The Yale Alley Cats

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.[1]

The Yale Alley Cats
Yale Alley Cats of 2018-2019
Background information
Origin	New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres	A cappella, pop, jazz, R&B, Motown, soul
Years active	1943 – present (78 years)
Website	www.yalealleycats.com
Members	Tenor I Raphie Orleck-Jetter ‘21 Kaori West '21 Kiko Wong ‘22 Alexander Wang ‘23 Tenor II Tyler Shen ‘21 Julian Hornos Kohl '22 Yaakov Huba ‘23 Seoho Kim ‘23 Baritone Zach Taylor '21 Vikram Akwei '22 Nico Burbano '22 Carl Viyar ‘23 Bass Jason Kim ‘21 Chad Palmer '22 Adrien Rolet ‘23 Owen Wheeler ‘23 Musical Director Jason Kim Business Manager Kiko Wong

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 "Stop it! Your singing sounds like a bunch of screeching alley cats!" The Master then silenced the young gentlemen and sent them to bed, but the performance marked the group's founding and taking the name, "The Yale Alley Cats."[2]

While the group’s early repertoire was based primarily in jazz, their current arrangements (all composed by present or former group members) span pop, R&B, Motown, folk, and a variety of other genres.[3] The group has created more than 200 a cappella arrangements.

Each year, the Alley Cats hosts a large on-campus performance known as the "Champagne Jamboree," traditionally featuring a female guest soloist and a dance number.[4] The group also performs for public and private audiences throughout the United States.[2] Their performance tours are funded through concert revenue.[5]

The Yale Alley Cats have entertained audiences worldwide, performing for many notable figures including Martha Stewart, Jay Leno, Stella McCartney, Tom Brokaw, and President Barack Obama.[3][6]

In 2017, they performed at Facebook headquarters and Google headquarters on their tour of the California Bay Area,[5] then later at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland,[7] and at the United States Embassy in Paris, France.[8] In 2018, the group completed a ten-city tour of China through the invitation of Beijing Shengchou Education Technology Company,[9][8] 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.[10]

As with many Yale a cappella groups, first-years audition in a multi-week process known as "rush." [11] Some are chosen by current Alley Cats to sing with the group for three years.[12][13]