The Whiffenpoofs bring a cappella tradition – old and new – to Carmel Valley.

From the tables down at Morey’s, the Whiffenpoofs return to Monterey County for the third year, following sold-out performances in 2023 and ’24.

This year, half of the 14 members of the Whiffenpoofs are from California. So, says the group’s musical director, Eunice Oh, “We plan on spending a lot of time there.”

The Whiffenpoofs are the nation’s oldest collegiate a cappella group, founded at Yale University in 1909 and known for their iconic closing number, “The Whiffenpoof Song.” By tradition, the group opens with a Czech folk song. “In between, it’s about engaging the audience,” Oh says.

The group can draw on more than 900 arrangements, ranging from jazz standards to modern hits, as well as songs performed by the Whiffs over the decades. Often there is a nod to Cole Porter in the set list, as he was a member of the 1913 lineup.

Many songs feature a soloist with a chorale backing. The harmonies can be mesmerizing.

“A cappella is a great way to see singers connect with the music,” Oh observes. “I really love ensemble numbers.”

Oh is one of the seven Californians, a senior global affairs major from San Ramon. She is also the first woman to hold the position of music director for the Whiffs, which was an all-male choral group until 2018.

“It’s funny – you don’t think going into the opportunity, ‘I want to be the first,’” Oh says. “It’s such a great privilege.”

The performances have changed over time. More recent iterations added modern songs to the set list, as well as more personality to the show. Yet there remains a keen sense of tradition, one that Oh feels each time the group’s alumni join them on stage for “The Whiffenpoof Song.”

The song dates back to the beginnings of the group. Although it is full of references to Yale of 1909 – Morey’s Temple Bar next to campus and Louis Linder, the bar’s owner at the time – it has traveled well, recorded by the likes of Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and even the Statler Brothers. Oh adds that it brings Whiffenpoofs past and present together.

“It’s connecting – the idea that I’m in a different generation, but at the end, we all sing the same song,” she says.

THE WHIFFENPOOFS perform at 7pm Saturday, Oct. 25. St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 28005 Robinson Canyon Road, Carmel Valley. $35; $25/students, children; free/ages 5 and under. whiffs.ticketbud.com