The Trojan Men
Encyclopedia
The Trojan Men is an all-male a cappella
group at the University of Southern California
. Founded in 2005, the group has participated in and has earned numerous awards from competitions like the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
and USC's Absolut A Cappella contest. The group currently performs around USC and the Los Angeles area.
", "If I Ever Fall in Love
", and Bregman's original arrangement of "California, Here I Come
".
The group has grown steadily in number and popularity. In 2006, they competed in the ICCA
for the first time, placing third in their quarterfinal behind BYU
Noteworthy and that year's eventual International Champions, BYU Vocal Point
. They were also honored with a Best Soloist award. That same year, they competed in USC's annual Absolut A Cappella contest, placing in first above ICCA finalist USC Reverse Osmosis
. Again, they were honored with a Best Soloist award.
Channel.
The following semester, the group competed in the ICCAs again, placing third in their quarterfinal and again winning a Best Soloist award. In that year's Absolut A Cappella contest, they placed third as well.
Continuing the trend of breaking with established USC a cappella tradition, the group scheduled their first concert of the semester one week after other campus groups, associating it with USC's Homecoming festivities and again performing a dozen songs. At the concert, the group announced that their second annual Holiday Concert would be the first by a USC a cappella group to be held in Bovard Auditorium with a small admission fee.
The second annual Holiday Concert was held on December 6, 2007. Nearly 500 people were in attendance as The Trojan Men performed twenty songs, a total of ninety minutes of music capped by two short videos. The concert was recorded for a future CD and DVD release. The group financed the entire show themselves using funds acquired from previous performances and private donations.
The Spring semester of 2008 was focused on recording the group's debut album, Take Root. The album was released May 4, 2008, the night of the group's end of the year Spring concert held again in Bovard Auditorium.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Founded in 2005, the group has participated in and has earned numerous awards from competitions like the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella , is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year...
and USC's Absolut A Cappella contest. The group currently performs around USC and the Los Angeles area.
2005-2006
The Trojan Men was founded in January 2005 by then Freshman Evan Bregman. Nine people auditioned in the initial stages, and the group had its first performance on March 3, 2005 with five members. They sang three songs - "In the Still of the NightIn the Still of the Night
In the Still of the Night may refer to:* In the Still of the Night, a 1932 popular song by Hoagy Carmichael and Jo Trent* In the Still of the Night, a 1937 popular song by Cole Porter...
", "If I Ever Fall in Love
If I Ever Fall in Love
"If I Ever Fall in Love" is an a cappella song by Shai, which reached #2 in the US charts in 1992, and spent one week at number-one on the US R&B chart. Its eight weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US meant that it held the record for the second-most weeks at number two in the chart's...
", and Bregman's original arrangement of "California, Here I Come
California, Here I Come
"California, Here I Come" is a song written for the 1921 Broadway musical Bombo, starring Al Jolson. The song was written by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer, with Jolson often listed as a co-author. Jolson recorded the song in 1924...
".
The group has grown steadily in number and popularity. In 2006, they competed in the ICCA
ICCA
ICCA stands for:* * Independent Computer Consultants Association* Indigenous and Community Conserved Area* Institute for Corporate Culture Affairs * International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella...
for the first time, placing third in their quarterfinal behind BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
Noteworthy and that year's eventual International Champions, BYU Vocal Point
Vocal Point
Vocal Point is a nine-member, male a cappella group at Brigham Young University. Founded by students in 1991, Vocal Point operates under the auspice of BYU’s School of Music....
. They were also honored with a Best Soloist award. That same year, they competed in USC's annual Absolut A Cappella contest, placing in first above ICCA finalist USC Reverse Osmosis
Reverse Osmosis A Cappella
Reverse Osmosis is a seventeen-person mixed a cappella group at the University of Southern California founded in January 2001. Reverse Osmosis routinely performs on the USC campus, but has also toured the East and West Coast, performing in Times Square in NYC and Ghirardelli Square on San...
. Again, they were honored with a Best Soloist award.
2006-2007
With momentum building around them on campus, The Trojan Men decided to spend the Fall 2006 semester preparing a specialty repertoire of multi-denominational Holiday music. This culminated in their first annual Holiday Concert on December 3, 2006. Eschewing the established campus format of concerts with multiple groups singing only four or five songs, the concert featured only The Trojan Men, singing a dozen songs. Many of these songs have since gained popularity through the group's YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
Channel.
The following semester, the group competed in the ICCAs again, placing third in their quarterfinal and again winning a Best Soloist award. In that year's Absolut A Cappella contest, they placed third as well.
2007-2008
In the final year of the group's founding members, focus has turned to establishing the group as a sustainable entity on campus. The Fall 2007 semester saw the group as strong as ever, with forty-five auditionees. For the first time, new members had arrived at USC with knowledge of the group and intent to audition. One week later, the group was the featured performer and clinician at the second annual Las Vegas A Cappella Summit.Continuing the trend of breaking with established USC a cappella tradition, the group scheduled their first concert of the semester one week after other campus groups, associating it with USC's Homecoming festivities and again performing a dozen songs. At the concert, the group announced that their second annual Holiday Concert would be the first by a USC a cappella group to be held in Bovard Auditorium with a small admission fee.
The second annual Holiday Concert was held on December 6, 2007. Nearly 500 people were in attendance as The Trojan Men performed twenty songs, a total of ninety minutes of music capped by two short videos. The concert was recorded for a future CD and DVD release. The group financed the entire show themselves using funds acquired from previous performances and private donations.
The Spring semester of 2008 was focused on recording the group's debut album, Take Root. The album was released May 4, 2008, the night of the group's end of the year Spring concert held again in Bovard Auditorium.
Albums
The group recorded their first album at Asylum Studios, home of singer/songwriter/a cappella producer Gabriel Mann, engineered by Chris Harrison, former director of UCLA Awaken A Cappella.| Take Root (2008) | |
|---|---|
 Take Root (2008)
|
Tracks
|
2006
- 3rd Place - ICCA quarterfinal
- Best Soloist: Evan Bregman on Shout (Parts 1&2)
- 1st Place - Absolut A Cappella
- Best Soloist: Evan Bregman on Shout (Parts 1&2)
2007
- 3rd Place - ICCA quarterfinal
- Best Soloist: Tien Nguyen on Don't Stop Me NowDon't Stop Me Now"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
- Best Soloist: Tien Nguyen on Don't Stop Me Now
- 3rd Place - Absolut A Cappella
- Best Performance: Tien Nguyen on Don't Stop Me NowDon't Stop Me Now"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
- Best Performance: Tien Nguyen on Don't Stop Me Now
2008
- 2nd Place - Absolut A Cappella
- Best Soloists: The Trojan Men on Justin Timberlake Medley
2009
- 1st Place - Absolut A Cappella
- Best Arrangement: Cy Serrano on Ribbon in the SkyRibbon in the Sky"Ribbon in the Sky" is a hit 1982 R&B single released by Motown star, American singer Stevie Wonder. The ballad was first featured on the greatest-hits compilation, Original Musiquarium, and charted at #54 pop and #10 R&B when it was released...
- Best Arrangement: Cy Serrano on Ribbon in the Sky