Wear your school colors, but leave the rivalry at home.

Edgecombe Community College will bleed blue for one night only next week when all-male a cappella groups from two of the leading colleges in the state take the stage. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Clef Hangers and The Pitchforks of Duke University will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 in Keihin Auditorium, Cultural Arts Director Eric Greene said.

There has been a surge in interest in a cappella groups because of the success of television shows such as “The Sing-off,” Greene said.

“It is something that you don’t get to hear every day. It takes a real level of talent and skill to execute music without accompaniment,” Greene said.

After researching the a cappella groups at Duke and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Greene said he was excited by their tight harmonies and entertaining shows stage presence.

The music sung by the 16 members of the Clef Hangers includes Top 40 hits, hip hop, R&B, country, classic rock and choral music, said Taylor Pardue, the group’s business manager. All of the songs the group sings are arranged by current or former members.

“One of the cool things about being able to sing a lot of different genres of music is that we can provide a lot of different kinds of emotions. There will be fun songs that don’t really have a lot of emotional depth but people want to have them and tap along to the music,” Pardue said.

The 20 members of the Pitchforks boast a similar variety of songs, said Dylan Flye, the group’s business manager. Some of the group’s newer additions include songs by Coldplay, “All of the Lights” by Kanye West and “Bright Lights Bigger City” by Cee Lo Green.

It is interesting for people to see their friends perform in a choral setting that also is producing music that they like to listen to, Flye said.

“Going to hear a choir is interesting because you can see your friends perform, but the type of music that they perform is not what they are hearing on the radio. Whereas with a cappella, it is a new twist on a lot of people’s favorite songs and it is done entirely by their friends and their friends’ voices,” Flye said.

Duke and UNC are known as sports rivals, but music is a force that can bring people together, Flye said. He said he hopes people will come out wearing their school colors and be ready for a great night.

“Obviously, we approach this very seriously and want to perform our best because we do have another group there that we know is also going to perform well,” Flye said.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, staff and seniors. For details, call 823-5166 ext. 187 or go to etix.com.