Fundamentally Sound (FS) is UW-Madison’s only competitive lower-voiced a cappella group. Founded in 2005, the group celebrates a dynamic blend between complex musical arrangements and high energy performance. FS is always thrilled to showcase its ability to push the boundaries of collegiate a cappella while remaining confident in its suspender-clad tradition.

FS started as a combination of two groups: "Clap Anyways" (formed by Stu Covi in 2004) and an unnamed group assembled by Vince Machi. The groups were linked by Alex Aderman, who was recruited by Stu and friends with Vince. Rehearsals began in the Chadbourne Hall basement, as we were not permitted to use Humanities rooms. In the beginning, FS went through a series of transformations and growing pains, but we differentiated ourselves as a group devoted to creating intricate arrangements and staying on the cutting-edge of the collegiate a cappella scene. Since the group was formed, we have sang with peers such as the Nor‘easters and Voices in Your Head, travelled the country, and established ourselves as a competitive powerhouse in the Great Lakes region of the ICCA (International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella).

Today, FS continues to seek new heights in musical innovation and explosive performances. In 2020, FS won 3rd place in the ICCA Finals, which was the first time a UW-Madison group had advanced that far. Over the past few years, we have collaborated with other groups such as Pitches and Notes to release joint songs which combine our musical talents. In 2021, FS changed from an all-men’s group to a gender-inclusive lower-voiced group to celebrate and welcome the great diversity of tenor, baritone, and bass singers in Madison. Make your own mark on this group’s history by auditioning with us next year!

Meet Fundamentally Sound:

Current Members

  • Erick Paiz-Handrick


    TENOR

    FINANCIAL MANAGER

  • Markus Priede


    VOCAL PERCUSSION

  • Andrew Karbusicky


    BASS

    MUSIC DIRECTOR

  • Roberts Jansons


    BARITONE

    PRESIDENT

  • Michael "Skips" Fiskey


    TENOR

    VICE PRESIDENT

    PUBLICITY MANAGER

  • Ernst Stolzenburg


    TENOR

    VISUAL DIRECTOR

  • Emmit Thom


    COUNTER TENOR (CT)

    ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR

    PUBLICITY MANAGER

  • Ethan Barajas


    BASS

    BUSINESS MANAGER

  • JayQuan Jaeger

    TENOR/ COUNTERTENOR

  • Tyler Tranchita

    TENOR

  • Casey Strayer

    New List Item

    BARITONE

  • Tien Nguyen

    BARITONE/

    VOCAL PERCUSION

  • Mario Lopez

    TENOR

Repertoire

  • Theme Song - FS

  • Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Stevie Wonder

  • Wisconsin - FS

  • Sweet Caroline- Neil Diamond

  • Holding out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler

  • Rock You - Dirty Loops

  • Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish

  • Bad Religion - Frank Ocean

  • Suspenders on the Floor - FS (Og. Comp. Bruno Mars)

  • Down - Jay Sean

  • Disney Medley - Various Composers

  • Film Score Medley - Various Composers

  • End of an Era- Marianas Trench

  • The Man- The Killers

  • First Light- Hozier

  • …Baby One More Time- Britney Spears

  • Wildcard- Jason Dering

  • World O World- Jacob Collier

  • I Won’t Give Up- Jason Mraz

Current Rep:

  • Still Feel - Half Alive

  • Color Vision/ Think About Things - MAX & Daði Freyr

  • A Cappella 101 - FS

  • Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton

  • …Baby One More Time - Britney Spears

  • Silhouette - Aquilo

  • No Me, No You, No More - The Staves

  • Daydreaming - Radiohead

  • Brother - Matt Korby

  • Blood I Bled - The Staves

  • Holding On to You - twenty one pilots

  • Runaway - AURORA

  • Iscariot - WALK THE MOON

  • Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson

  • Heavenly Father - Bon Iver

  • Bang Bang - Jessie J, Ariana Grande

  • Quarter Past Four - Avi Kaplan

  • Creature - Half Alive

  • Coalesce - Jack Garret

  • Take Care - EDEN

  • G-Train - Thirdstory

  • My Way - Frank Sinatra

  • Homesick - Kane Brown

  • Stupid Deep - Jon Bellion

  • Leave the Door Open - Silk Sonic

  • Butter - BTS

  • Go Crazy - Leslie Odom Jr.

  • Jason Durulo Medley - Jason Durulo

  • Red Desert - Five Seconds of Summer

  • Welcome to my Parent’s House - Ninja Sex Party

  • Magic - Jordan Mackampa

  • Alleviate - Leprous

  • Wild Life - OneRepublic

Past Rep:

Auditions

Hey future FS members! It’s great to meet you! In order to join the ranks of our suspender-clad family, you’ll need to come to our auditions, held each fall at the start of the academic year. Don’t worry! Audition season is like a celebration of the incredible musical talent we have at UW-Madison, and all are encouraged to try out. Here’s a couple helpful tips to help you feel confident and ready:

  • A: Everyone is encouraged to audition, however we ask that auditionees attend a college in the greater Madison area and have a lower voice (tenor, baritone, and bass, typically). Please prepare a short verse and chorus from a song of your choice to sing a cappella (without accompaniment). Check out our repertoire below to get a feel for the kind of music we sing!

    Please also be ready to sing a vocal range check, a pitch match/memory test (sing a few notes back to us when we play them), and if you would like, a sample of your beatboxing or rap skills.

  • A: We have a lot of fun with callbacks! Typically, you will receive an email notifying you if we would like to invite you to callbacks within a couple days of auditioning.

    At callbacks, we will sing some songs for you, help you learn one of our songs, and play some games as well! This is as much a chance for you to get a feel for our group dynamic as it is an audition!

  • A: We encourage it! There are many different a cappella groups at UW-Madison, each with its own character and vocal preferences! We all tend to hold auditions on the same days, so you can sing for multiple groups all in one go! Be sure to research the groups you audition for, and remember that you can only join one group in the end!

  • A: We typically rehearse 7 hours a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. We rehearse on the second floor of the Humanities Building. Other time commitments include occasional weekend performances and an intensified rehearsal schedule during competition season!

    In rehearsals, we do warm ups, then work on preparing songs for our shows and/or the ICCA (competition). We are extremely serious about making rewarding and exceptional music together, so our rehearsals are productive and intense!