Mesmerising Whiffenpoofs

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Catering cappella singing, 14 senior Yale men known as Whiffenpoofs impressed and entertained the students of Budhanilkantha School on July 20 at the school hall. Organised by the US Embassy, it was an entertaining act for the students as well as anyone present there.

Presenting varied genres of music from RnB to pop to which they gave their touch, they sang beautifully. Cover songs like Call Your Girlfriend, Operator, Skinny Love, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life were performed while ending the concert with the original number by the Whiffenpoofs from the 70s — The Whiffenpoof Song.

As it was a cappella singing, it was different and new for XI grader Riya Lama though she had heard some of the songs before. However, she expressed, “I enjoyed a lot. They presented the traditional music in different ways. They were friendly and they interacted with us while they also had fun.”

Fourteen young artistes produced great harmony and melody in each act to produce a great gig at the end. Musical instruments were not missed, definitely. The vocals be it alto or soprano or tenor, the voices emerged to produce synced repertoires that were pleasing to the ears. Some were soft and mellow, while some were peppy and fun. What added dimension to their acts were the snapping of the fingers, clapping and stamping of their feet along with sound they produced to match their songs. Different singers for different songs came up in the middle to sing while the rest supported him.

They made the students go gaga after each performance. Witnessing such enthusiasum, David Martinez one of the members said, “We had lots of fun. The response was great. We feel excited if the crowed gets excited.”

As per him, being a part of Whiffenpoofs means “a lot opportunities to perform, to travel and to see places, to meet people and lot of time with the members” and feels lucky to be selected in the group.

On the other hand, Cain Harrelson, Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Embassy cited their effort as, “We wanted to bring the Whiffenpoofs to Buddhanilkantha School so that young Nepalis from diverse backgrounds could share in this cultural experience.”