THE CHORDIALS

The first thriving A cappella group at UCONN.

Not so long ago, three students, Bonnie Panda, Liz Conklin, and Amity Wahl, yearned to sing in an A Cappella group at the University of Connecticut. They searched high and low, but found none, because there were no A Cappella groups at UConn; however, they did find each other (in the University choir) and a dream was born. The group began in January of 1998 with campus-wide auditions and a little help from Kate Conklin, Liz's sister. Today, the group is a powerful force on campus. They have embarked on a journey into every facade of music. Others have been inspired by their success and have followed in their footsteps.

The Chordials are active in their community, singing at many engagements both on and off campus, entertaining people from every walk of life, giving hope to other rising stars, and enlightening others on how beautiful and fun singing can be.

AWARDS AND OTHER HONORS

They are the proud recipients of a 2002 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award for Runner-Up Best Female Collegiate Soloist. This was presented to Rachael for her gorgeous singing of Always Be My Baby on our CD All Girls All the Time. Each year, hundreds of albums from all over the globe are considered for these awards. Winning songs are placed onto a compilation CD "in celebration of the best a cappella recorded around the planet."

For the past six years (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005), the Chordials have competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). In the 2005 Northeast Region Divisional, they were the recipient of two awards: Chadene won Outstanding Soloist for Feels Like Home and Sarah won Outstanding Arrangement, also for Feels Like Home. In the quarterfinals of 2001, they were the recipient of two awards: Chion won Best Soloist for Send Me On My Way, and the group won the Perserverance in the Face of Adversity (aka "The Midnight Groove") Award for "not missing a beat when the janitor turned off the lights."
They have appeared on ABC News and NBC News and for GE Capital.