Choir to conclude year on successful note

Fans have seen them in concerts all over campus. Some students have all their compact discs and their pajama pants, too. Now, students can come sing along with The Madison Project one last time before heading home for the summer.

The Madison Project will perform their annual Year-End Show in Wilson Hall Auditorium this Saturday at 8 p.m. with special guest Ross Copperman. The concert will provide a chance to relax, listen to a capella songs of many genres — rock, pop and '80s — and maybe win some free raffle prizes, including gift certificates to Applebees and Outback Steakhouse.

Some students had a chance to catch The Madison Project at the Pajama Jam, a series of free concerts they given in almost every dorm on campus. The Madison Project used its tour to get in touch with the student body as possible over the semester, according to senior Chuck Stollery, The Madison Project president and music director.

“I think the Pajama Jam tour gave us a chance to become personal with the audience and them a chance to see us as people, not just some a capella group,” said Benny Tomko, a senior Madison Project member.

During Pajama Jam, the group offered students the chance to invest in their new line of pajama pants, bearing the “MP” symbol and the word “Project” across the back.

To many graduating seniors, this year's final concert will mean more than just wrapping up another semester — especially to the three seniors whose a capella careers will culminate in the event. Seniors Tomko, Andrew Rozier-Smolen, and Stollery will complete their final JMU performance Saturday night. All four have been with The Madison Project for several years, and leaving the group will not be easy.

“It's going to be hard watching this show from the audience next year,” Smolen said. “But I know it's my time to move on and let the new generation have their fun. In many ways, The Madison Project has been my real major.”

Tomko reflected on the time effort and commitment he put into The Madison Project, and said, “The memories, the fans, the music — [are worth] spending five to six hours a week of rehearsing.”

Stollery had fond parting words for the group as well.

“Being a part of something from the start that has shaped the a capella and music community at JMU and the region has been more than rewarding.”

The Madison Project's Year End Show will start at 8 p.m. Tickets can be bought at the Wilson Hall Auditorium Box Office for $5 for general admission or $3 for students.