Many campuses also host a cappella groups who perform religious music, and Duke is no different. Something Borrowed, Something Blue began in 1969 as the Christian folk band Jesus Christ Power & Light Co. It's now affectionately nicknamed Borrowed and Blue, "a Christian co-ed a cappella group, all from different fellowships, guys and girls who love God and love to sing," according to its website. "We try to share the love of God and give testimony of what He's done in our lives through a cappella music, ranging from old school to new school, from contemporary Christian music to popular music to original arrangements--but basically music with a message of sorts, since we consider ourselves an a cappella ministry." Tim Chung '01, Borrowed and Blue's co-music director during his days with the group, says, "I like to think we sing with purpose. Being able to believe what I sing from the heart, expressing what is more important than all the silly little details I worry about in life."

Perfect pitch: The Pitchforks sing the National Anthem in Wallace Wade Stadium

Other groups sing from the heart in their own styles. DÈj‡ Blue, a women's group founded in 1999, performs a variety of female a cappella music, ranging in style and time period from Renaissance madrigals to Forties barbershop. Speak of the Devil sings old favorites and contemporary hits.

There are several campus a cappella events--some recurring, and some, like Lady Blue's Ten-Year Homecoming concert, a one-time occasion. The Pitchforks' Runestad says, "My favorite experience is our yearly Christmas concert in the Gothic Reading Room. Every year, we sing to a completely packed house, and it always starts off the Christmas season for me." Out of the Blue's Watson says, "I love performing for the freshman A Cappellooza concert in Page [Auditorium] every August. It is a great experience. A very, very close second, however, is our big spring concert, the weekend before spring break starts."

" For the listener," says Watson, "college a cappella offers a venue for people to go and hear popular music being performed. On Duke's campus, there are lots of opportunities to go to classical performances, but we rarely get nonclassical groups. That's where we come in. I think that many listeners are shocked when they first hear an a cappella group perform, because of the many layers of musicality that go into each song. I know a lot of people who sang in high school who are in awe of collegiate a cappella."

Using the music to share a message draws in other audiences as well. Chong says the expression of faith in the group's music is an integral part of their performance. "Obviously, we are set apart from some of the other groups because we are Christian; that's automatically a turn-off for some people, unfortunately," he says. "But Christianity dictates that our image with people is not important. It's not about what the world thinks. We're here to serve God, not man.

" So, in Borrowed and Blue, I sing for a few reasons. One is musical worship, just like you might find in a church. We actually believe what we sing, either encouraging people in faith or trying to convey a message or testimony of what and why we believe. For some listeners, it's really encouraging to hear some of what we sing about. And to those who don't share our faith, we want them to be able to enjoy our music. We strive for musical excellence. Those two standards will always be there."

While Chong says listener support for a cappella can ebb and flow a bit as students find other commitments or turn from one group to another, The Pitchforks' Runestad has organized the music's fan base into three groups. "Primarily, the people that are at the majority of our concerts are friends and acquaintances of group members who enjoy seeing people they know perform," he says. "There are also the more passive fans, who will go to a concert when it's at their dorm, or if friends of theirs are going, or if it's a big event like the huge orientation show or the Parents Weekend shows in which multiple groups are performing.

" Finally, there are some die-hard fans of the music we create and the performances we give. I don't know if it's the 'boy-band' phenomenon, but there are some people who really think we're the best show in town. And group members have been the subjects of crushes from people they don't even know. One of the Pitchforks had reconstructive surgery on his knee and, as he was recovering in his room, a girl he didn't know walked in, gave him a pie she had baked, said she was a huge Pitchforks fan, and wished him a speedy recovery."

The groups also perform off campus, with fellow Duke groups and some from other colleges, and on tour during fall and spring breaks. Out of the Blue's recent trips took in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Miami, while The Pitchforks have been to Florida, California, Hawaii, London, and Nassau. Rhythm and Blue has performed at Boston University, the University of Maryland, and the College of William and Mary, and have hosted the Princeton Nassoons, UNC's Tarheels With Voices, Tufts' Amalgamates, and others at various concerts. Lady Blue traveled to the Bahamas last spring, and Borrowed and Blue has sung throughout the Northeast and the South, as well as in Chicago and Hawaii.