In this post we continue our series of interviews with the singers brought together by October Project on their Sounds True recording, The Book of Rounds: 21 Songs of Grace. This week we interview tenor Andrew Bezek, who is featured throughout Chapter One.
Introducing Andrew Bezek, Yale ’13, a tenor two on the Book of Rounds. Andrew became involved with the album in its early stages, among the Yale singing group singers selected record the set of songs which is now Chapter One of the Book of Rounds. At Yale, Andrew originally sang a cappella with the co-ed group Redhot & Blue and served as the group’s president and co-business manager during his undergraduate years.
While Andrew currently works in digital marketing and social media for a restaurant group in New York City, he looks back on these four years singing a cappella with fondness. “One amazing thing about a cappella is that you don’t need any instruments or devices – you have yourself and a friend and that’s it,” says Andrew. Part of a cappella’s draw, for Andrew, is this immediacy: there are no materials required to make music other than those you constantly have with you.
Andrew Bezek was a member of Redhot & Blue when Keiji Ishiguri, THE Book of Rounds’ primary arranger, first wrote his legendary arrangement of October Project’s “Return to Me” for the group. The arrangement is now a concert staple and has been sung for audiences from D.C. to Denmark. “To this day, I think it’s one of the best arrangements at Yale,” says Andrew. Another favorite arrangement? Beauty – the last song in Chapter One which Andrew sings alongside Emma Akrawi. Ever humble, when asked his favorite part about the song, Andrew defers to his counterpart: “I just love to hear Emma sing,” he says.
The song “Beauty” can be listened to here: https://youtu.be/UIEZkp_8b_A
By Lucy Tomasso
Lucy Tomasso is a prospective Theater Studies major at Yale and an avid a cappella singer. A member of Yale’s Redhot and Blue, she is honored be a descendant of the Redhot lineage that includes October Project’s Marina Belica. Looking forward, Lucy hopes to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, particularly writing for either the stage or screen.
The Book of Rounds: 21 Songs of Grace is available at I-Tunes and Amazon. Your 5-star rating and review mean everything to us. Please leave great reviews. It makes a big difference. It helps us a lo
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