The New Blue of Yale
The New Blue of Yale | |
|---|---|
 The New Blue logo, referred to as a "bloi" note | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New Haven, Connecticut, US |
| Genres | A cappella, contemporary pop, rock, indie, jazz, folk, R&B |
| Years active | 1969–present (57 years) |
| Members |
|
| Website | www |
The New Blue is the oldest undergraduate women's organization[1] and the first all-women's a cappella group at Yale University. The group was founded in 1969, and beginning in 2020, they began accepting SSAA vocalists of all genders.[2]
A reinvention of Yale's "Old Blue", the group has released 16 albums and won multiple awards for their discography and arrangements. They have performed internationally and domestically for the likes of NASA,[3] the United States Ambassador to France, the White House, and former Presidents George Bush, Bill Clinton,[4] and Barack Obama.[5] Numerous alumni of the New Blue have become notable in entertainment and other industries.
History
The New Blue was formed in 1969, the year Yale College officially admitted women as undergraduate students. Existing student organizations were originally unwelcoming of the 575[6] newly admitted female undergraduates, and most did not immediately transition their groups to coed. The Yale Whiffenpoofs banned women outright, explaining that "it would make an inferior sound to have girls singing."[7] As an alternative for women interested in a cappella at Yale, the Glee Club director Fenno Heath, Glee Club President Jim Weber, and Whiffenpoofs pitch(musical director) Bill Harwood[8] held auditions for a brand new all-women’s a cappella singing group. Eleven women auditioned, a business manager and a pitch were assigned, and they were gifted a single arrangement by Fenno Heath ("East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)"[9]) to establish the group.
In their early years, the group fought against the stereotype that all-female a cappella sound was inherently deficient. 1970 marked their debut into Yale's music scene with the release of their first album, Since You Asked,[10] a reference to the heckle of the all-male a cappella crowd that asked "the new who?" The cover features the eleven women outside Mory's Temple Bar, a male-only membership club that allowed women entry in 1974, the first of whom were members of the New Blue.[11] A 1973 alum Joanne Wible-Kant recalled that the group "was a way for you to find your voice, get a little bit of power when you were a minority."[12]
In January 2025, as reported by Yale's Westchester alumni association, the New Blue performed free concerts at five town libraries in Westchester County, New York, as well as the Yale Club in New York City.[13]
Recognition
Sue Kwock's arrangement of "Sweet Love," released on their 1993 album A Small Blue Thing,[14] was awarded the 1995 Best Female Collegiate Arrangement by the Contemporary A Cappella Society.[15]
Their 2000 album Can't Stop was named the Best Female Collegiate Album by the Contemporary A Cappella Society.[16]
In 2018, the group was featured in College Magazine's article "The 10 Female Groups Running the A Cappella World".[17]
Notable alumni
A number of New Blue of Yale alumni have become notable individuals in education, entertainment, and other industries.[18]
- Linda Darling-Hammond '73 – president of the California State Board of Education[19]
- Tracey Rouault '73 – NIH senior investigator and head of its metals biology and molecular medicine branch[20]
- Donna Dubinsky '77 – CEO of Palm, Inc., the company that developed PDAs, the predecessor to the modern smartphone[21]
- Anne Warner '77 – represented the United States in the 1976 Summer Olympics for rowing and was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame[22][23]
- Polly Draper '77 – starred in the ABC drama television series Thirtysomething and was a 2009 recipient of a Writers Guild of America Award (WGA)[24]
- Laura Maria Censabella '81 – American screenwriter and winner of Daytime Emmys in 2001 and 2002 for Outstanding Drama Writing Team in As the World Turns[25][26]
- Lisa Cortés '83 – producer and director who made history as one of the first African-American women to sign her own label with a major record company;[27] an executive producer of Precious, a six-time nominee and two-time winner at the 82nd Academy Awards[28]
- Jessica Tuck[29] '86 – American actress, appeared on High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3 as Darby Evans[30]
- Melissa Haizlip '87 – producer and Broadway stage performer whose 2018 film Mr. Soul! won the 2022 Peabody Award for Best Documentary[31]
- Suji Kwock Kim[32] '89 – poet and playwright whose work was a finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize[33] and has been published in Best American Poetry,[34] The New York Times,[35] The Washington Post[36] and Los Angeles Times[37]
- Fiona Scott Morton '89 – served as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics at the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division from 2011 to 2012[38]
- Catharine F. Easterly '92 – appointed by Barack Obama as an associate judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals[39][40]
- Sara Kathryn Bakker '95 – actress, known for appearances in Law & Order, Ghost Stories, and Conviction[41]
- Jill Kargman[42] '95 – writer, producer, and star of American sitcom Odd Mom Out[42]
- Kirsten Lodal '00 – cofounder of LIFT, a nonprofit dedicated to helping lift families out of poverty in the United States[43]
Discography
The New Blue has produced 16 albums and CDs.[44] All of their music is arranged by either current or former members of the group.
