Formed in 1936 at
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
, the Smiffenpoofs are the oldest traditionally all-female
collegiate a cappella group in the United States. The group's founding came shortly after a group of Smithies attended a picnic with students from their brother school,
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, in Northampton, Massachusetts, where the Yale
Whiffenpoofs performed. Inspired by this male a cappella group, a few ambitious Smithies returned to school determined to establish their own a cappella group. In honor of the Whiffenpoofs, they adopted a similar name.
Today, the Smiffenpoofs (affectionately known as "The Poofs") continue the a cappella tradition, maintaining a repertoire of old standards and contemporary music alike. Performances at Smith and off campus at area colleges, alumnae gatherings, weddings, birthday parties, charity events, a cappella festivals, and much more keep the Smiffenpoofs busy throughout the school year with additional performances made possible during the summer months while on tour to various national and international destinations. Most recently, the Smiffenpoofs' summer tour saw them traveling to Japan for two weeks.
The Smiffenpoofs were featured on the Best of College A Cappella (BOCA)’95 and the BOCA'97-'98 albums. “Landslide”(arr. Kirsten Campbell ‘95) and “Love Is a Battlefield” (arr. Anne Sulzmann ‘98) represented the group on these recordings.
Following their March 2, 2006 performance in
Brattleboro, Vermont, the Smiffenpoofs were praised in the ''
Brattleboro Reformer'': "The Smiffenpoofs are as tight and refined as a group can be. They are champagne and caviar,
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
and
Rolls-Royce." The Smiffenpoofs’ arrangement of
Imogen Heap’s "
Hide and Seek
Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...
" has also been described as "absolutely stunning", and the performance as "a sanctuary of calm, moving ensemble singing…just beautiful."
The Smiffenpoofs have built up a discography of several CDs and records over the past thirty years. Their brother a cappella group is
The Brown Derbies
The Brown Derbies is an a cappella group at Brown University. They were founded by Darryl Shrock in 1982 and have released fourteen albums. They sing a variety of different genres, ranging from Rock, to Pop, to R&B and are known in the a cappella ...
.
Discography
* ''You've Gotta Have Everything''... (1958)
*''Once Was A Time'' (1974)
*''Definitive Smiffenpoofs'' (1978)
*''After The Gold Rush'' (1981)
*''A Living Jukebox'' (1983)
*''Dining At The Ritz'' (1987)
*''In The Dark!'' (Live Album) 1988
*''Smiffenpoofs...Enough Said'' (1989)
* ''Bang, Pow, Poof!'' (1993)
* ''Get Out Of The House'' (1995)
* ''The Smiffenpoofs Have Left The Building'' (1997)
*''Twelve'' (1999)
* ''Testimony'' (2002)
* ''Bear Right At Tiny's'' (2006)
* ''Smiffenpoofs 75'' (2011)
* ''Poofs in Boots'' (Live Album) (2012)
* ''Genesis of Rhythm: Smiffenpoofs 2013'' (2013)
* ''XOXO, The Poofs'' (EP) (2015)
References
External links
*https://thesmiffenpoofs.wixsite.com/website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smiffenpoofs, The
Smith College
Collegiate a cappella groups
American vocal groups
Musical groups established in 1936
Girls' and women's choirs