Before 2023, there was nowhere on campus for a cappella singers to hone their craft. Rebel Clefs was founded to change that.
Zoe Peterzell, a senior psychology major from Atlanta, is the president and founder of the Rebel Clefs. She had been a member of an a cappella group since junior high and was excited to continue in it through college. However, she realized no such group existed when she came to the University of Mississippi.
“I got settled in my studies, and I was having so much fun, but something was missing, which was, like, that group of people,” Peterzell said. “Imagine singing in the shower, but it’s like everybody does it together and it’s harmonizing and it’s just awesome. Like you’re all kind of on the same flow. So I’m like, maybe I could start one.”
Peterzell said that the university was the perfect environment for starting this group, and she has been greatly supported along the way.
“I couldn’t believe how easy and encouraged it felt, having an idea and having a dream and being able to execute that and make it a reality,” Peterzell said.
Peterzell added that at the beginning, she was the sole member, but membership increased with time.
“It was just totally a from-scratch process and I made an Instagram,” Peterzell said, “Then slowly but surely, I gathered together a little group of people who were willing to give it a shot, even though it was completely unestablished, and they didn’t know that they were getting themselves into.”
The Rebel Clefs currently have 11 members and are continuing to accept newcomers, holding auditions at the beginning of every semester.
“We’ll have people graduate in December and May,” Peterzell said. “And we will replace them, and so the auditions are only (for) two days. And the whole group gets together, which could be a little intimidating, but then people come in to audition and we’re all there. Then we figure out what voice parts need filling.”
Peterzell attributes the group’s ability to exist to the members that joined in her journey to found the Rebel Clefs.
“Their only motivation was just how fun the environment was and how much fun we had together and how beautiful it was to come together and sing,” Peterzell said. “And I’m so, so grateful for that of people who’ve helped me because it would have meant nothing without them.”
The Rebel Clefs often perform at different events on campus, taking any opportunity they can to share their musical talents.
“You can catch us every year, for sure, at the Honors College Arts Showcase,” Peterzell said. “That’s something we always do. And then, besides that, just little opportunities here and there. We’ll be performing for the Grove Well-Being Initiative.”
Peterzell said that being president of the Rebel Clefs has given her a sense of accomplishment and community.
“My favorite part just has to be the relationships I’ve formed with the members of the Rebel Clefs,” Peterzell said. “And also seeing them be so passionate about it and seeing them form friendships and establish something, something real and memorable, because of a group that I created, has been a really powerful experience for me.”
Mason Johnson, a sophomore from Laurel, Miss., majoring in public policy, rhetoric and interdisciplinary studies, joined the Rebel Clefs last year. He first heard about the a cappella group through a friend.
“I was friends with the vice president last year, and I was a freshman on campus trying to find things to get involved with and things to do,” Johnson said. “We were just talking one night, and he was in an a cappella group. And I did it in high school, so I went to audition and here I am.”
Johnson, who is a music lover at heart, described how a cappella is a very unique style of music.
“All music is collaborative, but (in) a cappella you really have to pay attention to how everyone is moving, the specific sounds you make and their vowel shapes,” Johnson said. “It’s also something you pay attention to in normal music, but it’s just heightened a little bit. It’s really fun.”
According to Johnson, rock and pop are the go-to genres for the a cappella group, but they perform a variety of songs from different genres.
“Last semester, for instance, we did ‘Die with a Smile’ by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, and then our next song was ‘Good Vibrations’ by the Beach Boys,” Johnson said. “We really do a cool blend of a lot of different stuff. We mainly stick to pop or rock, but every now and then we might venture out and do a little something different.”
Johnson expressed that one of the best aspects of being a member of the Rebel Clefs is meeting different types of people.
“I love getting on stage and singing,” Johnson said. “It’s such a tight-knit group of people from all over campus and kind of every walk of life. We have bio-med majors, we have engineering majors, we have public policy majors. And it’s all different years and different things on campus. But we’re all united under that bond of music.”
Johnson said that joining this club has allowed him to form friendships and community with others who share his love for a cappella.
“You get to have this cool connection because it’s such a collaborative style of music,” Johnson said. “You have to bond with people and you have to have that connection.”
