The Duke's Men of Yale
| The Duke's Men of Yale | |
|---|---|
A "doox" pin
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| Background information | |
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Website | http://www.thedukesmenofyale.com |
| Members |
Tenor I Sam Lauten '19 David Washington '19 Oliver Shoulson '20 Tenor II Avram Durling '18 Nathan Murphy '19 Daniel Rudin '19 David Townley '20 Baritone Caleb O'Reilly '18 Frederick van Duyne '19 Jerome Walker '19 Bass Kenyon Duncan '18 Sen Huang '19 Alex DiMeglio '20 Jerome Walker, musical director Sam Lauten and Sen Huang, co-business managers |
The Duke's Men of Yale are an all-male a cappella singing group at Yale University. Founded in 1952, "Da Doox" combine Yale's traditional a cappella singing style with complex contemporary arranging, and have gained the status as both campus favorites and as one of Yale's most recognized musical groups.
Named after Basil Duke Henning, the master of Saybrook College, and a former Whiffenpoof, the group formed first in 1952, initially as an octet of underclassmen in Saybrook. Parker Towle '55, and Paul Thompson '55 were the main organizers, and they recruited Walt Farrier '54 as the group's first musical director.
Today the ensemble includes between fifteen and twenty underclassmen. Most members join the group as freshmen and sing through the end of their junior year, although some join as sophomores. The group's repertoire includes jazz, soul, classical, show tunes, and popular music. There have been over 350 Duke's Men since 1952, and to this day, the group sings "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," its alumni song, at the end of most of its concerts.
The Duke's Men have been successful in a number of competitions, most notably the International Championship of College A Cappella. In 1996 the Duke's Men were the best male group and won first runner-up honors at the ICCA Finals at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, along with awards for soloist Michael Sagalowicz (solo: "I'll Back You Up") and arrangement ("Where Is Love," arranged by Alex Funk.)[1] In 2005, the group took first place in the New England regional final of the ICCA.[2][3]. Most recently, the group took first place in the 2009 Northeast Quarterfinal, with member Sam Tsui ('11) receiving accolades for Best Solo & Best Choreography. They performed a cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella" and won again at the Northeast Semi-Final at MIT on March 21, and came in 4th place at the Finals at Alice Tully Hall on April 18, 2009.
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