On Saturday, March 20, members of Carnegie Mellon’s fraternities and sororities participated in the annual Greek Sing competition at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. The brothers and sisters performed brief musical numbers, complete with singing, dancing, and homemade sets and costumes. Fraternities and sororities competed either alone in the singles division or paired off in the doubles division. Judges awarded prizes for first, second, and third place in each division.

In addition to entertaining the audience, the event was a charity fundraiser. This year, Greek Sing raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The sisters of Delta Delta Delta were presented with the Philanthropy Award for raising the most money of any of the participants this year. While a final tally has not been done, it is estimated that Greek Sing raised about $11,000.

From the start of the event, it was clear that it would be difficult for the audience to hear the performances. The emcees and chairs of this year’s competition, Alisha Visram and Kristin Sun, were nearly inaudible. The acoustics in Soldiers and Sailors Hall made our own Weigand Gymnasium seem like a good place to hold a concert. Audio problems continued during the first performance of the evening, when the brothers of Delta Upsilon took the stage to perform “P. Funk,” a collection of songs by George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic. While their singing was nearly impossible to hear, and their choreography and set almost non-existent, the brothers captured the funky costumes of P. Funk almost perfectly.

Following Delta Upsilon’s performance were the first participants in the doubles division, Delta Gamma and Phi Kappa Theta. This duo performed the song “Fame.” They, too, had difficulty making their singing heard, but they constructed an impressive set and touched on the nostalgia of many children of the ‘80s in the audience with their fantastic costumes. Leg warmers were everywhere. In addition, their performance had excellent choreography. These strengths won them second place in the doubles division.

Following “Fame” were the brothers of Beta Theta Pi, who performed musical numbers from the movie Zoolander. Unfortunately, they chose not to sing or play any of their own music, but they did dance well; despite the lack of singing, they put on an entertaining show.

Next was another fantastic doubles performance, this time by the brothers of Kappa Delta Rho and the sisters of Kappa Alpha Theta, who performed Chicago. They had prepared an impressive three-dimensional set, complete with jail cells to hold some of the singers. Their set, along with their great dancing, singing, and costumes, helped them win third place in the doubles division.

The final performance of the first act was Old School by the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha. They wrote their own lyrics for famous songs, including several Disney tunes, to explain the history of their fraternity's Carnegie Mellon chapter. Their excellent singing and funny, original lyrics won them third place in singles.

After a brief intermission, the sisters of Delta Delta Delta and the brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi performed Bye Bye Birdie. Although they did not choose a terribly exciting musical, their coreography and costumes were excellent.

Next came the sisters of Zeta Psi Sigma, performing Gypsy. They were the best prepared competitors in the singles division. All aspects of their show, from the singing to the costumes, were well done. The judges recognized this, awarding Zeta first place among the singles. 

The last of the doubles competitors were Kappa Kappa Gamma and Sigma Phi Epsilon, who performed songs from Newsies. This duo came onstage amidst shouts of “Freebird!” (the traditional request of obnoxious concert-goers) from the audience, and proceeded to silence the crowd with their exciting show. They made great costumes and props, and their singing energized the audience. They left to thunderous applause, and went on to win both the doubles division and the overall award for best performance. The brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon were also given the Chairman’s Choice Award for their extensive efforts preparing for the competition.

Last but not least were the brothers of Theta Xi, who won second place in the singles division with their original show, “Converge.” They combined well known rock and hip-hop songs to tell the story of how these wildly different musical genres came to influence one another. They sang and danced very well, and constructed a good set.

Overall, the competition was entertaining, but very long. Fortunately, the emcees rushed through the presentation of raffle prizes — an event that in past years has seemed interminable — allowing them to announce the winners in a timely fashion. Though this expedience was a pleasant surprise, there is no guarantee that it will be repeated in future years. As such, it is advisable that anyone planning to attend Greek Sing in the future find a good pre-party, and then pack a refreshing beverage to get them through to the fantastic post-parties.