By Farah Ahmed '11
Assistant Features Editor
In the fall of 1949, sophomore Lois Liebeskind '52 had an idea. Frustrated with the rigidity of Wellesley College's Music Department, she and friend Bette Bettman began The Wellesley College Octet. The group rehearsed in Billings and had small "sings" at the ZA house.
The Wellesley Widows, an a cappella group in existence for nearly 60 years, on the beach.
Their debut was in Alumnae Hall for the 1950 Freshman Prom, followed by Father's Day and the Alumnae Reunion show. By then, they had decided on a song as their anthem, "We are the College Widows," adapted from a tune by the Yale Whiffenpoofs. This was the inspiration for their group name: The Wellesley College Widows.
The Widows have changed since that first meeting almost 60 years ago. The octet has expanded to a thirteen-to- fifteen voice ensemble, and their clothes have evolved from flapper dresses to a sophisticated all-black look to reflect the Widows' musical sensibility. "All groups are first founded for a reason," said Widows president Beth Santos '08. "From what I understand, the Blue Notes sing Jazz-y songs, the Tupelos sing popular music, and the Widows have developed a deeper, darker sound."
Katie Colaneri '10 is the group's treasurer, and Katie Kinnaird '08 the tour manager. Both work to plan the groups' fundraisers. "Recording is incredibly expensive," explained Colaneri. "Our last CD, ‘Unwed', cost thousands of dollars and the school doesn't pay any of it."
"We can't just do traditional fundraisers," added Kinnaird. "You have to be creative about it."
Kinnaird has been busy planning a tour of DC, called A Capital Affair ("Nobody offered another name," she laughed). The group will be performing at local high schools to stimulate interest in music, as well as for the Sami Suleiman Exchange Fund, a program aiming to build bridges between American and Palestinian students. This tour also includes several paid gigs, including one at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in the beautiful Kogod Courtyard.
"Applying for the Smithsonian was like applying for a job," said Kinnaird. "They don't take just anyone. I had to get people to see us as a professional a cappella group. That's a barrier that we're trying to break through."
Their music, samples of which can be found on their MySpace page, removes any doubt of this professionalism.
The songs are diverse, ranging from a stunning cover of the The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" to Paul Simon's "American Tune."
"We actually sing 'American Tune' every year," said Santos. "It has become a part of our tradition." Because of graduating seniors and study abroad programs, the group must change every year, and with this change comes a new dynamic. "This is what makes the recording of "American Tune "so special," explained Santos.
"It's this one song that links us with Widows in the past." At their end-of-semester concerts, Alumni will often come up on the stage and sing the song with them. "It's amazing, like you're being surrounded by history,"
Kinnaird described. "It's like being in something bigger than yourself. You love the tradition, and yet without you, this tradition wouldn't exist."
Despite an insistence on quality music, the Widows are more focused on building a sense of community. They often arrange group dinners and activities, such as bowling nights. "Every now and then the group will have check-ins," Santos explained. "We sit down in a circle and say one good thing and one bad thing in our lives."
To Kinnaird, this connection is as important as the music. "You have to know each other," she said. "Every time I sing, I'm putting my All photos by Xintong Rong '11musical self forward. It's obvious when I'm having a hard time, so it's really important to have the Widows there for me."
The Widows have been an integral part of Colaneri's experience at Wellesley. "I have two main things in my college life – classes and Widows," she said. "I was talking to my mom about these women and it made her so happy. This is exactly the kind of experience she wanted me to have, going to a women's college."
As a graduating senior, Santos is nostalgic about leaving. "The most important thing to me is that sense of community and history," she said. "I will remember my part in ‘American Tune' for the rest of my life."
In contrast, first-year Nooreen Meghani recalls her first semester at Wellesley. "I had a hard time adjusting, and the Widows were my lifeline. Now, every time I put on my widows sweatshirt, it's like getting a hug."
"We're so freaking sappy sometimes," Colaneri admitted, "but really, this is sisterhood at its purest."
You can check out the Widows at wellesleywidows.com, myspace.com/wellesleywidows and on March 30th, 9 p.m. in the Stone-Davis living room.