St. Matthew’s Music Guild Season Continues With Yale Whiffenpoofs

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

St. Matthew’s Music Guild will continue its 39th season on Friday, January 19, with a concert featuring the Yale Whiffenpoofs, which will begin at 7:30 p.m.

“Every year, 14 senior Yale students are selected to be in the Whiffenpoofs, the world’s oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group,” according to a press release. “Founded in 1909, the ‘Whiffs’ began as a senior quartet that met for weekly concerts at Mory’s Temple Bar, the famous Yale tavern. Today, the group has become one of Yale’s most celebrated traditions, with over a century of musical excellence.”

The Whiffenpoofs—in “characteristic white tie and tails”—perform more than 200 concerts per year across the United States and around the world. Recent venues include Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, White House, Rose Bowl and Lincoln Center. Television appearances include “The Sing-Off,” “The West Wing,” “The Today Show,” “Saturday Night Live” and more.

“The Whiffenpoofs have sung for multiple sitting presidents of the United States and have toured over 20 countries on six continents almost every year for the last several years,” Music Guild continued. “Nonetheless, the Whiffs always feel most at home at Yale on their perennial Monday night engagement at Mory’s, where they close each night with the historic Whiffenpoof Song, covered by artists among the likes of Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee.”

Their performances feature a mixture of Yale tunes, jazz standards and other hits from various decades, according to Music Guild. The concert will take place at St. Matthew’s Church, located at 1031 Bienveneda Avenue.

Tickets are $35 for general admission, $10 for students (available at the door only) and free for attendees under 16. They are available through musicguildonline.org.

The next concert in the season will feature mezzo soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis on February 2, followed by violinist Hye-Jin Kim on March 8.

“Thanks to the support of so many, St. Matthew’s Music Guild continues to make a dynamic and fulfilling contribution to the rich musical landscape of Los Angeles,” Music Director Dwayne Milburn wrote in a statement on the Music Guild website. “Our 39th season features beloved masterworks from the classical canon along with premieres of new works by outstanding composers, and performances by soloists and ensembles of international stature.”