The Dear Abbeys

The Dear Abbeys
A thirteen-man group posing in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
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 (1992)–present
Website dearabbeys.com

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

Origins and Growth: 1992-2003

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

In 2005, the Dear Abbeys became the national champions in the ICCA International Finals. 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.[5] 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."[5] The album was especially praised for its arrangements and award-winning soloists.[5] In 2011, iTunes named the Dear Abbeys' cover of The Who's "Baba O'Riley" as an essential song of the a cappella genre.[6]

Sincerely, Lost in Boston, Four Score, Tours, and Proclamation: 2006-2012

The group's sixth studio album, Sincerely, Lost in Boston was released in 2007.[7] 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."[7]

In 2009, the Dear Abbeys released their seventh album, Four Score.[8] 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".[8] 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."[8]

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.[9] Each fall, since 2009, the Dear Abbeys holds their Men Being Manly concert on campus, featuring the Tufts University Beelzebubs.[10][11] 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.[12]

In 2012, the Dear Abbeys celebrated their twentieth anniversary and released their eighth studio album, Proclamation.[12]

Members

As of September 2017, the Dear Abbeys is composed of twelve undergraduate members enrolled at Boston University.[13] 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.[9]

Discography

Album title [14]Release DateCredited soloists[15]
The BU Dear Abbeys (Abe)1995Jamie Kirkpatrick, Bill Johnston, Brian Reichelt, Zahed Sirajullah, Jason Florack, Adam Hirsh, Kevin Erwin, Mark H. Rooney, Martinzie Richmond
Triad1999Brandon Itkowitz, Suj Sen, Luis O. Rodriguez, Dan Pritikin, Jason Florack, Kurt Thoennessen, Luke Finnestad, Seth Greenlaw, Dave Blauch
Abbs of Steel2001Victor Sandman, Ehasan Iraniparast, Kurt Thoenessen, Suj Sen, Sean Landers, Daniel Pritikin, Dave Blauch, Dave Marshall, Michael Birnbaum
Not Too ShAbbey2003Victor Sandman, Kaveh Riahi, Jordan Feinstein, Daniel Berger-Jones, Dave Huang, Michael Birnbaum, Eric Thoenessen, Rob Hardy, Rob Mezzanotte
Abbeys Road2006Victor Sandman, Joe Akl, Rob Mezzanotte, Michael Birnbaum, Patrick Hopple, Jordan Feinstein, Kaveh Riahi
Sincerely, Lost in Boston2007Scott Williams, Marc Rambeau, Nick Cortese, Nathan Brenner, Ed McManus, Patrick Hopple, Sam Bond, Nathan Brenner, John Gilling
Four Score2009Chris Giordano, Alex Couch, Emmett Patton, Nathan Brenner, Hunter Young, John Gilling
Proclamation2012Luke Savoca, Jesse Galkowski, Tommy Barth, Chris Giordano, Jason Kaplan, Peter Moriarty, David Valbuena, Paul Pinard, Daniel Taylor
Eleven to One2015George Dejesus, Jonathan Corson, Alex Miller, Nicholas Griggs-Drane, Nick Porter, Matthew Vera
Songs For Mary Todd2017Christian Lawrence, Matthew Vera, Brady Moses, Alex Miller, Benji Hadar, Nicholas Griggs-Drane, Todd Reiss, Jacob Nikolajczyk

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Results, 2005 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Archived 2012-11-14 at the Wayback Machine..
  2. ↑ Friday, Leslie. 15 Jul 2011. "Dear Abbeys Rock the Weekend". BU Today. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Steidley, Amalie. 11 Nov 2011. "Don't Print That: An Interview with the Dear Abbeys". BU Quad. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Not Too ShAbbey". Recorded A Capella Review Board. October 19, 2003. Accessed April 22, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 RARB Review of Abbeys Road.
  6. ↑ iTunes, A Cappella Essentials playlist.
  7. 1 2 RARB Review of Sincerely, Lost in Boston.
  8. 1 2 3 RARB Review of Four Score.
  9. 1 2 Baker, Rachel. Feb 2007. These Are the Biggest Studs on Campus?" Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine. Boston. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Michael, Lauren. 14 Nov 2011. "Men Being Manly III Proves That Real Men Sing A Cappella". BU Quad. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Gauthier, Brendan. 12 Nov 2010. "Men Being Manly: BU’s Dear Abbeys perform with the Tufts Beelzebubs". BU Today. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  12. 1 2 Laskowski, Amy. 27 Apr 2012. "Dear Abbeys Turn 20". BU Today. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  13. ↑ Official member roster from the group's official website.
  14. ↑ http://dearabbeys.com/albums/
  15. ↑ As listed in respective album notes
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