Registration Form
The History
At the 105th Reunion in 2014, YWA initiated the Silver Dollar Quartet Championship, honoring the original Silver Dollar Quartet members.
The Silver Dollar Quartet tradition started only 13 years after the Whiffs’ founding in 1909.
In 1922, Prescott Bush ’17 convinced Chuck Spofford ’18, Dick Kimball ’22, and Minot “Minnie” Dole ’23 to join him in founding the Silver Dollar Quartet (SDQ) as a means of continuing an active singing life beyond New Haven. All four were recent Whiff “Managers,” as the Popo was called in the very early years.
These men would lead prolific, storied careers in government and public service, and the SDQ would continue – for more than forty years – to harmonize and entertain all who would listen at Glee Club, Whiffenpoof, and other Yale reunions, as well as at scores of parties and gatherings from Florida to Maine. It was a true standard of the positive effects being a Whiffenpoof can have on our lives.
That positive effect continues. On November 9, 2024, the Silver Dollar Quartet will be honored once more at the 115th Reunion Banquet. All interested Whiff alumni are strongly encouraged to participate.
Here’s a link to more about SDQ-History.
105th Reunion Champions
In the Masters Division, four long-lived Whiff Alumni—Ash Gulliver ’55, Al Atherton ’59, Jonathan Bush ’53, and Kem Edwards ’49, singing as The Elm City Four—were named as Masters Champions after a hard-fought competition with two runner-up groups.
The Open Division winners came from a single Whiff Year: 2012. The Drams from the Firkin—Jeremy Lloyd, Jack O’Reilly, Alexander Oki, and Patrick Rutan—were acclaimed as Open Champions by the enthusiastic response from Whiff Alumni and guests.
110th Reunion Champions
Once again, The Elm City Four—Ash Gulliver ’55, Al Atherton ’59, Jonathan Bush ’53, and Kem Edwards ’49, wowed the crowd and stole the show.
Though Drams from the Firkin made a mighty return, a new champion quartet was crowned: Tim Lind ’15 on tenor, Jacob Siegel ’08 on lead, Kyle Picha ’15 on baritone, and David McIntosh ’07 as the thunderous bass.
Competition Logistics
The competition will be divided into two judged flights:
- The Masters Division competition is intended for singers from the classes of 1948 – 1985.
- The Open Division is for all post-1985 Whiffenpoof alumni and for any quartet comprised of singers from both sides of the demarcation year.
If we have strong participation, a preliminary round will occur on Saturday. Each group will be judged on harmonization, blend, effective dynamics, artistic interpretation, and showmanship. The select panel of judges for the preliminary rounds will be special guests of the Reunion duly qualified for the assignment.
The judges will select up to three Finalists in each of the Open and Masters Divisions.
Each Finalist will perform its elective song during the Reunion Banquet on Saturday night. A champion will be chosen in both the Open and Masters divisions by audience acclamation. Begin bribing your fellow singers now!
Competition Logistics
To participate in the 115th Silver Dollar Quartet Championship, your group must register in advance.
Each group must consist of either four or five members – “Quartet” or “Quintet.”
Each member of each group must be a Whiff alum, with name and Whiff Year as carried in the Whiff Alumni roster.
Each group has wide latitude to determine its own composition. Members may be:
- from a single Whiff year or multiple years
- from the same era or different decades
- a standing group with years of seasoning
- a brand-new “pick-up” group organized for this reunion.
Groups registering for the competition must provide the name, Whiff year and voice part for each member.
A group may change its makeup in advance of the competition (up to 5 PM ET Wednesday, November 5th), but must notify the SDQ Competition Administrator by filing a revised Registration.
Individuals may participate in more than one group, but must let us know in advance.
To register:
- Get your group together, and have a member fill out the Registration Form on your behalf.
- Alternatively, contact SDQ Administrator Stefan “Pitchpipe” Weijola ’11 at weijola@gmail.com for a paper copy.