By Thomas Anthony, Staff Writer

The 2015 edition of the annual A Cappella Jam is just around the corner. The performance is set for Saturday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at the R.J. Reynolds High School Auditorium.

Reynolds A Cappella director Terry Hicks is excited for the upcoming show.

“It is a conglomeration of A Cappella groups from high schools and colleges,” Hicks said. “It’s like watching a sing-off. It’s fun pop music.”

The event will include a cappella groups from four colleges and four high schools, including a trio of singing groups from the host school: The AcaFellas, Syncopate and Group X. The other schools that will be represented at the event will be Wake Forest, Elon, Appalachian State and UNC-Chapel Hill at the college level, and Mount Tabor, Glenn, and Shelby Crest high schools.

“We start by asking groups in October and try to get a commitment before Christmas,” Hicks said of getting all of the groups together for the show.

However, the Jam is about much more than just performing. Tickets are purchased for a minimum $5 donation at the door. For the second consecutive year, the money made from the performance will be donated to a scholarship fund. That fund helps pay for summer enrichment programs for students, including the production of the “Beauty and the Beast” play at Reynolds this summer.

Hicks is proud that the performance he organizes is able to help this fund: “All students system-wide can benefit from the scholarships.”

This is the 10th consecutive year that the A Cappella Jam has occurred during the winter season. The event first began as a fundraiser for tsunami relief and has raised money in support of several natural disasters since. The show has been a huge success and has now become an annual event that many look forward to.

The a cappella groups at Reynolds have become quite popular in recent years and the Jam is a great event for both the Reynolds groups and the singers from other schools to perform in front of a large audience.

“I am very excited about the Jam,” sophomore singer Lars Halverson. “It is a fun performance for a good cause.”

Each group will have a maximum of seven minutes to perform at the event, and will have ample time prior to performing to practice and ensure that they provide a high-quality performance. The show is expected to draw a good crowd, and Hicks is sure the event will be well worth everyone’s time.

“With the number of groups, it will be a fun and fast-paced performance,” Hicks said.