The Wesleyan Spirits is the oldest all-male singing group at Wesleyan University. Now in our 30th year, we are committed to performing a diverse, ever-changing repertoire of beautiful and challenging music while upholding the great singing tradition of Wesleyan... and to having a great time in the process.

Wesleyan University used to be known all over the collegiate world as "The Singing College of New England." In those days, singing was an important part of the lives of all students, fraternities, and faculty. Students wooed the girls of Connecticut College, and sang simply for the love of song every weekend. During the 1960's, however, this tradition disappeared - University Historian David Potts accredits the combination of the school becoming co-ed and the activism surrounding Vietnam - though alumni return each year to sing the songs of their youth, the students stopped participating.

Charlie North ('82) came to Wesleyan full of his father's and grandfather's stories about the school's music, only to encounter a depressing silence. So, armed with several copies of the Wesleyan Black Book (a compilation of Wesleyan's traditional songs) and his wits to guide him, he formed the Spirits in the spirit of Wesleyan's singing past. The group performed primarily Wesleyan songs, and a few barbershop numbers to smooth out the set.

Over the last fifteen years, the group's repertoire has expanded greatly. We now sing a mix of popular, jazz, classical, and world music, all arranged and directed within the group.

The group now consists of fiften members. We audition for new members every fall and rehearse multiple times a week. The group makes several trips a semester to nearby colleges, performs at University Relations events, and goes on tour once every fall and spring to New England, Atlanta, Washington DC, and New Orleans. We like singing well, but try not to take ourselves too seriously.