The Yale Alley Cats Explained

The Yale Alley Cats
Origin:New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Genre:A cappella, pop, jazz, R&B, Motown, soul
Years Active:1943 – present (years)
Current Members:Tenor I
Logan Foy '25
Benjamin Jimenez '26
Yixiao Zhang '26
Ryann Schaffer '27

Tenor II
Tarel Dennie '24
Joey Cumpian '25
Charlie Calkins '26
Noah Jung '26
Ben Heller '27

Baritone
Quinn Evans '25
Jason Kisare '25
Jonathan Akinniyi '26
Marco Gajic '27
Sebastian Gervase '27

Bass
Ian Richardson '24
Rory Latham '25
Joseph Aguilar '26
Stellan Min '27
Cyrus Rivers '27

The Yale Alley Cats is an undergraduate a cappella singing group at Yale University, the college's third-oldest.[1]

In the summer of 1943, four Yale undergraduate students climbed Saybrook Tower to serenade the night with Henry Carey's "Sally in Our Alley." Their singing awoke the Saybrook Head of College, who yelled at them: "Stop it! Your singing sounds like a bunch of screeching alley cats!" and sent them to bed. The performance marked the founding of the group and gave it its name.

While the group’s early performances centered on jazz, their current repertoire includes pop, R&B, Motown, folk, and other genres.[2] The group has created more than 400 a cappella arrangements.[3]

Each April, The Alley Cats hosts its "Champagne Jamboree," or "Cham Jam", an on-campus performance that customarily features a non-male guest soloist from the senior class[4] and a dance number featuring a soloist from the first-year class (known as "kittens"). Audience members toss shoes on stage if they feel particularly moved by a soloist's singing; many audience members bring multiple pairs of shoes to throw.

The group also performs for public and private audiences throughout the United States and around the world,[5] funding their travels with concert revenue.[6] Audience members have included Martha Stewart, Jay Leno, Stella McCartney, Tom Brokaw, and President Barack Obama.[7] In 2017, the group performed at Facebook headquarters and Google headquarters on their tour of the California Bay Area, then at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland,[8] and at the United States Embassy in Paris, France.[9] In 2018, the group completed a ten-city tour of China through the invitation of Beijing Shengchou Education Technology Company,[10] including collaborations with the Central Conservatory of Music and other schools and hotels across the nation such as the Little Swan Choir in Xi'an. Tour destinations for the 2023-24 season included Hawaii, China, Switzerland, Qatar, and South Africa, with performances for the Chicago White Sox and at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing.[11]

In 2021, the Cats collaborated with songwriter Diane Warren to create a music video of her lead single from the movie Four Good Days, "Somehow You Do".[12]

As with many Yale a cappella groups, first-year students audition for the Alley Cats in a multi-week process known as "Rush."[13] Current members choose several applicants to join the group for three years.[14] [15]

Notable alumni

Many Alley Cats go on to join The Yale Whiffenpoofs—a selective all-senior a cappella group[16] —and some have gone on to careers in the performing arts, including:

Discography

The Yale Alley Cats have recorded 35 albums and one EP, including several live albums.[17] [18] Their 2013 album "Ghost of a Chance," on the Bridge Records, Inc. label, was submitted to the 52nd Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album.[19] Their 2021 album "Gemini," was nominated for Best Lower Voices Collegiate Album by the Contemporary A Capella Society (CASA).[20]

!Title!Year Released
Gemini2021
Limelight2020
Love Lost - EP2019
Havana - Single2019
Pick of the Litter: The Very Best of the Yale Alley Cats Vol. 22019
Midnight Drive2017
The Gamble2015
Pick of the Litter: The Very Best of the Yale Alley Cats Vol. 12014
Noir2013
Maneki Neko2010
Ghost of a Chance2009
Classic2006
Ninth Live2004
Day & Night2003
Est. 19432001
Cats Around the World2000
Scratch1999
Live in Europe1998
Hot Tin Roof1997
Swinging Cat1995
Lingers on My Mind1993
Mood Calico1991
Top Hat & Tails1989
Faux Paws1987
The Cat's Out1983
Night and Day1981
Down for Double1979
Magic To Do1977
Out Cattin1975
25th Anniversary1973
Our House1971
Tales of the Alley Cats1969
You Go to My Head1967
Just For My Love1965
The Yale Alley Cats: Volume IV1964
Bewitching...1963
The Yale Alley Cats1958

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.aya.yale.edu/clubofficers/performance/groups.htm#a The Yale Alley Cats
  2. Web site: The Yale Alley Cats. 19 March 2017.
  3. Web site: History . 2024-07-26 . The Yale Alley Cats Yale's Premier Undergraduate A Cappella Group . en-US.
  4. News: Alley Cats perform with female singer . en . 2018-04-19.
  5. http://www.bridgerecords.com/catpage.php?call=9288 The Yale Alley Cats
  6. Web site: History. The Yale Alley Cats. en-US. 2018-04-19.
  7. The Yale Alley Cats on "Martha Stewart's Home for the Holidays."
  8. Web site: Photo at the United Nations. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BRt-FfTlLaC . 2021-12-24 . limited. The Yale Alley Cats. en-US. 2018-04-19.
  9. News: A cappella groups see spring break travel. 2018-04-19. en.
  10. Web site: Sina Visitor System. weibo.com. 2018-04-19.
  11. Web site: Upcoming Tours . 2024-07-26 . The Yale Alley Cats Yale's Premier Undergraduate A Cappella Group . en-US.
  12. Web site: 2021-08-10 . Music Video - Somehow You Do . 2024-07-26 . The Yale Alley Cats Yale's Premier Undergraduate A Cappella Group . en-US.
  13. http://www.yale.edu/sgc/faq.html Yale Singing Group Council: "What is "rush?""
  14. http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/art-news/2009/09/24/cappella-taps-newest-members/ Yale Daily News: "A cappella taps newest members"
  15. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1150640 "Yale's A Cappella Rush"
  16. http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/01_03/groups.html "An Irrepressible Urge to Join – Musical Groups"
  17. Web site: Current Albums. The Yale Alley Cats. 2016-02-29.
  18. Web site: Back Catalog. The Yale Alley Cats. 26 January 2015. 2016-02-29.
  19. 52nd Grammy Awards entry list, Field 1, Category 11: Best Pop Vocal Album. Note: The original list at Grammy.com has been removed. A true and accurate copy is found at the current-referenced URL.
  20. Web site: 2022-03-01 . 2022 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Nominees - Contemporary A Cappella Society . 2022-05-28 . en-US.