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Davis

Davis, California

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

A cappella team serenades Davis

Sophomore Shawn Skolnik and his girlfriend Elli Rezaii were fighting Saturday morning, when a member of the Liquid Hotplates knocked on the door.

“I just walked outside my room, and there were 17 people in my kitchen wearing the same shirt. They just bust out singing this amazing song,” said Rezaii, a biological sciences major. “I just started crying.”

The Liquid Hotplates, one of four a cappella groups on campus, sold singing valentines last week and performed for about 12 different couples on Saturday.

Singing valentines are a four-year long tradition for the Liquid Hotplates, who donate all proceeds to Relay for Life. At $10 per valentine, they usually make $100 to $150, said Roy Adams, business director for the Liquid Hotplates.

“People are usually pretty happy, if a little bit embarrassed,” Adams said. “We usually get people who cry during it every year.”

This year, the a cappella group traveled to dorms, apartments, houses and work places and performed two songs over the phone. Usually student couples make up the team’s clientele, although this year they performed for two mothers and last year they sang at an elderly home.

Singing at the elderly home was Liquid Hotplate Richie Ngo’s favorite singing valentine experience, where they brought the older women to tears.

“Personally I think it’s the best experience of being part of the group because you actually see emotions coming out,” he said.

This year, the standout for Adams was for an older couple in West Davis. After an exhausting five hours of singing, the couples’ gratitude was priceless.

“[She] was saying that she was going to remember it for the rest of her life,” Adams said.

The performance will be a memorable for Rezaii, too. It was unlike any other Valentine’s Day gift she has ever received, she said.

“It was such a surprise, and they were so wonderful. I was thoroughly impressed with their voices,” she said.

Adams hopes that the singing valentines can help spread the word about the Liquid Hotplates and the other a cappella teams.

“We’re trying to get more people interested in a cappella in Davis and build an a cappella community. It’s a little harder with the limited music department in Davis,” he said.

While the Liquid Hotplates don’t have any upcoming shows, The Spokes, the all female a cappella team, will be performing at Freeborn Hall Feb. 27.

JANELLE BITKER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

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