The Dear Abbeys
The Dear Abbeys | |
|---|---|
 The members of the 2012 Boston University Dear Abbeys at the Lincoln Memorial. From left to right: Daniel Gillette, Jesse Galkowski, George DeJesus, Oliver Baverstam, Jason Kaplan, David Skodje, Steven Oranges, Nick Porter, Daniel Taylor, Ben Chodosh, Luke Savoca, Jonathan Corson, David Valbuena. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Boston University Dear Abbeys; The Abbeys |
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Genres | A cappella |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Website | dearabbeys |
The Dear Abbeys (officially, The Boston University Dear Abbeys) is an all-male a cappella group consisting of current Boston University students, typically undergraduates. Founded in 1992, the Dear Abbeys won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) competition in April 2005.[1] In addition to regular appearances at Boston University and throughout the state of Massachusetts, the Dear Abbeys have traveled within the United States to promote the a cappella genre as well as K-12 music education.[2]
History[edit]
Origins and Growth: 1992-2003[edit]
The group was founded at Boston University in February 1992 by Boston University students Cooper Olson, Jamie Kirkpatrick and Brian Reichelt as the Dear Abbeys.[3]
In 2003, the Dear Abbeys released the album Not Too ShAbbey, which features a song composed by the artists, "The Abbeys' Anthem." Critic Benjamin Stevens wrote that "the album is below average, with much work to be done before the next time around".[4] Elie Landau wrote that the album "is Not Too ShAbbey. On the other hand, it's not terrific either."[4]
National Champions and Abbeys Road: 2003-2006[edit]
In 2005, the Dear Abbeys became the champions in the International Championships of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Finals.[5] Member Robert Mezzanote also won the Outstanding Soloist Award for his rendition of Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way."[1]
In 2006, the group released its fifth studio album, Abbeys Road.[6] The album includes the Abbeys' rendition of "She's Got a Way". Abbeys Road received a score of 4.3 out of a possible 5 from the Recorded A Capella Review Board. Jevan Soo wrote that Abbeys Road "is a clean, smooth outing that certainly vaults the Dear Abbeys into the upper ranks of the male collegiate, if not quite to the front of the line."[6] The album was especially praised for its arrangements and award-winning soloists.[6] In 2011, iTunes named the Dear Abbeys' cover of The Who's "Baba O'Riley" as an essential song of the a cappella genre.[7]
Sincerely, Lost in Boston, Four Score, Tours, and Proclamation: 2006-2012[edit]
The group's sixth studio album, Sincerely, Lost in Boston was released in 2007.[8] Like Abbeys Road, Sincerely, Lost in Boston received a 4.3 out of 5 from the RARB; however, critic Robert Dietz remarked that Sincerely suffered from the "turnover blues" after the success of the Abbeys' previous album. Jevan Soo called it, "A slight upgrade on arranging, with a lot more texture and movement here. A heavy downgrade on soloists and repertoire."[8]
In 2009, the Dear Abbeys released their seventh album, Four Score.[9] In the album, the Abbeys once again delved into multiple genres, featuring songs such as John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," The Who's "Who Are You", and Rusted Root's "Send Me On My Way".[9] Four Score again received 4.3 out of 5 from the RARB. Reviewer Catherine Lewis remarked, "What raises [Four Score] to above-average status is an unusual set of songs."[9]
In most academic years, the group performs approximately 35 times per year at Boston University's Charles River campus as well as other locations in the Greater Boston area.[10] Each fall, since 2009, the Dear Abbeys holds their Men Being Manly concert on campus, featuring the Tufts University Beelzebubs.[11][12] From 2008 to 2012, the Dear Abbeys also embarked on annual tours to promote the group, as well as the a cappella genre and K-12 music education.[13]
