Juxta Spring Concert
by Sarah Long
April 26, 2006
Downtown Blacksburg will be overrun with a mile-long line that begins at the entrance to the Lyric Theatre. The lucky ones will have pre-sale tickets in their hands. Others will arrive several hours early in hopes of snagging a seat. Anyone familiar with the event knows that both shows will sell out faster than you can blink.
The lit marquee above the Lyric will read, “Juxta Spring Concert.” On Friday, April 28th, Virginia Tech’s premiere male a cappella group, Juxtaposition, will perform their annual spring concert. “If you’re interested music at all, you should come check out the show,” said sophomore member Dan Martin. “Besides the fact that I’m going to be there, it’s a good time. We always have new songs to premiere and the audience always has fun.”
According to the group’s website, www.vtjuxta.com, “Juxtaposition is an entirely student-run organization whose goal is to create, record, and present harmonious vocal symphonies, instilling a state of euphoric bliss in our audiences, thereby curing cancer and eliminating world hunger.” Or, as sophomore Dan Troha said, “I’m in juxta because I like to sing and it’s just fun.”
Juxtapositon, popularly referred to as “Juxta,” was formed in 1994. According to Martin, along with numerous performances in the Blacksburg area, they also travel all over the United States to perform. But the highlight of being in the group is the chance to perform in their big spring show at Virginia Tech. “Shows are the reason we do all the work we do,” said Dan. “But shows at Tech are the best because of the collegiate crowd; they definitely give us the best response.”
Josh Smith, a senior in Virginia Tech’s architecture department and music director of Juxta answered the following questions about the group and their upcoming spring show.
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Q) So are you guys friends outside of the group?
A) “Oh yeah… we throw a lot of parties, we go downtown together. We just hang out whenever we get free moments. We’re all really good friends for the most part.”
Q) What’s it like to be music director?
A) “Horrible? Stressful? Actually no, it really isn’t. It can be frustrating because it’s definitely hard to make 15 college guys pay attention to one person for two hours. But you develop leadership skills, (laughs) and it’s great when you finally get to hear a song come together for the first time.”
Q) How do you decide what songs the group will sing?
A) “It’s always a group decision. If the majority of the group likes the song we’ll at least try it. Depending on the arrangement, we may or may not do it. If it sounds good, we usually end up doing it, bottom line.”
Q) Why should people come to your concert on April 28th?
A) “To enrich their musical knowledge, (laughs) or maybe to experience a new musical phenomenon perhaps.”
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Juxta will perform a 7 p.m and a 9:30 p.m. show. Group members would like to assure the public that an after party will follow the later show. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door, at www.vtjuxta.com, or in the Squires Student Center ticket office at Virginia Tech.