The UC Men's Octet, sometimes termed the ''Cal Men’s Octet'' or the ''UC Berkeley Men’s Octet'', is an eight-member male a cappella group at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

. Founded in 1948 as a member of the UC Choral Ensembles, the group's broad repertoire features several genres of music including barbershop, doo-wop, pop and alternative, and a healthy dose of Berkeley fight songs. The Octet has recorded over a dozen albums and is one of only three multiple-time champions of the

International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella ("NCCA", a play on NCAA), is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college ''a cappella'' groups each ye ...

(ICCA)—the other two being

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses ** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

's SoCal VoCals and

Berklee Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

's Pitch Slapped—having won the competition in both 1998 and 2000.ICCA Finals 2000
Varsity Vocals While the Octet performs regularly around the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

for both alumni and the public, the group has toured all around the world including China, Australia, Europe and extensively throughout the United States. They also perform for Cal students every Wednesday during the academic year at one o’clock on Berkeley's Sproul Plaza. The group hosts a series of annual concerts. In the Fall, there is the ''West Coast A Cappella Showcase '', where several groups from all over the country are invited to perform at Berkeley. Past guest groups in this concert have included former ICCA Champions Brigham Young University's Noteworthy and Vocal Point as well as groups from

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. S ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, Mt. San Antonio College, and the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...

. The group's other annual concert performances include the ''UC Men’s Octet Spring Show '' and the year-end ''Unbuttoned Show ''.

Discography

The UC Men's Octet has recorded over a dozen albums. Among them: * ''High Octane'' (2009) * ''Octopella'' (2003) * ''Gold'' (2000) * ''Eight Misbehavin''' * ''Octogen'' * ''All Sing Blue And Gold'' * ''We Eight Too Much'' (1994) * ''Eight is Enough'' (1993) * ''Takin' the Joke too Far'' (1991) * ''Better Eight Than Never'' (1989) * "1948-1988" (1988) * ''Around the World in Eight Days'' * ''Eight Times the Fun'' * ''Octa-Brew'' * ''The University of California Men’s Octet''.

Honors and awards

* 1998. International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Champions * 2000. International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Champions

The Octet in the media

Over the years, the Men's Octet has been cited in several California Bay Area publications such as The Daily Review, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Contra Costa Times. The Men's Octet has also made several appearances in other media. From annual appearances on the San Francisco/San Jose radio station

KFOG KNBR-FM (104.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Cumulus Media, KNBR-FM features a sports radio format in a simulcast with co-owned KNBR. Both stati ...

to appearing on the

WCAU WCAU (channel 10) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Mount Laurel, New Jer ...

News in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, the Men's Octet have been heard nationwide. The Octet has even recorded a public health service announcement with the California Department of Health Services entitled “Wash Your Hands” as part of the Immunization Branch's campaign against the spread of the flu. The group also recorded a nationally aired radio commercial for Coors beer to promote "The Pigskin Can".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:University Of California Men's Octet Collegiate a cappella groups University of California, Berkeley Musical groups established in 1948 University musical groups

Discography

Honors and awards

The Octet in the media

See also

References

External links