Yale Alley Cats

The Yale Alley Cats
Yale Alley Cats of 2016–2017
Background information
Origin	New Haven, Connecticut
Genres	A cappella, pop, jazz, R&B, motown, soul
Years active	1943 – present
Website	www.yalealleycats.com
Members	Tenor I Raphie Orleck-Jetter ‘21 Arthur Hwang '20 Hale Jaeger '20 Shaun Radgowski '20 Tenor II Tyler Shen ‘21 Kaori West ‘21 Mark Gustaferro '20 Jacob Clemente '19 Baritone Zach Taylor '21 Robert Crystal '20 Tyler Miles '20 Mohit Sani '19 Dustin Zhao ‘19 Bass Jason Kim ‘21 Liam McGrath ‘21 Aidan Brooks '19 Sachin Peddada '19 Mohit Sani, Musical Director Mark Gustaferro, Business Manager

The Yale Alley Cats are an all-male, undergraduate a cappella singing group at Yale University. Founded in 1943, they are the third oldest underclassman a cappella group at Yale. The group’s early repertoire was based primarily in jazz and its current arrangements, all composed by present or former group members, cover pop, R&B, Motown, folk, and other genres as well. Each year, the Alley Cats perform for public and private audiences throughout the United States and on several international tours.

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."

The Yale Alley Cats have entertained audiences world-wide, performing for many notable figures including Martha Stewart, Jay Leno, Tom Brokaw, and President Barack Obama. Their 2013 album "Ghost of a Chance," on the Bridge Records, Inc. label, reached the 52nd Grammy Awards entry list for Best Pop Vocal Album.

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 performing arts, including:

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.

Since their founding, the Yale Alley Cats have recorded thirty-two albums, including multiple live albums.