A cappella group The Filharmonic to give free concert at USU Jan. 28
The Filharmonic, of "The Sing-Off" and "Pitch Perfect 2," gives a free concert at Utah State University on Jan. 28, 2016.
The Filharmonic, of "The Sing-Off" and "Pitch Perfect 2," gives a free concert at Utah State University on Jan. 28, 2016.
LOGAN — The prospect of being on the road with his five bandmates for 60-some concerts did get Jules Cruz to wondering.
“Are we all going to be friends still?” the bass singer for The Filharmonic asked in a recent joint phone interview with his fellow singer VJ Rosales.
Yet the group’s camaraderie seemed to hold strong as Cruz added, “These are probably like my best friends.”
“Awww,” chimed in Rosales in mock emotion. “I’m going to cry.”
Cruz and Rosales make up one-third of the six-member boy band known for its appearances on television’s “The Sing-Off” and the big screen’s “Pitch Perfect 2.”
The Los Angeles-based group is making its first visit to Utah with a free concert Jan. 28 at Utah State University.
PREVIEW
• WHAT: The Filharmonic
• WHEN: 7 p.m. Jan. 28
• WHERE: Taggart Student Center Ballroom, Utah State University, Logan.
• ADMISSION: Free
What can this Logan audience look forward to?
“You can expect fun, fun, fun — that’s about it,” said Rosales, 28, a tenor vocalist and a contestant on the third season of “The Voice.”
And lots of a capella singing, of course, which is what The Filharmonic does. Voices only. No guitars, no drummer, no piano. Just voices.
“We’re not hiding behind anything — we’re just pure vocals,” Cruz, 24, said.
Rosales said some folks are curious about this type of singing, often remarking, “I don’t know how you do it without instruments.”
“It does take a lot of practice to pull off an a capella concert,” said the tenor, who started singing karaoke at age 3.
Listeners enjoy seeing the natural talent in a cappella, Cruz said.
“The human voice seems to resonate with people in a way instruments don’t sometimes,” the former stand-up comedian said.
The Filharmonic — also featuring Joe Caigoy, Trace Gaynor, Barry Fortgang and Niko Del Rey — got started through casual encounters of the various musicians at college singing competitions.
The Filipino-American group sang together for the first time in 2013, when the members recorded an audition video for the NBC reality show ”The Sing-Off.” They landed a spot, took fourth place and then went on a national tour, performing alongside Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park and Pentatonix.
The guys’ success on “The Sing-Off” led to ”Pitch Perfect 2,” released last May. The band appears as a Filipino group called Manila Envy, competing against The Bellas in an international contest.
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Being in the movie was an experience Rosales said he’ll never forget. The singers met star Anna Kendrick and the whole cast, he said, and went to Baton Rouge for shooting, where it was “really, really hot.”
Cruz enjoyed it, too, and said he’d be happy to be in more movies.
“If they have ‘Pitch Perfect 3’ coming out in a couple of years, I’m hoping we’ll get the opportunity again,” he said.
Representing their Filipino heritage is a huge part of The Filharmonic’s brand, the two singers said.
“We feel like not a ton of attention gets thrown the way of Filipino artists,” Cruz said, even though there are many talented performers.
Yet Cruz, whose parents are originally from Manila, said he didn’t realize quite how important his heritage was until the band was invited to the White House last October to perform during the first-ever Filipino American History Month celebration.
“That was the time for me when I actually recognized this was bigger than singing,” Cruz said.
The musicians didn’t get to meet President Barack Obama — “He was busy,” Cruz quipped — but Rosales said, “I keep this letter from Obama in the pocket of my blazer. … When I meet you, I will read it to you.”
The Filharmonic’s repertoire includes covers of current Top 40 songs as well as plenty of ’90s nostalgia music, the tunes these young singers grew up with.
The Logan concert is just one stop on the group’s ”Get Up and Go” cross-country tour; the band will go south after the USU gig to perform in Cedar City Jan. 29.
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Photo supplied/Ben Miller
The Filharmonic, of “The Sing-Off” and “Pitch Perfect 2,” gives a free concert at Utah State University on Jan. 28, 2016.
A big focus for the singers in the year ahead will be creating their own music, like the new “Get Up and Go” song written by Rosales.
“For years and years a capella has just been about doing covers,” Cruz said. To try original music, he said, is “definitely a big risk for us, but we’re definitely excited.”
Contact reporter Becky Cairns at 801-625-4276 or bcairns@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @bccairns or like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SEbeckycairns.