For most Colgate University students, winter break means going home to friends and family after a long semester of classes and studying. But for three of Colgate University’s a cappella groups, winter break means business.
The Colgate Resolutions (“the Resos”), the Colgate 13 and the Swinging ’Gates celebrated their annual January tours (“Jan Tours”) by traveling beyond the snowy borders of Hamilton, New York. Because each stop on the tour is carefully curated to accommodate alumni, students and fans alike, all three groups ventured in different cardinal directions. The Resolutions, for example, stuck to the East Coast, where most of their alumni have remained post-Colgate.
Senior and Resos president Raashi Jain commented on the stops that the group made throughout their trip.
“We started in Glens Falls, New York, which is pretty close to Colgate, and then we traveled down to Boston. We then went from there to New York City, did a little bit of an informal cocktail party at my home in Short Hills, New Jersey, then went to Fairfield, Connecticut, and ended in Philly,” Jain said. “At each of those stops, we had members and families who graciously hosted us.”
The Colgate 13, on the other hand, took advantage of their alumni-funded, 15-passenger Sprinter van and drove across the Midwest. Although being crammed inside a van for hours with fourteen other Colgate students may not sound ideal, for this group, it has become a much-anticipated tradition.
Junior and president of the Colgate 13 Steven Torre spoke on the logistics of the group’s travel.
“This most recent Jan Tour, we went to Chicago, up to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and then Kansas City, Louisville and Nashville,” Torre said. “Most of the time when we travel, we try to stay with alumni because that’s the cheapest option. […] That’s what lets the group be able to function — we’re able to stay at alumni’s houses and not hotels.”
The group also enjoyed a 78,000-strong audience at a Green Bay Packers game, where they sang the National Anthem.
“Probably the coolest part about it was after the game was over, we were walking past the parking lot and every person we saw was cheering for us, high-fiving us,” Torre said. “It was like being mini-celebrities!”
Colgate’s only all-female group, the Swinging ’Gates, used their Jan Tour to escape the snow and explore the West Coast before returning to the East Coast just in time for the start of the Spring semester.
Sophomore and co-tour leader Jessie Han explained the breakdown of the trip.
“The trip was a little over a week, and we pretty much split it in half: three days in L.A., three days in Nashville, and the other three days were travel days,” Han said.
Each group boasts a unique repertoire, which varies from indie to pop to classic rock. Jain was quick to highlight the hard work of the Resos’ music director, senior Arden Knapp.
“Arden [Knapp] has worked really hard for us this year to expand our repertoire,” Jain said. “We know music that goes ten to twenty years back, and then also music that was arranged this semester. We’re very proud to have been able to bring back a lot of old songs for the alumni that were kind of lost over the years.”
The Colgate 13 also uses their repertoire to highlight their history and attract audiences.
“We try to switch it up as much as we can because we’re performing so much — it gets kind of old to sing the same song over and over again,” Torre said. “Right now we’re learning ‘Hey Ya’, by Outcast; ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered,’ by Stevie Wonder — that one we sing a lot; ‘All of Me,’ by John Legend, is a good one; ‘Canyon Moon,’ by Harry Styles; and then ‘Colder Weather,’ by Zac Brown Band — that one is kind of a classic.”
The Swinging ’Gates have a similar goal.
“Some of the arrangements are really, really old, so when we sing with alums from 40 years ago, they know the arrangement,” Han said.
The Resos, the Colgate 13 and the Swinging ’Gates were quick to highlight that their respective groups are like family, making the frequent rehearsals and long car rides not only bearable but something to look forward to.
“Almost always we have everyone — if not almost everyone — come to Jan Tour. […] It is one of the most fun parts of being in Resos because you get to hang out with your best friends and sing,” Jain said. “It’s a lot of work, but it all comes from passion, so it’s totally rewarding.”
“We’re on the road for sometimes 15 hours at a time. You inevitably just create such strong bonds with the people you’re traveling with. I’ve never traveled that long with anyone else — even my family,” Torre added.
Sophomore and co-tour leader of the ’Gates Stella Strassberg echoed these positive sentiments.
“[Jan Tour] makes you feel as if Colgate is all around, regardless of where you are. It makes you feel connected to a community even though you’re not in Hamilton,” Strassberg said.
Although each group varies in composition, schedule and style, the three touring a cappella assemblies are prime examples of the robust community that a Colgate student organization can foster. And, coincidentally, the three ensembles are holding auditions in early February, eagerly awaiting new members looking for lifelong friendships and creative outlets.
