The Yale Whiffenpoofs Celebrate a Century on a Spree
Beginning in January 2009 a full year of events from the stupendous to the frivolous will mark the Centennial of the Yale Whiffenpoofs, including milestone performances by the Whiffenpoofs of 2009 and 2010 and historic gatherings of the 800 living Whiffenpoof Alumni.
On a winter’s Monday night in January, 1909 the Yale Varsity Quartet and an added singer held forth harmonizing at Mory’s Bar on Temple Street and decided to make this gathering a weekly event. Thus were born the internationally famous Yale Whiffenpoofs and an entire new genre of American music: collegiate a cappella singing groups. Today there are over 1200 collegiate a cappella groups harmonizing all over America, and hundreds of groups from secondary schools to senior centers, as well.
A century later, the Whiffenpoofs and their Alumni will pay due respect to their days as Gentlemen Songsters and the contributions made to this American art form. Highlights of the Centennial include:
Century on a Spree: The Whiffenpoof Centennial (1909-2009)
The Whiffenpoofs of 2009 astound with their sumptuous harmonies presented with the comedic stylings of Hosts Jon Hodgman, Yale ’94 (The Daily Show’s “Resident Expert” and “PC” in national Mac commercials) and Jonathan Coulton, Whiffs ’93 (the “Colchester Kid”), plus surprise guest appearances by numerous celebrities and a historical tribute to a great American tradition. Saturday, January 31, 2009 at 8:00pm in Yale’s Woolsey Hall.
Nationwide Alumni Songfests
Whiffenpoofs of all ages and decades will gather throughout the year in New York, Boston, Palm Beech, San Francisco, and Nantucket for feasting, merriment, and the songs we love so well.
A Whiff Memorabilia Explosion
Culling Yale’s Manuscripts and Archives, and adding new historic pieces to the collection of Whiffenpoof memorabilia, a year-long exhibit of display cases highlighting Yale’s influence in a cappella history will be prominent in the great Nave and Memorabilia Room of Sterling Memorial Library. This will culminate in a full display of all Whiff Memorabilia throughout the Sterling Library at the Centennial Reunion in October, 2009.
Artists from A Cappella Master’s Tea Series
A variety of Master’s Teas in the residential colleges of Yale will present a discussion with and performances by Whiffenpoof alumni who have made their careers in the arts: whether in a rock band, on Broadway, in the opera, or even in the producer’s office. Prominent Yale alumna who started out in women’s a cappella will be featured as well.
The Founders of A Cappella Celebration at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center
Alumni of the Princeton Nassoons and the Harvard Krokodillos will be invited to join a large group of Whiffenpoof alumni, as each performs on the stage of the refurbished Alice Tully Hall in a New York City songfest…culminating in appearances by the current Nassoons and Kroks, and, of course, the 2009 Whiffenpoofs.
The Whiffenpoof Centennial Reunion: The Greatest Gathering of Gentlemen Songsters in History
All Whiffenpoof Alumni are called back to Mother Yale October 2-4, 2009 to raise toasts to a remarkable century and sing to heart’s content all the songs we loved so well. This largest assemblage of Whiffs in history will feature the three-day takeover of Mory’s for Whiffenpoof merriment, forums on Whiff and A Cappella history and phenomenology, Master’s Class rehearsals with great Whiffs song arrangers, a grand Class-by-Class Concert, a special tribute and performance during Football Game Half-time at the Yale Bowl, a Battell Chapel Memorial for Whiffs lost since the last Reunion, a Gala Cocktail Reception in Sterling Memorial Library featuring presentation of new memorabilia, and a Grand Feast in the Yale Commons….all accompanied by Whiffs in song at every turn: under Archways, in the Library, in the Commons, in the President’s Room, in the Woolsey Rotunda, and, of course, in every corner of Mory’s. A weekend promising to mark the Whiff Century the likes of which may not be seen for another hundred years!