Owls in Harmony
Rice’s oldest a cappella group releases its seventh studio album.
Winter 2025
By Amy C. Evans
Photos by Jeff Fitlow
When it is hopeless, I start to notice
That I still feel alive
The title of the Rice Philharmonics’ latest album, “still phil.,” was inspired by the first track, “still feel.,” a peppy a cappella arrangement of the 2018 song by the American rock band Half Alive.
But don’t be fooled. The Phils are wholly alive.
“Being in the Phils is mandated fun!” says senior Rita Ajit, the group’s president. “We want to be taken seriously,” she continues, “but being taken seriously is different from being serious.” To wit: One of their recent warm-up exercises was harmonizing the word ‘cornbread.’
The 14 members of Rice’s oldest a cappella group, founded in 1994, offer a unique array of interests and talents. Sound engineer Khalil JeBailey, a senior who sings bass, is a materials science and nanoengineering major. Music director Josh Paik is a junior pre-med student and an avid beatboxer. Sophomore Josh Yang is a competitive whistler who will get to share his unique talent on stage when the Phils compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in Texas in early 2025.
“A good chunk of us in the Phils are actually pre-med,” says Phils publicity manager Dhilani Premaratne, a junior. “For all of us, the Phils is probably the most fun thing we do.”
Being in the Phils is more than a distraction, however. It offers skills that enhance members’ academic lives. “In the Phils, it’s so important that everyone is really good at listening to each other, collaborating and committing to the overall blending of voices,” Premaratne says. “And being in the Phils has helped me a lot with group dynamics in my academics.” For JeBailey, being in the group has boosted his confidence in public speaking and presenting work to his MSNE cohort.
For everyone, it seems, the most important part of the Phils is the friends they make along the way. Their new record serves as a kind of Phils family album. “It’s great to have something tangible from our time at Rice and be able to share that love,” says Ajit. “It also feels cool to transcend the smallness of the group, reach a wider audience and have our memories preserved forever.”
“Still phil.” is available now on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
Who knew? Rice alumna Valerie Tulloch Cramer ’96, a co-owner of the Graustark Laundry, is a legendary Rice athlete. Read more about her story in our Owlmanac department here.