Ladies in Red, an all-female a cappella group at NC State, thrilled the audience with melodies, ballads and everything in between Wednesday night at “Re(d)cruitment” the group’s annual spring concert. 

The girls spend hours working on their performances and perfecting their craft. 

“We practice 12 hours a week, and on Sunday we did a 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. rehearsal,” said Anna Dengler, a freshman studying exploratory studies and a member of the group. 

Their practice has certainly paid off, according to alumna Erin Jones, a former Ladies in Red member. Ladies in Red has been successful in many a cappella competitions this year including the ICCAs — the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella — and most recently, A Cappella Fest, according to Dengler. 

“The group is continuously growing, they continue to grow and make me very proud,” Jones said. “Even from their performance at the ICCAs, they are constantly improving.” 

Not only do the ladies grow in their talent during practice, they grow in their relationships with one another. 

“We spend, like, everyday together,” Dengler said. 

The ladies were joined by the award-winning all-male a cappella group Semi-Toned, from Exeter University in England. They entertained the crowd with their renditions of “7/11” by Beyonce and “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield.  

Semi-Toned was impressed with the performance of the Ladies in Red, particularly the soloists. 

“They’re amazing, the soloists were beautiful soloists throughout and that’s one of the things American a cappella groups do really well is focusing on the soloists and having so much more emotion,” said Rob Cross, a member of Semi-Toned. “They have really great contrast and dynamics throughout the whole set.” 

Other crowd favorites by the Ladies in Red included a “Castle” medley featuring “Castle on a Cloud” from the musical “Les Miserables” and “Castle” by pop artist Halsey. 

“I really liked the second half, I really liked ‘Castle,’ because I’d never heard that song before,” Jones said. “The way that they sang it was so incredibly powerful and you could see a raw emotion was there.” 

In order for the songs to make the set list, the ladies thoroughly discuss them and make a final vote. 

“All the ladies choose three songs and we put them in a Google Doc before the semester and over the summer,” said Katherine Guy, a senior studying social work. “We all go through each of them and pick our top five. Then we take about three hours during a practice to vote on them. Then we break it down and make a final decision.”

The show concluded with their rendition of “Landslide,” a song by Stevie Nicks. The members expressed the sentiments for the seniors of the group, stating that they’re role models and people they look up to.

“I’ve been in it five semesters, so I consider Ladies in Red a huge part of my college experience,” Guy said. 

The group has plans to film a music video and release an EP in the future. 

Ladies in Red also hopes to recruit new members for next semester. Auditions will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Price Music Center.