In 2012, the Dear Abbeys celebrated their twentieth anniversary and released their eighth studio album, Proclamation.[13]
Members[edit]
As of January 2021, the Dear Abbeys is composed of thirteen undergraduate members enrolled at Boston University.[14] Member selection is based on aspects such as musicianship, personality and performance, as judged by the standing members of the Dear Abbeys at a private audition.[10]
Discography[edit]
| Album title [15] | Release Date | Credited soloists[16] |
|---|---|---|
| The BU Dear Abbeys (Abe) | 1995 | Jamie Kirkpatrick, Bill Johnston, Brian Reichelt, Zahed Sirajullah, Jason Florack, Adam Hirsh, Kevin Erwin, Mark H. Rooney, Martinzie Richmond |
| Triad | 1999 | Brandon Itkowitz, Suj Sen, Luis O. Rodriguez, Dan Pritikin, Jason Florack, Kurt Thoennessen, Luke Finnestad, Seth Greenlaw, Dave Blauch |
| Abbs of Steel | 2001 | Victor Sandman, Ehasan Iraniparast, Kurt Thoenessen, Suj Sen, Sean Landers, Daniel Pritikin, Dave Blauch, Dave Marshall, Michael Birnbaum |
| Not Too ShAbbey | 2003 | Victor Sandman, Kaveh Riahi, Jordan Feinstein, Daniel Berger-Jones, Dave Huang, Michael Birnbaum, Eric Thoenessen, Rob Hardy, Rob Mezzanotte |
| Abbeys Road | 2006 | Victor Sandman, Joe Akl, Rob Mezzanotte, Michael Birnbaum, Patrick Hopple, Jordan Feinstein, Kaveh Riahi |
| Sincerely, Lost in Boston | 2007 | Scott Williams, Marc Rambeau, Nick Cortese, Nathan Brenner, Ed McManus, Patrick Hopple, Sam Bond, Nathan Brenner, John Gilling |
| Four Score | 2009 | Chris Giordano, Alex Couch, Emmett Patton, Nathan Brenner, Hunter Young, John Gilling |
| Proclamation | 2012 | Luke Savoca, Jesse Galkowski, Tommy Barth, Chris Giordano, Jason Kaplan, Peter Moriarty, David Valbuena, Paul Pinard, Daniel Taylor |
| Eleven to One | 2015 | George Dejesus, Jonathan Corson, Alex Miller, Nicholas Griggs-Drane, Nick Porter, Matthew Vera |
| Songs For Mary Todd | 2017 | Christian Lawrence, Matthew Vera, Brady Moses, Alex Miller, Benji Hadar, Nicholas Griggs-Drane, Todd Reiss, Jacob Nikolajczyk |
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Results, 2005 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Archived 2012-11-14 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Friday, Leslie. 15 Jul 2011. "Dear Abbeys Rock the Weekend". BU Today. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
- ↑ Steidley, Amalie. 11 Nov 2011. "Don't Print That: An Interview with the Dear Abbeys". BU Quad. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Not Too ShAbbey". Recorded A Capella Review Board. October 19, 2003. Accessed April 22, 2018.
- ↑ Alexandra Wimley. "Dear Abbeys A Cappella Group Turn 25 | BU Today | Boston University". BU Today. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 RARB Review of Abbeys Road.
- ↑ iTunes, A Cappella Essentials playlist.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 RARB Review of Sincerely, Lost in Boston.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 RARB Review of Four Score.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Baker, Rachel. Feb 2007. These Are the Biggest Studs on Campus?" Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine Boston. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ↑ Michael, Lauren. 14 Nov 2011. "Men Being Manly III Proves That Real Men Sing A Cappella". BU Quad. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
- ↑ Gauthier, Brendan. 12 Nov 2010. "Men Being Manly: BU’s Dear Abbeys perform with the Tufts Beelzebubs". BU Today. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Laskowski, Amy. 27 Apr 2012. "Dear Abbeys Turn 20". BU Today. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
- ↑ Official member roster from the group's official website.
- ↑ http://dearabbeys.com/albums/
- ↑ As listed in respective album notes
External links[edit]
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