Origin New Haven, Connecticut Website www.yalealleycats.com | Years active 1943 – present | |
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Members Tenor I
Arthur Hwang '20
Hale Jaeger '20
Shaun Radgowski '20
Laurence Bashford '18
Tenor II
Mark Gustaferro '20
Jacob Clemente '19
Griffin Black '18
Eli Daiute '18
Baritone
Robert Crystal '20
Tyler Miles '20
Mohit Sani '19
Aujer Ding '18
Erifer Fernandez '18
Bass
Aidan Brooks '19
Sachin Peddada '19
Dustin Zhao '19
Nicholas Biniaz-Harris '18
Nicholas Biniaz-Harris, Musical Director
Dustin Zhao, Business Manager Albums Est. 1943, Scratch, Swingin' Cat, Ghost of a Chance, The Gamble Genres A cappella, Jazz, Pop music Record labels Bridge Records, The Yale Alley Cats Similar The Whiffenpoofs, The Alley Cats, Joseph Alessi, The Spizzwinks, Redhot & Blue Profiles | ||
The Yale Alley Cats are an all male, undergraduate a cappella singing group at Yale University. The Alley Cats were founded in 1943, making them the third oldest underclassman a cappella group at Yale. The group’s early repertoire was based in jazz, and its current arrangements cover Motown, pop music, folk music, and various other music genres. Each year, the Cats go on three tours, many of them international, performing for public and private audiences.
Contents
All about that bass the yale alley cats
Music
All of the group's music are arrangements written by current and past members. Their performances have entertained audiences world-wide, including Martha Stewart and President Barack Obama. The Alley Cats' first album on the Bridge Records, Inc. label also made it onto the 52nd Grammy Awards entry list for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Recent tours
Every year, the group travels to numerous destinations during their winter, spring, and summer breaks. Recent tours include:
Notable alumni
Many Alley Cats go on to join The Yale Whiffenpoofs, a selective, all-senior, all-male a cappella group, and some have gone on to careers in the performance industry, including:
Founding
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 College Master who quickly yelled at them to "stop it! Your singing sounds like a bunch of screeching alley cats!" The Master then quieted the young gentlemen and sent them to bed, but the performance marked the group's founding and taking the name, "The Yale Alley Cats."
Rush
Each year, freshmen audition in a multi-week process known as "Rush." In the tradition of many Yale a cappella groups, the current Alley Cats “tap” freshmen to sing with the group for three years.
Songs
Till There Was YouThe Gamble · 2015
Down for DoubleScratch · 1999
I Got a Kick Out of YouGhost of a Chance · 2009