Yale’s Spizzwinks boast rich history
Yale University’s Spizzwinks make a promise to each of their members. “By the end of your three years in the group, you’ll have been to all six inhabited continents and your hometown,” said tenor TanTan Wang.
No one in the current lineup of America’s oldest underclass a cappella singing group calls the City Beautiful home, but before they head to South America, they will stop by St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Orlando (7 p.m. Tuesday, 4851 S. Apopka Vineland Road, $10-$25, spizz winks.ticketbud.com).
The Spizzwinks were formed in 1914, five years after the Ivy League university founded the senior class singing organization The Wiffenpoofs, the oldest of its kind in the country. “The Spizzwinks were created to be the more lighthearted version, less stodgy and formal than the Wiffenpoofs,” said Wang from his dorm room in Connecticut.
Yale hosts 15 a cappella groups, says Wang, 19. Students don’t audition in a traditional sense, instead participating in something the New Jersey native calls a “rush” process. “You get to know each different group by having meals with members and watching them perform,” he said.
A sophomore studying computer science, Wang chose the Spizzwinks for several reasons, not the least of which was their song selections. “Our repertoire is probably one of the most diverse,” he said. Every song they perform must be arranged by a current or former member. Being that the Spizzwinks are more than 100 years old, that means they have an entire century worth of music from which to choose. “We have chicken fried, which is a little country. We have Ed Sheeran.”
Wang had little knowledge about writing music when he joined the group, but “I’ve been really enjoying watching the process,” he said. “I know a lot of people who have learned the whole process in the group.”
Another part of his education is getting used to the audience. “Just being able to perform in front of a crowd is something a lot of us yearn for and we’re really getting that experience,” said Wang.
But the biggest asset in Wang’s mind to the Spizzwinks is the friends he has made. “Some of our most fun times are the car rides when we’re driving two hours to a local gig,” he said. “You’re getting a real chance to bond with people. We’re all coming together, spending a lot of time doing something everyone works really hard on and something everyone loves doing.”
Wang admits the schedule for members can be grueling when combined with the classwork from one of the world’s top-rated colleges. The Spizzwinks tour for eight weeks during school breaks and put on more than 100 performances a year with rehearsals twice a week. Sometimes, the rehearsal is the performance. “Performances are the best way to see how you’re doing,” said Wang.
But even though he isn’t pursuing a career in music, Wang wants to put in the work. “It’s definitely not an easy job. But if it’s something you love, you will always find the time for it.”