University of Minnesota a cappella group Basses Wild performs at BSM
An a cappella group from the University of Minnesota performed for BSM’s choir students.
The Basses Wild came to the BSM chapel as a part of their high school tour and performed for the BSM choir students. They also answered questions students had about their group or college a cappella between their songs.
January 31, 2017
The Red Knotes, BSM’s a capella group, allows senior high singers to come together and make music with their mouths. After high school, students often continue singing a cappella by participating college groups, one of which is Minnesota’s own the “Basses Wild.” The Basses Wild is a men’s a cappella group at the University of Minnesota. Recently, they came to BSM to perform in the chapel for the choir classes.
Basses Wild was formed in 2009, making it a relatively young group. They perform in various venues throughout the Twin Cities area. “We go all around for events; [various venues] hire us for the gigs,” Basses Wild member Kassra Taghizadeh said.
Basses Wild came to BSM as a part of its high school tour due to a connection with an alum. “One of my good friends, Frankie Gormley [class of 2016], went [to BSM]. I was setting up a high school tour, and I thought I’d email the high schools my friends went to and see if they’d be willing to host us. [Choir teacher] Nancy Stockhaus was more than willing to,” Taghizadeh said.
For the choir teachers, the opportunity to have their choir class see a college a cappella group perform was one they could not miss. “I think this is a great opportunity since we have a developing a cappella program,” Stockhaus said.
For their performance, Basses Wild performed popular songs such as “24 Karat Magic” by Bruno Mars, “All Time Low” by Jon Bellion, and “Stressed Out” by Twenty-One Pilots. In between songs, the members of the Basses Wild answered questions students had about their background and what it’s like to be a part of an a cappella group in college.
Basses Wild was well-received, creating an environment that the singers and students enjoyed. “There was a lot of energy. It’s really good when there’s a lot of energy and people are into it because it lets us feed off that energy,” Taghizadeh said.
Looking into the future, BSM can expect Basses Wild to return. “We’ll definitely be back. We love this space, Mrs. Stockhaus was so kind and welcoming. It’s not an opportunity that we’d want to give up; we’d be more than willing to come back,” Taghizadeh said.
