. It’s very full of life.”
Emily Sturm, Alto
NSA has helped Sturm in more ways than singing.
“All opportunities with NSA will definitely help me in the future,” said the 22-year-old landscape architecture senior.
As one of the older members, Sturm said she helps watch out for everyone and makes sure things are running smoothly. And this year, she said she’s looking forward to being awesome.
“We have a new group, and we sound great,” she said.
But she’s more excited for the new members.
“I’m more excited for them because they don’t even know what they’re in for yet,” she said. “It’s great to have a group of friends to do awesome things with.”
Kathryn Varn, Soprano/Public Relations Coordinator
It’s typical for freshman to get drowned in the large student body at UF, but NSA came to Varn’s rescue.
“Making it was the best day of my life,” she said. “It really helped my transition from high school to college.”
She was a founding member of her high school’s a capella group, and she continues her leadership through NSA.
As the public relations coordinator, this is her first year welcoming new members in, and she said she hopes they see her as a role model.
“They’re all really freaking talented,” she said. “We were relying on them to bring a breath of fresh air into the group, and that’s exactly what they did.”
The 19-year-old journalism sophomore describes the group as a group of best friends making music together.
“A capella calls for a very special alliance. You’re all leading yourselves,” she said. “You have to pay super attention to everyone around you. That’s a special bond. You don’t get that anywhere else.”
She said she loves NSA like family.
“This might sound kind of cheesy,” she said. “But through all kinds of weather, we’ll all stick together. It’s true with The Gator Nation, and it’s true with NSA.”
Thanks for visiting the web of No Southern Accent. Now that you’ve met the members, you can string along with them. Here are some of the things they’re looking forward to this year:
SoJam A Cappella Festival, Nov. 2-4 in Raleigh, N.C.
Fa-La-La A Capella winter concert featuring UF a capella groups
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, Jan. 26 in Gainesville.
UF’s co-ed competitive a cappella group, No Southern Accent, practices its performances three times a week. The group has 16 members, nine of which are new this semester.
