Humans in Harmony: Meet the Manhattones

Andrew Mannion

The De La Salle Chapel is home to one of the most vocal groups on campus: The Manhattones.

Acapella is a type of performance that is done by a solo singer or multiple singers without the help of musical instruments. When done in a group setting, the members will be split into subsections that will use different pitches in order to create harmony and sounds that mimic the sound of instruments.

The Manhattones have performed a variety of different genres of music. On their Instagram page, they post short clips of them singing tunes such as “Halloween” by JP Ashkar, “A Cappella ‘’ by Daniel Caesar, and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli.

The Manhattones performed a festival of Lessons and Carols, which took place in early December in the Chapel of De La Salle. They also have a spring concert coming up this April which will take place in the Chapel of De La Salle. The club has been preparing for this concert for some time now. They have recently hosted auditions for the club on Jan 25. The club is currently working on preparing new songs for the performance. Julia Melchiorre, the secretary of the Manhattones, spoke with the Quad regarding the process of preparing for this 2023 spring concert.

“To prepare for the spring concert, we are currently working on finishing the song “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge,” Melichorre said.

“We recently dropped a Valentine’s Day edition of the song on our Instagram and will finish it shortly. We are also looking into some new contemporary pieces arranged by members of our group. I’m excited about getting the chance to perform with some of my closest friends at my last spring concert. We always have a blast during the preparation and the actual performance.”

The members of the club are very passionate about working on this performance. They are constantly working together to find different ways to improve their performance and put the best product out on the stage come April 16th. Landen Scofield, a freshman member of the group, talked to the Quad about how they work together to put together an outstanding performance.

“One of the reasons I love this club has to be the collaboration between the members,” Scofield said. “While the group is generally led by some members of the board for rehearsals, we all either give our ideas, try them out and if they work, keep them or tweak them.”

The Manhattones also form close bonds and friendships with each other, Scofield also talked about how close the members of the group really are. He talked about how all the group members care about each other and the product they are creating.

“The people in Manhattones are all passionate about music and genuinely nice,” Scofield said. “It’s kinda like a family when you boil it down.

We look after each other and we all grow together.”

Julia Melichorre also exhibited similar remarks about the club. She spoke to the quad about her favorite parts of the club being the community and how they can all relax and unwind with some music and signing.

“My favorite part about Manhattones is warming up and creating some renegade harmonies with my friends,” Melichorre said. “There is always such good company, and we have fun switching up the way we rehearse. It is a great way to destress and express ourselves through music on the fly.”

With the spring concert looming, there are many things for the club members to be excited about. John Deljuidice, another freshman member of the group, told the quad about how he can’t wait to see the group come together and perform, while the spectators can enjoy.

“I’m really looking forward to getting together with a bunch of musicians to make some good music,” Deljuidice said. “It’s always fun to sing with other people who appreciate the arts!”

If you wish to see the Manhattones spring performance, they will be performing on April 16 in the Chapel of De La Salle. For more updates on their performances, follow their Instagram @mcmanhattones.