On Thursday, December 3 the Yale Whiffenpoofs, an all-male, all-senior, undergraduate a cappella singing group, gave a short performance after school in the Parker alcove.

The group, the oldest collegiate a cappella singing group in the United States, stopped by Parker while on a Thanksgiving tour of the Chicago area.  Tom Rosenbluth, whose son Ben Rosenbluth was one of the “Whiffs” who sang, went to Parker and served as middle school division head for many years. Two of Ben’s cousins are currently at Parker–senior Julian Rothschild and eighth grader Gabe Rothschild. Julian’s mother, Kitty Rosenbluth, and another Parker alum, coordinated the visit.

A fluctuating Parker audience, which at its peak blocked the hallways, warmed up to the singers quickly, as parents, students, and faculty swayed and mouthed the words to “Down by the Salley Gardens,” an Irish folk tune, and the Selena Gomez hit “The Heart Wants What It Wants.” Other songs included “House of the Rising Sun,” “The Rainbow Connection,” and Dispatch’s “Two Coins.”

These 14 male seniors auditioned to be a part of the country’s best-known collegiate a cappella group last Spring when they were juniors.  Truett Davis, musical director of the group, said, “There’s a big a cappella music culture at Yale.”  15 different groups sing at Yale, with more than 150 students involved in a cappella.

Founded in 1909, the “Whiffs” began as a senior quartet that met for weekly concerts at Mory’s Temple Bar, a well-known Yale tavern. The group has become one of Yale’s most celebrated traditions.

In addition to the vocal audition, a separate audition took place for the jobs of musical director and business manager (currently held by Nick Agar-Johnson).  

“Our repertoire has music over 100 years old and contemporary stuff,” Davis said, “so it is a blend.”

The vocal journeys of a number of these singers did not start until college. Chris Camp, for example, knew he “loved to sing” but pursued this interest only after beginning college.

Not a single one of the 14 seniors has enrolled for the entire year at school. The majority of the group is taking the full year off, one singer is graduating in December, and one is taking this semester off but coming back to school in January.

Until March, the group will do most of its travel domestically. Then they begin their international tours. “We are going to Latin America, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Galapagos,” Camp said, “and then we go on world tour over the summer to Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia.”