By Giselle Dalili ’20
The Baker’s Dozen is one of Yale’s many male a cappella groups performed for the Middle School Madrigals and Vocal Ensemble on Jan. 12. The group was touring the West Coast when they sang for the Middle School during their Los Angeles stop. Although the Baker’s Dozen sang during the Madrigals’ and Vocal Ensemble’s class, the show was also open to anyone with fifth or sixth period free.
The Yale group performed at the Middle School specifically because one of the singers, Teddy Sokoloff ‘15, used to sing in Boys Chorus and Madrigals.
“It was nice to see an old student come back with his new choir,” Choral director Nina Burtchaell said.
The group consisted of male Yale students who were both upperclassmen and lowerclassmen. They began the show by introducing themselves and the fields they are majoring in. They also told jokes, which students said made the performance more fun.
“The whole performance was great, but what really added to it were the jokes that they told,” Vocal Ensemble singer Naomi Ogden ’20 said.
The Baker’s Dozen sang a range of songs without accompaniment. In between songs, the group chatted with the audience. Students said that the overall feel to their performance was light and upbeat.
“It was a fun environment. I really enjoyed the songs they sang because they were so different and had funny lyrics,” Vocal Ensemble singer Rileigh Repovich ’20 said.
After the performance, the group divided the higher voices and lower voices of the Madrigals and Vocal Ensemble and taught them the Yale fight song, “Bulldog”. At the end of the session, the two groups joined and sang the Yale anthem. Students said they were very excited to sing the song because it made them feel as if they they were a part of the group.
“It was such a privilege to sing their fight song. It was so interesting, and I hope that the Baker’s Dozen comes back next year,” Madrigals singer Nina Neumann ’20 said.
