The capital region’s voices met in Proctors’ GE Theater this past Friday the tenth for the annual Thruway,an acapella competition named for the participating colleges’ proximity to the I-90 thruway. Since its conception in 2011, Union has hosted Thruway as a way to sponsor local co-ops and charitable organizations in New York State, bring attention to collegiate musical talent, and honor musicians who have dedicated
months and years of dedication to their craft. The event, which was previously brought under threat of cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had historically hosted institutions as far away as Rochester, Colgate, and the University of Connecticut. This year’s lineup, however, presented a close-knit group of colleges near to the capital region pushing one another’s cooperation and voices to their limits. These were: Union’s Garnettes, Dutch Pipers, and Eliphalets; Skidmore’s Sonneteers and Accents; Siena’s Lost in Sound, University of Albany’s Serendipity and Pitch Please; and RPI’s Rensselyrics. “All of the groups truly showed up, outdoing one another with one incredible performance after the next,” said Avery Byron, a sophomore music major at Union. After some deliberation on the groups’ performance, the panel determined the winner to be Skidmore College’s Sonneteers with their soulful renditions of “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean, “Dive”by Olivia Dean, and “Thank You” by Dido. Running up in second place were Union’s own Garnettes with their covers of “Good Life” by Sammy Rae and the Friends, “Runaway” by AURORA, and “Only Girl” by Rihanna. A special shout-out is due also to the Union College Eliphalets for being honored as the best-dressed group in the performance as well as being the group with the best energy. Union hopes to welcome many more (y)ears of the capital region to this delightful musical get-together.