A second floor classroom in Herter Hall booms with four-part harmonies and climbing musical scales on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Inside, the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Dynamics rehearse for their on-campus concert and alumni reunion on April 18 in room 227 of Herter Hall at six p.m. It will be a celebration of the Acappella group’s 10th anniversary and new, fifth studio album: CCXVII.

The performers, semifinalists in the 2013 Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), began recording their ten-song album with a Northgate Production recording artist last fall and finished up production this winter. Listeners should look forward to a particularly “exciting medley” from Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories,” sophomore biology major Nick Brancazio said.

The co-ed ensemble is comprised of 18 members from a range of majors and musical backgrounds. They practice three times a week and come together at “pitching parties” where members suggest songs. The group performs and records the student-arranged pieces they agree sound best.

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Over 100 people auditioned to join the group last fall, but only one new member was selected. This spring, the group accepted four new members, as seven will graduate at the end of the semester.

The Dynamics spend a lot of time together, on and off the stage. Brancazio describes the singers as a group of friends who like to sing and enjoy playing Jenga and Bananagrams. He emphasized that in addition to musical talent, it is important for new members to “vibe with the group.”

Noting that this year’s group is “very eclectic,” senior business manager Megan Murphy said, “We celebrate together; we mourn together. We really are a family.”

Emily Johnson can be reached at [email protected].