Loading AI tools
Yale University a capella group From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, also known as the SOBs, is an a cappella singing group from Yale University. Founded in 1938,[1] The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus is the second longest continuously running underclassmen a cappella group in the United States.[2] Alumni of the SOBs have gone on to be founding members of other college a cappella groups such as The Pitchforks of Duke University (Jeff Warren 1978) and The Chorallaries of MIT (David H. Bass 1975, also composer of their Engineer's Drinking Song).[3]
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The SOBs |
| Origin | Yale University, New Haven, CT |
| Genres | A cappella, choral, barbershop music, comedy music |
| Years active | 1938–present |
| Members | Bacchus Saagar Motupally '25 Orpheus (Musical Director) Eunice Oh '26 Adam Černy '26
Tenor II Baritone Saagar Motupally '25 Adam Levine '25 Zeamanuel Zeweldu '25 Apurva Mishra '26 Adam Bear '27 Huck Moore '28 Noah Lee '28 |
| Website | http://www.yalesobs.com |
On October 31, 1938, twelve Yale undergraduates gathered at Mory's Temple Bar to form an alternative a cappella group to the Yale Whiffenpoofs.[4] The group capitalized on a back-handed compliment received from an audience member: "These SOBs are good!" and formed a backronym.
The society’s repertoire, which contains over 200 arrangements, is composed entirely of music arranged by current and former members of the group during its more than eight decades of existence. It spans a variety of genres from barbershop to jazz to songs by more contemporary artists like Queen, MIKA, Radiohead, Ariana Grande, Tenacious D, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Michael Bublé.[5] In addition to singing, the group prides itself on its comedy, with a typical concert including shtick written by members of the group. Each year, the Society of Orpheus and Bacchus performs across the USA and around the world, typically wearing tuxedos or suits with custom group neckties. They have performed at the White House, the Korean Demilitarized Zone, La Fortaleza in Puerto Rico, the American Airlines Arena for the NBA team the Miami Heat, as well as at country clubs, yacht clubs, churches, schools and resorts. The SOBs are one of only three groups — along with the Whiffenpoofs and Whim 'n Rhythm — that have a weekly engagement at Mory's Temple Bar.
The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus records a new album every other year. Since its founding, it has recorded and released 21 albums:
| Album title | Year |
|---|---|
| Songs of the O's and B's | 1948 |
| The Lost Album | 1954 |
| Singing with The SOBs | 1959 |
| Pretty Girl | 1961 |
| A Toast to the Gods | 1963 |
| Stepping Out | 1966 |
| Grapes on Cover | 1967 |
| The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus | 1969 |
| Smile Away | 1972 |
| Greatest Hits | 1976 |
| An Evening with the Immortals | 1978 |
| Too Much is Just Enough | 1981 |
| Intemperance | 1987 |
| Drinking from Lethe | 1992 |
| Morning After the Gods | 1995 |
| Wine in a Box | 1998 |
| Hot Damn! | 2003 |
| One for the Road | 2006 |
| Bandoleros | 2008 |
| The Continuing Adventures of Cyrus T. Elk and His Fantastical Flying Machine | 2010 |
| Some Pig! | 2012 |
| Now and For All Time | 2015 |
| Out of the Box | 2017 |
| Tracks for a Moving Train | 2019 |
| Odd Jobs | 2022 |
The album, Some Pig!, has been reviewed by the Recorded A Cappella Review Board.[6]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
