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Wine and Song
September/October 2004
by Elliot Roseman '76

Elliot Roseman is a principal with ICF Consulting. In his spare time, he enjoys bicycling and (of course) a cappella singing.

Though I may have forgotten a few notes, some of the fondest memories I have of Yale relate to singing. The shared experiences and camaraderie with my Spizzwinks(?) and Glee Club colleagues, whether in rehearsals, on tours, or over a Red Cup, have left an aura that continues to glow far beyond the musical score.

These fond recollections all coalesced April 16 to 18, 2004, when the Spizzwinks(?) gathered for their 90th anniversary and reunion in New Haven. For over a year, a dedicated Yale Spizzwinks(?) Alumni Association board and the current undergrads mounted a Herculean effort to organize the event and cajole their friends and classmates to come. Those efforts succeeded—over 140 alums spanning the classes of '43 to the present attended, a total nearly three times the turnout of any previous reunion. With spouses, kids, and significant others, over 200 were involved in a vibrant celebration of song.

As expected, we did a lot of harmonizing, both musical and personal. The festivities began with a free-wheeling reception at Rose Alumni House on Friday, with greetings from AYA head and former 'Wink Jeff Brenzel '75. We all sang a few tunes and continued to Mory’s for more singing. Later, the night owls went to Richter's. This may have appeared to be carousing, but it was a scholarly pursuit to get our vocal cords in shape for Saturday’s events.

The day began with rehearsals, organized roughly by decade, at W. L. Harkness, where each group prepared several songs to perform. This experience made us all undergraduates again. In some cases, rehearsals benefited from tapes the Spizzwinks(?) Alumni Association had developed, with all four musical parts for a dozen songs. Even more impressive was The Songbook with over 50 top 'Winks arrangements (out of about 300) through the decades, which the board had compiled and distributed in advance. After lunch at Commons, we sang “Blue Skies” and other Spizzwinks(?) classics in the acoustically resonant Woolsey rotunda, where we were directed by some of our venerable pitchpipes (such as Fenno Heath '50, '52MusM, director of the Yale Glee Club for 39 years and a former 'Wink). A few passersby were understandably bemused by an odd collection of guys singing at the top of their lungs, but we paid them no mind.

And then the ultimate event: an alumni jamboree at Battell Chapel, in which the decade groups performed the numbers they'd prepared. The performances garnered numerous standing ovations and were punctuated by pomp, circumstance, and personal reminiscences from four different eras. It seems that our alums remembered their tours fondly and have many recollections that relate to a) speeding tickets and b) the posterior part of the anatomy.

After a brief break, we assembled, lubricated by just a touch of wine for throat-clearing purposes, at the New Haven Lawn Club for a celebratory dinner, complete with rousing quartets, honored guests, and the granting of Lifetime Achievement awards to Bill Gard '49 and Roger Englander '56. Those still standing then adjourned to the Spizzwinks(?) undergraduate jamboree at the United Methodist Church, which used the theme of “Les Spizz-erables.” It featured both musical and choreographed dance numbers that delighted hundreds of 'Winks devotees. (If I tried out for the 'Winks today, it’s not clear I would pass the physical.) Afterwards, a few dozen found the energy to convene at the Omni Hotel bar, where recent alums and older guys sang until our voices got hoarse.

I’m looking forward to the 95th. The richness of what we shared—the collective musical heritage and the camaraderie—made it clear that the Spizzwinks(?) experience is part of something larger than ourselves. I have my individual memories, but more than ever, I got in touch with the fact that small-group singing at Yale is an organic, living entity that needs care and feeding to stay healthy. With this reunion, we continued to nurture the 'Winks tradition.

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