The Whiffenpoofs revel in the tradition of collegiate a cappella groups, while keeping it up to date.

“With any group that’s 115 years old, there’s a strong tie to the tradition of the group – as well as its evolution.”

That’s how Liam Richardson sets up the share of past and progress by The Whiffenpoofs, the famed Yale a cappella ensemble for which he sings bass. There are expectations of coat-and-tie formality. But these are also college seniors looking ahead, willing to bring the melancholy arrangements of a previous era to the same stage as modern pop.

Of course, few groups are so venerated by time. The Whiffenpoofs still serenade diners at Morey’s Temple Bar in New Haven, Connecticut when not on the road. They finish performances with their signature “The Whiffenpoof Song,” a wistful frolic that has been covered by the likes of Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and Louis Armstrong.

“I like to think of it more as an honor than a burden,” baritone Luke Tillitski says of performing within a legacy. The current lineup likes to vary tempo, style and emotion through their set list. “We have done our job if we create a set that is very diverse. A good show is one where everyone gets a taste of what they came for.”

The members change each year – The Whiffenpoofs are seniors, each putting academics on hold for the year to sing and tour the world. Tillitski says that after a final summer performance in Mexico, they return to school, starting classes the next day as a new group of Whiffenpoofs gather.

It’s this transition that sets the mood of “The Whiffenpoof Song,” where the songsters on a spree soon “will pass and be forgotten with the rest.”

Few members actually study music. Richardson is a statistics and data science major. Tillitski is earning a degree in English. Only three of the 14 members are enrolled in music programs.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me; I wanted to challenge myself,” Tillitski explains. “It was important for me to finish college getting everything out of it that I could.”

That means singing for audiences in Denver, Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia, as well as Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. Carmel Valley is a rare visit to a small market.

“We’re excited to come to Monterey,” Richardson says.

THE WHIFFENPOOFS 7pm Saturday, Jan. 13. St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 28005 Robinson Canyon Road, Carmel. $35; $25/students; free/children 5 and under. ticketbud.com.