A quiet breeze sang through the Frary archways at Pomona College last Thursday night, as students settled into their makeshift seats just in time for the performance to begin. Moments later, one of the 5Cs’ most vibrant acappella groups took to the stage.
Earthtones, the 13-member all-Black acappella group, stood in shades of brown, green and gold, as an audience of nearly 50 watched from the steps. They opened with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem, their voices rising into the arches as passersby slowed to listen.
The set included Daniel Caesar’s “New Roses,” a reworked version of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and a powerful closing performance of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.” Earthtones only performs songs by Black artists. The mix of contemporary and classic styles showed off both their technical polish and the emotional depth that has made them a fixture in the 5C arts scene.
The crowd was attentive throughout, silent during each song and quick to clap and cheer as the last notes faded. Friends of the members shouted encouragement from the steps, and some students even arrived throughout the performance, with their green-boxed dinner fresh in hand.
Following the lively performance, attendees reflected on the effortless beauty of Earthtones’ set.
“Everything was perfect — the acoustics really worked,” Adya Patel SC ’27 said. “Even when they didn’t have mics for a little bit, you could still hear them clearly. You can tell they put a lot of effort and love into it.”
For Earthtones members, however, the concert was the result of weeks of arduous rehearsal.
“Preparation always starts before we even step into the room. You have to take care of your voice,” Rahim Chilewa PZ ’27, who is a tenor in Earthtones, said. “Once we’re together, we do heavy warm-ups and focus on dynamics, tonality and musicality. Then we hone in on each song in the setlist, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, until it feels solid.”
When asked to choose his favorite Earthtones memory from over the years, senior member Jadin Porter PO ’26 found it hard to pick just one. Eventually, he settled on song circles, a treasured group tradition.
Standing in a circle, one member of the group from a lower-voice part, usually a tenor or a bass, starts a beat. One by one, the others join in — making different sounds, improvising, building off of each other until everyone has joined in.
“Making our own music out of just vibes … everything we’ve been able to create that way, out of just organically being together, is definitely my favorite thing,” Porter said.
Beyond their impressive vocal technique, the group provides space and visibility for Black musicians at the 5Cs.
“Earthtones is the first and only all-Black a cappella group on campus,” Chilewa said. “Being up there with people like you, singing songs you love, is liberating. It also tells people we are here.”
“Earthtones is the first and only all-Black a cappella group on campus. Being up there with people like you, singing songs you love, is liberating. It also tells people we are here.”
Earthtones was founded in 2022 by Fatoumata Dioubate PZ ’24, out of a collective desire to create space for Black musicians in Claremont to get together and sing in community. The group’s treasured origin story, as told by Porter and Chilewa, is also tightly related to their legacy song, “Stand By Me.”
As the story goes, Dioubate was walking down the street in her native Chicago one summer when she heard a beautiful melody wafting out onto the street.
“She didn’t know where the singing was coming from,” Chilewa said. “But she kept walking, trying to follow the trail of the music, the harmonies… and she realised that the music was coming through a vent in the ground … from the underground subway.”
After running down into the subway, Dioubate found an all-Black quintet singing “Stand By Me.” She explained her dream of starting an all-Black a cappella group, and they were overwhelmingly supportive. That moment of connection sparked the creation of Earthtones, which has grown immensely in the three years since its founding.
“Keeping the legacy alive means always sharing that story,” Chilewa said. “As long as we tell it, the group’s spirit will continue.”
Every fall, Earthtones joins the other seven on-campus acappella groups for SCAMFest, a showcase at Bridges Auditorium that draws one of the largest crowds of the year. Each group has their own musical style and niche — some focusing on pop, others on classical or comedic styles of music. In the spring, Human Symphony provides another chance for campus a cappella groups to share the stage. Within the 5C acappella scene, Earthtones stands out both for their repertoire of songs by Black artists and for the space they create for Black musicians at the colleges.
That distinct presence is clear to audience members. Attendee Patel noted that the group plays an important role in the Claremont Colleges’ larger art scene.
“At a PWI [predominantly white institution] like Claremont, groups of color are essential. They add vibrancy to arts and culture ten millionfold,” Patel said.
Keeping Earthtones’ presence strong also means affirming what the group represents. Earthtones member Ryann Jade SC ’27 spoke about how the music is inseparable from the group’s cultural role.
“Within Blaremont, or Black Claremont, [Earthtones members] contribute to the idea of art as both a community-building resource and a way to express identity,” Jade said. “In a predominantly white institution, that expression becomes even more important.”
The concert, timed just before the Sept. 13 auditions, felt less like a performance and more like a statement. Earthtones affirmed themselves as not only an acappella group but a cultural presence across the 5Cs, filling the Frary arches with song, identity and community.
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