The famous lyrics from The Whiffenpoof Song have echoed through the years:
“We are poor little lambs
Who have lost our way.
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We are little black sheep
Who have gone astray.
Baa! Baa! Baa!”
First penned in the early 1900s, this playful refrain has been recorded by luminaries such as Rudy Vallée, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and Louis Armstrong. But it remains, above all, the traditional closing number of the legendary Yale University a cappella group, The Whiffenpoofs, whose performances are a staple of campus life in New Haven, Connecticut.
Founded in 1909, The Whiffenpoofs will bring their signature sound to Healdsburg’s Raven Performing Arts Theater Oct. 19. Among the 14 members of the prestigious group is Tabatha Stewart, a 21-year-old junior at Yale who grew up in Healdsburg.
“I am very honored to be part of this tradition and its legacies,” said Stewart, 21. “It’s probably one of the coolest things I have done or will ever do in my life.”
In addition to their traditional Monday night performances at Mory’s Temple Bar on Yale’s campus, The Whiffenpoofs tour internationally, performing over 200 concerts annually across six continents.
Stewart, who is currently taking a gap year to tour with the group, is studying music and theater at Yale and plans to return to complete her senior year once her tour ends.
Her involvement with the Whiffenpoofs is still in its early stages, but she has already participated in the iconic Monday night sessions at Mory’s.
“We have a lot of fun singing the old traditional songs,” Stewart said. “We have to dress up for it, and the patrons buy us Mory’s cups.”
These cups, typically oversized silver chalices, are filled with brightly colored, fizzy cocktails — a longtime tradition at the historic bar.
For most of its history, the Whiffenpoofs were an all-male ensemble, but women have been allowed to join since 2018. This year, for the first time, a woman holds a leadership position in the group.
“There are four women in the group this year,” Stewart said, “The Whiffenpoofs have started to arrange a few songs for higher voices, but we still stick with the traditional songs. We’re catering to the voices without changing the repertoire that much. And we continue to arrange some modern songs.”
The Whiffenpoofs’ repertoire spans a variety of musical styles, including classic Yale tunes, jazz standards and songs from across the decades.
Among the group’s most famous alumni is Cole Porter, who sang with the Whiffenpoofs in 1913. Over the years, the group has performed at esteemed venues such as Lincoln Center, the White House, the Salt Lake Tabernacle and Carnegie Hall, as well as on television programs like “The Today Show.”
“We also do private concerts and events,” Stewart said. “A lot of our audiences tend to be middle-aged. Not often do we get a college crowd, even at Mory’s.”
Stewart, a 2022 graduate of Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, is no stranger to performing and creating music.
“I performed at the Raven throughout my whole childhood,” she said. “One of my shows was performed during my senior year at Sonoma Academy.”
Looking ahead, she hopes to make a career in musical theater.
“I’m really interested in doing research into music technology,” Stewart explained, “and writing for musical theater is something I really want to incorporate into my studies.”
If You Go
What: The Yale Whiffenpoofs
When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19
Where: Raven Performing Arts Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg
Admission: $44 for front center section, $29 for general admission, $14 for students