Kicking off their 80-day global summer tour in China, the prestigious Harvard Krokodiloes acapella group gave a panel, Q&A, and mini-concert at the Chao Hotel this past Saturday. Hosted by Ivy Education Group, this was the grand finale in their Distinguished Speakers Series this year – an engaging and informative event, for parents, students, and a capella enthusiasts alike.
Participants were able to hear first-hand from four Harvard Kroks members, Winston Huang, Channy Hong, Jake Corvino, and Gregory Lipson, as they talked about their childhood, parental influence, their love for a capella, and what brought them to where they are today. The four Kroks found common ground in how they were raised, in that their parents really let them discover who they were. They all seemed to be in support of the idea that doing what they were interested in was part of what drove their success. The art of a capella was also discussed, and the Kroks talked about how singing together as a group was a dynamic experience that brought them together as a brotherhood.
After a small break, the audience returned to their seats in anticipation for the showcase of the Krokodiloes’ remarkable talent; Entertaining and enrapturing, the Harvard boys took the stage with charm and an endearingly humorous performance. They brought life to the songs, not only through their rich voices but their energetic personas, singing about rubber duckies, serenading audience members, and other quirks that left us all on the edge of our seats wanting more. For their final performance, they united with the Daystar Academy children’s choir to sing茉莉花, a traditional Chinese song.
Founded back in 1946, the Krokodiloes are Harvard University’s oldest and finest a capella singing group. Their name is derived from the ancient Greek word for crocodile, and the group now consists of “twelve tuxedo-clad male undergraduates, singing music from the Great American Songbook and beyond”. Polished and fine-tuned from performing over 200 concerts per year, they’re currently in the middle of their 25th annual Summer World Tour. This stop in Beijing was one of the twenty three stops the Krokodiloes are taking over a period of twelve weeks.
To learn more about this prestigious a capella group, visit their website, at kroks.com.
photo: kroks.com