Wrapping up the year with “The Last of The Pipes”

The Rusty Pipes’ Spring Show happened on Friday, April 21 in EMPAC's Blackbox Theater. The show featured a variety of song covers intertwined with short segments of a prerecorded skit. The skit, entitled “The Last of The Pipes,” is based off the HBO Television show, The Last of Us, a post-apocalyptic survival horror series.

After the first part of their skit, the Pipes started their set performing “All I Need” by Jacob Collier, featuring soloists Dante Mwatibo ’25 and Mallika Subash Chander ’26. The combination of vocal rhythm techniques and varying dynamics by the rest of the group nicely complemented the soloists’ performance.

The next song performed was “my future” by Billie Eilish. In contrast to the first high tempo, upbeat tune, soloist Nicole Narvaez ’26 presented a lyrical, emotional song.

Next in the Pipes’ set was “Welcome To The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. Soloist Angie Applewhite ’23 took the stage and immediately stood out from the rest of the Pipes. Her outstanding vocal range elevated her performance as she skillfully complemented her peers’ musical effects.

The Rusty Pipes then took a quick break from the music, presenting the next segment of their skit. Once the Pipes reentered the stage, they presented Dodie’s “6/10 Secret,” a dynamic song elevated by soloists Chander and JB Tartaglia ’25. In comparison to the last song by My Chemical Romance, Dodie’s music tends to be calmer, quieter, and more emotional, qualities that the Pipes emulated in their performance.

Next up was the alternative, rock-like song “LA Devotee” by Panic! At The Disco. Soloist Enrico Cortezano ’24 displayed a range of talents, complementing their peers and standing out amongst the other singers.

Applewhite took the stage once again to solo in Bella Coppola’s “Vodka Lemonade.”

After intermission, the group presented a collection of songs including “THATS WHAT I WANT” by Lil Nas X, “The Man Who Won’t Let Go” by The Script and James Arthur, and Sia’s “Chandelier.” Nwatibo and Maanasa Pulavarty '25 performed Arthur’s song together, while Vanessa Bionda '26 led the other two songs. Bionda successfully hit all of the exceptionally high notes in “Chandelier,” creating a performance which was heavily reminiscent of its music video.

Next, the group performed Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks” and Harry Styles’ “Falling,” featuring soloists Alex Johnson ’23 and Danny Blanco ’23, respectively. While the group’s supporting vocalists perfectly supplemented the soloists, A. Johnson and Blanco’s vocal technique was clearly displayed in their final songs with the Pipes.

The second to last performance was Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u”, one of the songs they presented at the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella quarterfinals in February. They utilized the same complex choreography from the competition with Applewhite soloing. Throughout the song, they moved as a group, synchronizing their movements to mirror the lyrics of the song.

The Rusty Pipes have an annual tradition where they invite alumni to join them on stage. Pulavarty led the group with a solo from “Pride” by U2. Former member Charina Kaye Manalo sang with the Pipes, showing the strong community that the a capella group has.

In honor of graduating seniors, the club followed another special tradition throughout the show—giving graduating members flowers and personalized plungers. Each memento was decorated with items relating to the person’s identity within the group while representing the Rusty Pipes’ key symbol. Christian Johnson ’23, Blanco, A. Johnson, and Applewhite all received beautifully handcrafted plungers. During speeches to each of the graduates, members encouraged them to return for future alumni performances, adding an emotional touch to the Rusty Pipes’ excellent compilation of the work they’ve done this past year.