W&M Men's Singing Group to Perform on National TV

By Erin Zagursky, of the W&M Press Room Saturday, October 08, 2011

The 2011-12 edition of The Gentlemen of the College, a W&M men's a capella group. (Photo courtesy W&M)

William & Mary a capella group The Gentlemen of the College will perform in New York City over Columbus Day weekend, with one performance expected to air on live TV.

The all-male group will perform at several of the Columbus Citizens Foundation’s events during the weekend, including a gala dinner on Saturday in the Waldorf-Astoria and a concert at the Lincoln Center on Sunday. The William & Mary singing group will also perform on the foundation’s stage during Monday’s Columbus Day parade. That performance, slotted for some time between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m., is expected to be televised by ABC as part of their coverage of the parade.

The Gentlemen were invited to the city by Joseph J. Plumeri, a member of William & Mary’s Class of 1966 and last year’s commencement speaker at the College. Plumeri will serve as the grand marshal of this year’s Columbus Day parade.

"We are thrilled to be given this opportunity to perform and represent the College of William and Mary both in New York City and on national television,” said Dylan Echter ‘12, business manager for The Gentlemen of the College. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this possible, including Joe Plumeri and his staff, the Columbus Citizens Foundation, and the College of William and Mary. We hope to make the W&M community proud."

Established in 1990, the Gentlemen of the College began with a focus on barbershop music. However, the group’s repertoire has evolved throughout the years, and it now performs modern pop, indie and rock music. The Gentlemen – known for wearing khakis, blue blazers and wild ties - have performed at numerous locations throughout the years, including the White House and United States Capitol. The group even has previous experience on TV, performing on shows like “The Price is Right.”

Echter said that performing on national television is “extremely exciting but a little nerve-wracking.”

“We're looking forward to it, though,” he said. “It is an amazing opportunity to have just one of these performances - we're immensely fortunate to be doing all three."