The Trojan Men
Known for their dapper black suits and self-described as USC’s “best” a cappella group, The Trojan Men is the sole all-male group on campus. Founded in 2005, the Trojan Men is a spirited group who emphasize fun and energy, and enjoy singing a mix of oldies and modern tunes.
The group performs at several on-campus events, such as Trojan Family Weekend, as well as private, for-hire events off-campus held at locations, including the Langham Huntington Pasadena Hotel, The California Club, and Las Vegas.
According to business manager Jonathan Liu, being an all-male group presents certain performance opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have. “We performed at a birthday party for some women at a very exclusive club downtown,” Liu said. “I don’t think we would have been invited to perform at that if we weren’t an all-male group.”
The Trojan Men have a strong relationship with the other a cappella groups on campus, most notably performing their final concert each winter with Sirens A Cappella, USC's only all-female group.
Although The Trojan Men do not currently have issues finding performance opportunities, the group is always looking to spread their name and for more gigs. President-elect, Tripp Carrington believes that more collaboration between groups will help the USC and surrounding community become more aware of each of the 10 groups.
Being a student organization without a steady income poses challenges. To combat this, The Trojan Men have begun a semesterly improv musical fundraiser performance to pay for events. Last semester, they performed their own rendition of “Beauty and the Beast” and raised over $200. This semester, they followed up the performance with their own take on Disney’s “Frozen.”
Earlier this semester, The Trojan Men won the Trojan’s Choice Award at Songfest, held in Bovard Auditorium on April 4. Songfest is an event featuring several student performance groups and originated at USC in the 1950s. After not being held for years, Songfest was brought back in the spring 2022. The Trojan Men have performed at all three Songfests since its revival. The Trojan’s Choice Award is voted on by the audience composed primarily of students, a testament to The Trojan Men’s magnetism and stage presence.
Each semester the group goes on a weekend retreat to spend time together and rehearse music. “I think retreats are a really good way to grow closer as a group,” Liu said. “We play games like spike ball and hot seat, which helps bring us together.” According to Carrington, he can actually hear a positive change in the group’s singing following a retreat in which the group grows closer on an emotional level.
One of the biggest challenges The Trojan Men faces is member attendance, according to Liu. The group recently implemented a policy where for every minute a member is late, he must do double the pushups to incentivize punctuality.
Most recently, The Trojan Men performed their spring concert at Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall on April 27. The group performed 15 songs including: “Come on Eileen,” “The Longest Time,” “Can’t Take My Eyes off You,” and the group’s renowned Disney medley.