Hey Day wasn’t the only tradition that Penn celebrated this weekend.
Penn Pipers, the University’s first a cappella group, marked its 60th anniversary Saturday night. The organization was established as a selective ensemble within Glee Club in 1950.
The performance not only commemorated the Penn Pipers’ 60-year commitment to vocal excellence, but also Penn’s rich a cappella history.
The Pipers sang 13 energetic pieces over the course of the evening. Their old-school “doo-wop” and barbershop-style repertoire differentiates the group from others on campus.
At the conclusion of the show, 10 of the group’s alumni joined the current members on stage for a medley of Piper classics.
The members stomped around singing “For I’m an Ivy Leaguer” during Ivy March — a song arranged by a member in the 1950s.
“The highlight of college for me was singing, and a lot of my closest friends were in Glee Club and Penn Pipers,” said Alex Feldman, a 2005 College graduate. “It’s so fun to come back.”
When Feldman performed in the 50th anniversary show as a student, a member from the original Pipers group attended.
Though most of the alumni were young, people like David Zlotchew, 1993 College graduate, were present on stage.
He remembers a rivalry between the Penn Pipers and Pennchants because they both used to be subgroups of the Glee Club before Pennchants became independent in 1998.
“The competition drove greater excellence and sabotage,” Zlotchew said.
Michael Keutmann, 2005 College graduate, said a benefit of Penn Pipers was that they got to do things that the whole Glee Club could not.
“The Penn Pipers are the perfect size to stand on a corner,” Keutmann said. “Whether we were on South Street, China or Buenos Aires.”
To celebrate the diversity of Penn’s a cappella culture, the Hard Rock-themed show featured two other historical Penn singing groups, Counterparts and Off the Beat. The jazz and pop group Counterparts was assembled in 1981 as the first co-ed a cappella group at Penn, followed shortly after by modern rock group Off the Beat.
In 1986, a then-freshman named Katie Goodman noticed a lack of diversity within Penn a cappella groups. She wanted to sing more hard rock songs and recruited several freshman friends on her hall to form Off the Beat, according to OTB Musical Director Larry Crane-Moscowitz, a Wharton senior.
“They would sing whatever was defined as either alternative or rock music,” Crane-Moscowitz said. “Gradually, the number of singers and arrangements grew into what we are today.”
“You can’t stop smiling when you’re watching,” College sophomore Nora Byrd said in reference to the assortment of performers Saturday night. “They all seem so happy and have such lovely voices.”
