Yale’s SOBs Perform for Families
The lights of the Bowld turn on as 16 young men in suits and ties ‘naruto-run’ onto the stage. This is Yale University’s Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, otherwise known as the ‘SOBs,’ the second longest running collegiate a cappella group in the nation. SOBs performed last Saturday, October 20, for the Exeter community and the Family Weekend visitors.
Their unique name has even more distinctive origins. For several years, the group had no name, until a fateful performance at a party. Once they finished, over the applause, the singers heard an audience member say, “These SOBs are good!” and the group decided then to capitalize on the double-edged compliment. From then on, they channeled the skill of the legendary Olympus minstrel Orpheus and the spirits of Roman god Bacchus, who as the deity of revelry, is known to understand the necessary elements, such as good music, that go into any celebration.
Led by Yale students Ryan Gittler, Benjamin Kieff and Spencer Johnson, the near-eighty year old group prides itself on having a diverse repertoire that spans several genres and time periods in music. The group has recently amassed over 250 different arrangements, with 30 different arrangements on the shelf for immediate performance at any given time. The SOBs picked five of the current standing thirty to perform at Exeter: “Love Me Like A Rock” by Paul Simon, “I Will Go The Distance” from the Disney sensation Hercules, “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, the a cappella spiritual “Ride The Chariot” and “The Ballad of John Henry” most famously performed by Harry Belafonte.
Unlike a typical concert, the SOBs concert included several jokes and skits in between songs, injecting a healthy dose of comedy into their performance. Exonians were pleasantly surprised to hear not only the singing talents of SOBs, but also, their knack for engaging their audience.“I really liked how they incorporated the audience into some of their acts,” said upper Patty Fitzgerald. She added, “It wasn’t just singing; they interacted with the audience and made us laugh and I really appreciated that.” Lower Olivia Hess echoed Fitzgerald. “They always added something interesting besides just the voices,” she said.
Upper Elizabeth Kostina noted that the SOBs also provided insight to Yale and cleared the misconception that students are limited to whatever they elect to study as their major. “It’s interesting to see people who expand themselves through their extracurricular activities,” she said.
However, the moment most Exonians cited as their favorite came at the end. As per tradition, the Yale a cappella group sang “Pretty Girl”—the final song of every SOB concert and also the first ever SOB arrangement—and invited all SOB alumni present to the stage to join them. “Someone’s dad was in it and came down and sang with them!” explained upper Paula Perez-Glassner. Fitzgerald reacted with the same enthusiasm. “There was actually a former member in the audience, and I found that really cool,” she said. “It just shows what a small world this is.”