Hi! we're the washu sensasians!
The Sensasians provides the opportunity for WashU students to bridge Western and Asian culture through contemporary a cappella. We love exploring Asian music, striving for musical excellence, and developing a richer understanding of our own identities all while being members to the a cappella community and Asian community at Washington University in St. Louis.
In 2009, The Sensasians was founded by Phoebe Tran and Lisa Ma as an Asian choir, intended to bridge the differences between Asians and non-Asians at WUSTL and the larger St. Louis community. In the spring of 2014, the group applied to join the A Cappella Advisory Council (ACAC) and officially became a part of ACAC during the following fall. In 2015, we began competing in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and even moved onto the semi-final round in spring 2016! In the spring of 2017, the group voted to make “Story of My Life” our alumni song. This arrangement is a mashup of original songs by One Direction and Jay Chou. The song is now preserved on our debut EP, The New Kids on the Wok (go check it out on Spotify!). We also released a second mini-album called "21st Sentury" during the spring of 2018. Our group has become more and more diverse over the years as we've intentionally moved towards bridging the musical and cultural gap between Asian and non-Asian students.
Our Performances
Every year, we sing in many different events, from our own end-of-semester concert to formals and events hosted by other clubs. Here is a clip of our performance in the spring 2023 Sensasians concert!
OUR MEMBERS
Meet the singing pandas who make our group so incredible!
Our Current Repertoire
Cupid/Ditto
By Fifty-Fifty, New Jeans
Arr. by Lia Seo, Hanrui Xu
Soloists: Lia Seo, Claudine Noel
VP: Chris Hemauer
Ghibli Medley
By Joe Hisashi
Arr. by Lynn Yuan, Joshua Cheng,
Hanrui Xu
Soloists: Kiki Hayden, Hanrui Xu,
Ellen Kim, Lynn Yuan
Centuries/Huo Yuan Jia
By Imagine Dragons, Jay Chou
Arr. by "Au-tobot"
Soloists: Patrick Zhu, Ellen Kim, Joshua Cheng, Catherine Zhao, Peter Rong, George Gao
VP: Chris Hemauer
Enemy (2023 ICCA Set)
By Imagine Dragons
Arr. by Hanrui Xu
Soloist: Patrick Zhu
VP: Joshua Cheng
I Hear A Symphony/
人海中遇见你 (2023 ICCA Set)
By Cody Fry, Lin Yu Chun
Arr. by Hanrui Xu
Soloists: Claudine Noel, Jack Shi
VP: Joshua Cheng
Blue 群青 (2023 ICCA Set)
By Yoasobi
Arr. by Joshua Cheng
Soloist: Alex Liu
VP: Joshua Cheng
Rise Up/Wo Men De Gu Shi (Alumni Song)
By Audra Day
Arr. by Miles Woodhull
Soloist: Christine Muoghalu
VP: Chris Hemauer
Petals on the Moon
By Wasia Project
Arr. by Joshua Cheng
Soloists: Emma Gerber
VP: Lynn Yuan
Chosen Family/朋友
By Rina Sawayama, Wakin Chau
Arr. by Lacy Wilder
Soloist: Lia Seo, Ranen Miao
VP: Joshua Cheng
AUDITIONS
Whether you are a member of BTS (maybe not the dancing part), an experienced member of your high school choir, or someone who thinks they can't sing, we encourage you to put yourself out there, show your love for music, and get a taste of what the Sensasians are all about. Yes, we are an Asian-interest a cappella group; that does not mean we sing only Asian music and you certainly don't have to be Asian to audition and join. That does mean we come together to make music with open minds and respect for cultures that are not our own.
Location: Eliot Seminar Room (we'll give you directions!)