From trailblazing beginnings…

HARVARD’S OLDEST TREBLE A CAPPELLA GROUP

“In 1975, Kathy E. Manning ’78 and Diane L. Nabatoff ’78 decided that they, too, wanted to perform a cappella—so under the auspices of the Hasty Pudding Club, they formed the Radcliffe Pitches.

Says Kathy Manning: ‘We actually had a competition for the name because we had no idea what to call ourselves. When we heard the name ‘Radcliffe Pitches’ and how close it was to a very negative stereotype, we actually liked that.

We viewed ourselves as being independent and competitive and wanted something that was gutsy, tough, and strong.’”

We are Harvard’s oldest gender-inclusive (historically all-female) treble a cappella ensemble, founded in 1975 at the historic Hasty Pudding Club. Our group comprises 12-14 students who love to sing jazz a cappella around the world.

Together, we cultivate a repertoire inspired by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, and Stevie Wonder. The Pitches perform for public and private audiences at Harvard and beyond, with recent destinations including Bermuda, Hong Kong, England, France, Taiwan, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and Mexico.

With our signature blend of elegant jazz standards, we’ve entertained at museums and foundation events; charity fundraisers; civic and social club meetings; embassies; galas; corporate conferences; private parties; weddings; and other special occasions.

We are a diverse collection of performing artists; hailing from all sorts of creative backgrounds, we come together in our passion for sharing unforgettable musical experiences with audiences. Annual auditions are open to all Harvard University students.

We inducted our first non-female member in September 2019, when we welcomed tenor Mason G. Meyer ‘20. As our then-President Sophie Webster ‘21 noted:

“The Pitches have always been meant to be very inclusive in that the group was created for marginalized voices which were, at that time in Harvard's history: women. The Pitches have come to the conclusion that it’s really important to [now] open up the group to anybody who wants to sing.”

Traditions

Since our founding, we have performed annually for the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year. Recent honorees have included Barry Keoghan, Bob Odenkirk, Jason Bateman, Ben Platt, Milo Ventimiglia, Paul Rudd, Ryan Reynolds, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Chris Pratt, and Neil Patrick Harris.

We have also traveled to Bermuda each spring — alongside the Hasty Pudding and the Harvard Krokodiloes — for performances and benefit concerts since the early 1980s.

The Pitches regularly perform and travel with our sibling groups, the Harvard Din & Tonics and the Harvard Krokodiloes, as well as with the Yale Whiffenpoofs and the Yale Whim ‘n Rhythms.