Krokodiloes

Founded in 1946, The Harvard Krokodiloes are Harvard University's oldest "a cappella" singing group. Four members of the Hasty Pudding Club at 12 Holyoke St, popular for its all-male, burlesque musical theatre productions, began singing popular hits of their time in four-part harmony. The Krokodiloes, deriving their name from the ancient Greek word for crocodile, "krokodilos", now consists of twelve to fourteen tuxedo-clad undergraduates who sing songs from the 1920s through the 1960s. [http://www.kroks.com/about About the Harvard Krokodiloes.] ] The group is no longer a part of the Hasty Pudding Club but retains a close informal relationship, including rehearsal and office space in the Club's headquarters.

The Krokodiloes have performed around the world for such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess Caroline of Monaco, The Aga Khan, King Bhumibol of Thailand, Yo-Yo Ma, and Julia Roberts. They had a particularly close relationship with Leonard Bernstein, who became friends with the group first in 1973, when he composed a setting to an e. e. cummings poem "if you can't eat." In 1983 Bernstein wrote an original song for the group, "Screwed On Wrong," and provided an introductory letter that helped launch the group's first of a continuing string of annual international summer tours [http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/10.19/01-bernstein.html Ireland, Corydon. "Three-day extravaganza fetes Bernstein." "Harvard University Gazette", 2006-10-19.] ] . The group has performed on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," "Good Morning America," National Public Radio, and on numerous international national television programs. [http://www.kroks.com/history History of the Harvard Krokodiloes.] ]

Noted alumni of the Krokodiloes include actor Fred Gwynne, star of TV shows "Car 54, Where Are You?" and "The Munsters," and such films as "My Cousin Vinny"; philanthropist David Rockefeller, Jr.; George C. Lodge, former assistant secretary of labor for international affairs in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations; James Bundy, current Dean of the Yale School of Drama; Emmy Award-winning television director Paris Barclay; Stu Malina, Tony Award-winning music director and orchestrator for the Broadway musical "Movin' Out"; Laurence O'Keefe, Tony-nominated composer-lyricist for musicals such as "" and "Legally Blonde"; Ryan Leslie, a producer, arranger and recording artist responsible for breaking the first internet pop star, Cassie; horticulturist/author Frank Cabot (one of the group's founders); authors George Howe Colt, Winthrop Jordan, Peter Lerangis, and Fred Reichheld; and Coors CEO Leo Kiely. [http://www.kroks.com/alumni Notable Alumni of the Harvard Krokodiloes] . Retrieved on 2008-02-03.]

Each year, the Krokodiloes continue to travel around the world on an eleven-week, six-continent tour. They have recorded thirty-one albums.

Some of the group’s notable accomplishments include the following:

*Performing at the Inaugural Ball celebrating the Inauguration of President Bill Clinton.

*Performing at the June 30, 1997 Hong Kong handover ceremonies commemorating the return of Hong Kong province to China.

*Appearing four times at Carnegie Hall, debuting there to a sold-out audience in 1989 at a concert to benefit world hunger, in the spring of 1995 in an American Red Cross benefit, in May, 1998 in a concert for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and most recently at Zankel Hall in March, 2008. [http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_11221.html?selecteddate=03092008 Notice of 2008 Carnegie Hall performance.] ]

The group's motto is "Nunc Est Cantandum", or “Now is the time to sing.”http://www.kroks.com/history History of the Harvard Krokodiloes, from the group’s website.]

In the episode "The Breakup" of the show 30 Rock, the character Toofer, a Harvard grad, says that he was in the Kroks and had a solo on "Like a Prayer."

References

External links

* [http://kroks.com Harvard Krokodiloes Official Website]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/fashion/23acappella.html?_r=2&ref=style&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin Rapkin, Mickey. "Perfect Tone, in a Key That’s Mostly Minor." "The New York Times", 2008-03-23, Sunday Styles section, p. 1.]