Whiffenpoofs perform at Unitarian Meeting House

PHOTO COURTESY OF WHIFFENPOOFS The Yale Whiffenpoofs are coming to the island to perform at the Unitarian Meeting House, but promise not to give the "white glove" test. T he Whiffenpoofs, the male a cappella group from Yale University, is taking a break from traveling all over the world to perform on island this Sunday, August 24 at the Unitarian Meeting House to benefit the Unitarian Meeting House preservation fund.

The group, composed entirely of 14 males in their senior year at Yale, is the oldest a cappella group in the country and was founded in 1909.

According to David Alexander, a member as well as the group's tour manager, the name "Whiffenpoof" comes from a mythical dragonfish creature referenced in a throwaway line in Victor Herbert's musical "Little Nemo" that had been playing on Broadway at the time.

Although the word had only been referenced in "a string of gibberish," the original members felt as though the word embodied the random, ad-hoc, and somewhat whimsical nature of the group itself. It is for this reason that, after nearly a century of existence, the name "Whiffenpoof" has stuck.

Alexander said that being a Whiffenpoof is an almost businesslike commitment. The group performs two or three concerts per week on average, spends many weekends traveling and tours 17 weeks per year, including 13 weeks for the summer following graduation.

Their longest-lived commitment is performing at Mory's Temple Bar in New Haven.

Back when the group was more of an informal quartet in the early 1900s, they performed at Mory's in an attempt to get the patrons to buy them drinks. Nowadays, the Whiffenpoofs sing at Mory's at 6:30 p.m. every Monday of the academic year and the bar provides the group with dinner in exchange for the entertainment.

The Whiffenpoofs is a non- profit organization, which is entirely self-supported, so the group relies on ticket sale revenues and client payments to fund travel expenses.

"We do have a commitment to charity work," Alexander said. "We do a number of benefit concerts...and each year we contribute, in different forms, to the cause of children's literacy."

Although the group is able to make money from donations and certain performances, it is very expensive to travel and stay abroad.

Considering that the Whiffenpoofs are on their international tour nearly all summer long, the availability of money becomes a point of concern. Luckily, their fame and their humanitarian work enable the members to receive free overnight accommodations at hotels or with homestay families so that they do not have to worry about covering expenses such as housing.

In addition to being a large commitment, becoming a Whiffenpoof is also very rewarding.

"Many male singers at Yale today still see the Whiffenpoofs as the culmination and end-goal of an a cappella singing career at the school," said Alexander.

This career begins in the spring of junior year as 35 to 40 singers are whittled down to the magic number 14.

"Most spend their first three years at Yale in one of the many underclassmen a cappella groups", said Alexander, adding that there are about 15 of these groups.

Once the members are selected, they are presented with the all-too-famous Whiffenpoof uniform, which consists of penguin tail white tie tuxedos and white gloves. The origin of the gloves is unknown, but the Whiffenpoofs have been wearing them with pride since the group's founding.

As other a cappella groups at Yale came to be, many adopted the Whiffenpoof tuxedo look in an effort to emulate the Whiffenpoof...attire and musical style.

The group also enjoys a strong relationship with the alumni and Whiffs from years past tend to stay connected long after their Yale experience has ended.

"The Whiffenpoofs experience certainly does not end after a given incarnation's last concert in August," said Alexander.

Reunion concerts are common and current members enjoy singing with alums in order to get a taste of the old-Yale Whiffenpoofs tradition.

From the old Yale to the new, the group has sung its way into the hearts of many. As the one hundredth incarnation prepares to bid adieu to the Whiffenpoof experience, the Whiff class of 2008 will be on Nantucket to celebrate one of their final times singing together.

On A ugu st 24 Whiffenpoofs are performing at the Unitarian Meeting House on Orange Street at 4:00 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults and free for students. I