The Tigertones invaded the stage of Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on Sunday night in the fifth Trilogy concert with the Harvard Krokodiloes and the Yale Whiffenpoofs.
The performance raised more than $15,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the World Trade Center victims.
Dubbed the "Ivy League Vocal Rumble" by host Kate Shindle, these three collegiate a cappella groups first met at Carnegie Hall in 1988, in a concert to benefit Interfaith Hunger Appeal.
Since then, they have appeared twice more in Carnegie Hall, in 1995 to benefit the Red Cross and in 1998 for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Sunday night was their first performance at Lincoln Center.
As an actress and former Miss America, Shindle is no stranger to the stage herself. With Broadway credits such as "Cabaret" and "Jekyll and Hyde," it was no surprise when Shindle delighted the audience with her renditions of the national anthem and "America the Beautiful."
The Yale Whiffenpoofs were the first group to perform, displaying a conservative sound and appearance. Adorned in tuxedos, tails and their signature white gloves, they made a dignified entrance to a Czech drinking song.
Their set included Irish, English and American folk songs in addition to "Too Darned Hot," an original song by Broadway legend and former Whiffenpoof Cole Porter.
The energy level rose significantly when two Harvard Krokodiloes took the stage. The rest were rumored to be still celebrating the weekend's Ivy League football championship over the University of Pennsylvania.
The Ivy League rivalry did not end there. They also accused the Whiffenpoofs of putting the audience to sleep and the Tigertones of being the best high school a cappella group in the country.
The Krokodiloes' varied repertoire kept the audience engaged, with songs such as "Rockin' Robin," "Runaway," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Johnny O'Connor."
However, the real excitement came when Shindle introduced "the 13 sexiest guys [she] knows," the Princeton Tigertones.
Their entrance was preceded by deafening cheers and a standing ovation from their eager fans, but the power of their first song, "Good Ol' A Cappella," penetrated the audience's roars.
They continued with crowd-pleasing selections that included "Blues in the Night," "Brown Eyed Girl," "When Sunny Gets Blue," "Walking in Memphis" and "Shower the People (With Love)."
The concert ended with a Trilogy tradition: the performance of "I'll Be Seeing You" by the combined a cappella groups. This time, they all wore red ribbons for AIDS awareness.
For Tigertone Robert Accordino '03, the goal of performing in a benefit concert with the Tigertones started before he was a member of the Tigertones, before he was even accepted to Princeton.
As a high school junior, Accordino saw the fourth Trilogy concert. Benefiting Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the concert was dedicated to the memory of Tigertone Rick Modica '99, who was killed in a car accident while on tour.
Last Thanksgiving, Accordino began researching the possibility of coordinating a concert of a similar magnitude and purpose. He and Catesby Perrin '04 contacted the Whiffenpoofs and Krokodiloes and wrote a proposal to Carnegie Hall, where they originally planned to hold the concert.
In January, they contacted Tom Viola, the executive director of Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.
Although Viola was enthusiastic about the idea, there was one major setback. BC/EFA is used to operating on a larger scale, making hundreds of thousands of dollars per benefit. But the Trilogy concert would be a financial risk for them. They were not confident that the proceeds would outweigh production costs.
Not giving up, Accordino sought other financial means. He convinced former President Shapiro and Vice President of Student Life Janet Dickerson to donate money from their discretionary funds.
With parental and alumni donations, this was enough to convince BC/EFA to go ahead with the plan.
At this point, Viola suggested a change in venue. Alice Tully Hall is designed for smaller ensembles and seats fewer people than Carnegie Hall.
The stage was set, but there remained a great amount of logistical details to work out.
Since he has been on campus this fall, Accordino has spoken to Joe Norton, the producer from BC/EFA, virtually every day. He sold more than 300 student tickets from his dorm room and helped organize trips for all five residential colleges and several a cappella groups.
With more than 300 students, 200 family and friends, 60 Tigertones alumni and 40 University dignitaries, members of the Princeton community comprised the majority of the audience.
"We sang better than we have ever sung before because we used the energy from the audience to propel our performance," Accordino said.
It was a great performance opportunity for a great cause. "We all wish we could just freeze-frame that night," he said.
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