The Yale Alley Cats
Encyclopedia
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
, but its current arrangements cover Motown, pop music
, folk music
, and other music genres. Each year, the Cats go on three tours, many of them international, performing for public and private audiences.
and President Barack Obama
. The Alley Cats' first album on the Bridge Records, Inc.
label also made it onto the 52nd Grammy Award
s entry list for Best Pop Vocal Album.
, a selective, all-senior, all-male a cappella group, and some have gone on to careers in the performance industry, including:
"Sally in Our Alley
" into the night. 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."
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
singing group at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. 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
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, but its current arrangements cover Motown, pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and other music genres. Each year, the Cats go on three tours, many of them international, performing for public and private audiences.
Music
All of the group's music are arrangements written by current and past members. Their performances have entertained audiences world-wide, including Martha StewartMartha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
and President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. The Alley Cats' first album on the Bridge Records, Inc.
Bridge Records, Inc.
Bridge Records, Inc. is an independent record label based in New Rochelle, New York that specializes in 20th century classical music. Its president is Becky Starobin...
label also made it onto the 52nd Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s 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:| Date | Destination |
|---|---|
| Summer 2010 |
|
| Spring 2010 |
|
| Winter 2010 |
|
Notable alumni
Some Alley Cats go on to join The Yale WhiffenpoofsThe Whiffenpoofs
The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909. Best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song", based on a tune written by Tod Galloway and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode & George S Pomeroy , the group comprises college...
, a selective, all-senior, all-male a cappella group, and some have gone on to careers in the performance industry, including:
- Dave LiebermanDave LiebermanDave Lieberman is the host of the Food Network series Good Deal with Dave Lieberman.Lieberman attended The Shipley School...
'03, Host of Food Network's "Good Deal with Dave Lieberman".
- Joe Farrell '97, Host of Trading Spaces: FamilyTrading SpacesTrading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons....
.
- George R. SteelGeorge Steel (musician)George Steel is the General Manager and Artistic Director of the New York City Opera. At New York City Opera, he has overseen new productions of Don Giovanni, Leonard Bernstein's A Quiet Place, , and an evening of monodramas directed by Michael Counts...
'94, General Manager and Artistic Director of the New York City Opera. Former General Director of the Dallas Opera.
- Allen Murabayashi '94, Founding employee and Senior Vice President of Engineering at HotJobs.com (now Yahoo! HotJobs).
- Manoel Felciano '92, Tony Award-nominated Actor of Sweeney Todd (Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, 2006).
- David J. Tang '89, Artistic and acting Executive Director of Firebird Arts Alliance.
- Jeffrey Klitz '81, Conductor, Musician, Arranger for Broadway and other theatrical endeavors.
Founding
In the fall of 1943, four Yale undergraduate students climbed Saybrook Tower to sing Henry Carey'sHenry Carey (writer)
Henry Carey was an English poet, dramatist and song-writer. He is remembered as an anti-Walpolean satirist and also as a patriot. Several of his melodies continue to be sung today, and he was widely praised in the generation after his death...
"Sally in Our Alley
Sally in Our Alley
Sally in Our Alley is a British romantic comedy drama film made at Ealing Studios. It was directed by Maurice Elvey and starred Gracie Fields, Ian Hunter, and Florence Desmond....
" into the night. 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."