| Title | Year released |
|---|---|
| Since You Asked | 1970 |
| Old, Borrowed, Blue | 1979 |
| Mood Indigo | 1982 |
| The New Blue By Popular Demand | 1986 |
| A Small Blue Thing | 1993 |
| Once in a Blue Moon | 1997 |
| Can't Stop | 1998–99 |
| Lucy | 2000–01 |
| Fire and Tenderness | 2003 |
| Since 1969 | 2005 |
| Delta Tango Romeo | 2007 |
| Blueprint | 2009 |
| Speak for Yourself | 2011 |
| Clarion Call | 2015 |
| Exit Four | 2017 |
| Still Life | 2024 |
References
- ↑ "About The New Blue". The New Blue of Yale. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Yale a cappella's move away from gender labels". Yale Daily News. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "The New Blue, Yale's A Cappella Singing Group, Performs at Ames". NASA Ames Astrogram – January 2020. January 23, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Yale music groups' holiday activities range from appearing on "Martha Stewart Living" to singing at the White House". Yale. December 17, 1998. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ Guery, Gemard (March 27, 2025). "New Blue of Yale's 55th anniversary concert brings over 40 alumni to campus". Yale News. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
- ↑ "In a time of turmoil, triumph: 50 years of coeducation at Yale College". YaleNews. September 16, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ Gardiner Perkins, Anne (September 10, 2019). Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks. p. 51.
- ↑ Rice, Eve (September 19, 2019). "The First Women in Yale College: A Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration" (program). Yale University. p. 39.
- ↑ "Musical Daughters of Eli: Women Pioneers at Yale". Yale University Library. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "The New Blue of Yale - Since You Asked". Discogs. 1970. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Yale College's first women". Yale Alumni Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Reforming Old Blue: Female Voices, Coeducation at Yale, and The New Blue". Yale A Cappella Project - Danielle Ward-Griffin. August 17, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ Williams, Tracy E III (January 7, 2025). "The New Blue of Yale Westchester Tour". Yale Westchester Alumni Association. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "A Small Blue Thing, 1993, Yale University Records". Yale University Manuscripts and Records. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "1995 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. March 31, 1995. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "2000 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. March 31, 2000. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ Alvarado, Elizabeth (February 2, 2018). "The 10 Female Groups Running the A Cappella World". College Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Alumnae records, 1969–2014". Archives at Yale – From the Collection: New Blue (Musical group). Retrieved May 3, 2026.
- ↑ Freedberg, Louis (February 12, 2019). "Gov. Newsom names new head of State Board of Education in California". EdSource. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Principal Investigators". NIH Intramural Research Program. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
- ↑ Kaiser, Cameron (April 25, 2024). "Palm OS and the devices that ran it: An Ars retrospective". Ars Technica. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
- ↑ "The Red Rose Crew: 50 Years of Breaking Barriers in Women's Rowing". USRowing. August 24, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "The NRF's 2016 Inductees to the National Rowing Hall of Fame". Hear The Boat Sing. February 3, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "The Company You Keep: Polly Draper Actor Biography". ABC. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "The Twenty-Eighth Annual Daytime Emmy Awards". Soap Central and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. New York City. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "The 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Presented In 18 Categories". PR Newswire. New York City: Cision Inc. May 18, 2002. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Lisa Cortés". Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "82nd Annual Academy Awards winners list". Variety. March 7, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ "The New Blue – Mood Indigo". Discogs. 1982. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
Vocals: ... Jessica Tuck
- ↑ "Jessica Tuck". Apple TV. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
small roles in ... the two sequels to the 'High School Musical' franchise
- ↑ "Mr. Soul! Wins 2022 Peabody Award". rogerebert.com. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Best Female Collegiate Arrangement". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. March 31, 1995. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
Winner: Sweet Love – Yale U. New Blue. Sue Kwok's arrangement
- ↑ "Griffin Poetry Prize: Shortlist: 2004". LibraryThing. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Rumens, Carol (February 4, 2019). "Poem of the week: Sono by Suji Kwock Kim". The Guardian. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ "8 scholars with Iowa ties named Guggenheim Fellows". University of Iowa. April 15, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Pinsky, Robert (August 27, 2006). "Poet's Choice". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Kwock Kim, Suji (June 8, 2003). "Drunk Metaphysics after Ko Un By Suji Kwock Kim". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Tradition, tradition!". Yale Daily News. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
Fiona Scott-Morton '89
- ↑ Garrity, Kelly; Gerstein, Josh (January 10, 2023). "D.C. appeals court weighs its role in Trump libel suit". Politico. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
Easterly, an appointee of President Barack Obama
- ↑ "Easterly To Become D.C. Court Of Appeals Judge". CBS News. February 10, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
sworn in as a judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- ↑ "Sara Kathryn Bakker". TV Guide. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
- 1 2 "Jill Kargman". TV Insider. July 12, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
she... sang in the all-woman a capella group New Blue
- ↑ Wallace, Nicole (April 29, 2016). "Charity's Co-Founder Risks Upending Her Successful Program". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
- ↑ "New Blue Recordings Archives". Archives at Yale. Retrieved May 1, 2026.