Alison Rollman

Staff Writer

On Wednesday, March 9, one of the University of Pennsylvania’s student-led a capella groups, OffTheBeat, visited Milken to sing with Kol Echad and perform during lunch. OffTheBeat also boasts Milken and Kol Echad alum Ali Kriegsman ’09 as a member of their group.

“Coming back to Milken is always such a warm and welcoming experience,” Kriegsman said. “I love seeing my old teachers and strolling through the halls. UPenn is such a huge school and sometimes it is hard to feel like you have a home base. It sounds cliché but Milken will always feel like that home base for me.”

As for current Milken students, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Kol Echad thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with the more seasoned singers of OffTheBeat and inspiring one another.

“It was really interesting to see another group like us, to see how they are run and how they differ from us even though we share the same creative expression,” Emma Maier ’14, a Kol Echad member, said.

Even non-Kol Echad members enjoyed the group’s lunch performance, remarking that OffTheBeat was both professional and lovely to listen to.

“I think it’s really nice when Milken brings in other groups,” Jodi Marcus ’14 said. “OffTheBeat’s sound was really impressive for a student-led group.”

Kriegsman also noted how her experience with Kol Echad prepared her for singing at UPenn.

“Kol Echad gave me the opportunity to perform in front of large groups of people, which has definitely come in handy when we sing for 1500 people or more at our UPenn concerts.”