Arts & Culture

AcoUstiKats, Paws and Listen to Give 'Aca-mazing' Concert 'After Dark'

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 4, 2016) — The University of Kentucky is getting pitch perfect this weekend with "Paws and Kats After Dark," a concert featuring the best of a cappella music on campus. The concert, which will be headlined by the acoUstiKats and Paws and Listen, as well as include an opening set by UK's newest a capella group, Blue Note, will begin 7 p.m. Sunday, March 6th, at Memorial Hall. With covers of popular music both classic and modern, the night is sure to be "aca-mazing."

UK's a cappella groups have been featured in concerts and competitions internationally. Paws and Listen has traveled with the UK Women's Choir on international tours, the most recent being to Spain this past summer. The acoUstiKats have performed in countless venues across the United States from the shores of Hawaii to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Both groups recently competed in the Midwest ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella) competition, and both were recognized for excellence. Paws and Listen was recognized for best vocal percussion, performed by Samantha "Sammy" Petitte, a community and leadership development senior from West Bend, Wisconsin. The acoUstiKats were awarded runner-up in their division and will advance to the competition's semifinals to be held April 2, in St. Louis, Missouri.

The acoUstiKats, founded in 1993 by Jefferson Johnson, director of UK Choral Activities, as a subsection of the UK Men’s Chorus, are the premier all-male a cappella ensemble in the state of Kentucky. Without the strong support of the UK Choral Department, widely known as a national powerhouse for male singing, this group would not be what it is today. The acoUstiKats have been featured on national television as a part of NBC’s “The Sing-Off” season four.

Paws and Listen is a premiere a cappella ensemble auditioned from the nationally-renowned UK Women's Choir. The ensemble is coached by undergraduate music education majors and advised by Lori Hetzel, associate director of UK Choirs and associate director of the UK School of Music. This highly esteemed group performs pop and contemporary music while serving as ambassadors on behalf of the UK choral program at numerous prestigious events throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Blue Note is UK's only mixed a cappella group and was formed as a subsection of the UK Choristers. The group is advised by Beth Wilson, and is student directed. They perform at countless events throughout the semester, both with the Choristers and locally.

Tickets for "Paws and Kats After Dark" are $10 for adults and $5 for UK students and children at the door.

For more information on this concert or UK's a cappella groups, contact Joseph Wrightson, administrative assistant for UK Choirs, at joseph.wrightson@g.uky.edu.

The acoUstiKats, Paws and Listen and Blue Note are part of the UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The school has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, and theory and music history.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uky4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu