Radcliffe Pitches
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The Radcliffe Pitches is Harvard University's premiere female "a cappella" (or "a capella") singing ensemble, founded in 1975 at the historic Hasty Pudding Club. The group is made up of 12 to 16 Harvard undergraduates who perform at Harvard and internationally on the group's various tours. Recent and recurring international destinations include Bermuda, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan. The Pitches also perform regularly on the Harvard campus: they can be heard at large concerts in Sanders Theatre and smaller gigs, including celebrity award ceremonies such as the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year (Richard Gere in 2006).
The Pitches' repertoire is inspired by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Songs in their repertoire include: Whatever Lola Wants, It Don't Mean a Thing (if It Ain't Got that Swing), and My Funny Valentine.
The group's founders were Radcliffe undergraduates who wanted to sing in a close harmony setting. The name "Radcliffe Pitches" reflects the group's origins at Radcliffe College as well referencing a similar-sounding phrase that was used at the time to refer to Radcliffe students. The original Pitches chose this name from a number of entries in their naming contest. In the words of Kathy Manning (Radcliffe College Class of 1978):
"we finally settled on a take-off of the rather negative phrase that had been used to describe Radcliffe women for ages. We actually liked the resemblance to that old adage, because we wanted to be known as a group that was gutsy, tough and high quality."
The Pitches hold auditions in the fall and spring of each academic year, open to all Harvard undergraduates.
