Knightingales, the second oldest acappella group at Carleton, celebrated its 25th anniversary January 26 to 28. The highlight was a joint concert of former and current Knightingales.
The concert was held at Dacie Moses House, where the group has traditionally held its rehearsals. “It was really interesting to see how songs had changed and grown over the years,” says Knightingale Amanda DeBoer ’09 (McFarland, Wis.), one of 12 current members. “Many of our songs are not written down—they’re leaned by rote—and it’s interesting to see how parts have changed and adapted based on the preferences of the group and the range of voices.”
Among the songs performed was “Better Things,” a favorite of the group. Unbeknownst to the new members who had suggested singing it, the Knightingale who had originally arranged the song—Sarah Stanfield ’02 (Chicago)—was back for the reunion. Former members also had fun learning some of the group’s new songs. Despite adding new elements and sounds, the group has maintained many vocal traditions through the years, including the song “Rugged,” a standard since the beginning.
When it was founded in 1982, the Knightingales was the only all-female acappella group at Carleton. Because it’s a student-run organization, membership lists were not complete, making it difficult for the Alumni Affairs office to identify group members through the years. “We had to go to the yearbooks—the Algol—to look for old pictures,” says Brent Nystrom, associate director of Alumni Affairs. “After talking to several former members, we finally identified 115 alumnae who used to be in the group.”