On Nov. 3, The Wellesley Widows hosted their Fall Teaser Concert with a special performance from S-Factor, Tufts’ all-male vocal group which centers music from the African diaspora. Students in support of both acapella groups gathered in the cozy Lulu Fireplace Room, awaiting a night of vocal entertainment. The dimly-lit string lights, black half-curtain and paper spiderwebs topped with electric candles brought the aesthetic of the Widows’ theme, “Good Pitch, Bad Witch” to life (not to mention their all-black attire and matching witch hats.)
As the group walked to the front of the audience to open the concert, their dedicated fans and friends cheered ecstatically, knowing that The Wellesley Widows have consistently crafted wonderful shows throughout their well-established history as the first acapella group on Wellesley’s campus founded in 1949. Throughout the night, The Wellesley Widows certainly fulfilled this expectation.
They began the concert with their original song “We Are the College Widows,” written by members of The Wellesley Widows in 1954 and later arranged by alum K. Henrickson ’94. It was a charming and nostalgic introduction, reminiscent of an old-timey, tightly-harmonized commercial jingle. Current and former Widows recently celebrated their 75th anniversary as an organization this past spring, and it was quite heartwarming to start the first show of the semester with a song rooted in such rich history.
The Wellesley Widows don’t shy away from using various kinds of music within their shows –– the chosen songs ranged in both pace and genre, and they even selected songs from (what I feel are) currently-underappreciated artists. The concert definitely gave me more music to add to my personal playlist!
The guest performance from Tufts’ S-Factor group added to the audience’s experience by expanding the range of music even further. Their skillful transition from “I Like It” by Debarge to “Just The Two of Us” by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. was a masterful connection of songs that music listeners might not typically hear together, and it provided a smooth flow from R&B into Soul –– a choice commemorative of the profound impact Black people have had don music and the historical creation of individual genres.
A highlight of the entire concert was The Wellesley Widows’ rendition of “Skate” by Silk Sonic, featuring solos from Julia Pekowitz ’27 & Sophia Espaldon ’27. It was arranged by Marie Luu-Pierce ’26 with vocal percussion from Jessica Dai ’27. “Skate” was the final song of the night, an excellent choice on behalf of The Wellesley Widows, for it was truly a crowd pleaser. The vocal performances, vocal percussion, and group energy to match were exciting to experience, and brought the concert to a joyful close.
After the show I spoke with Lauryn Collins ’25, the Widows’ co-Assistant music director about the process of crafting the show and what we can expect at their fall concert..
“The Widows worked incredibly hard to give you all a Good Pitch, Bad Witch Teaser Performance,” Collins said.
“Preparing for the show included hours of planning, rehearsing and coordinating. For our final concert, Dec. 7, we plan on performing new songs featuring amazing soloists and showcasing the talents in our group. We’re super excited and can’t wait to see everyone there!”
If you are interested in attending The Wellesley Widows’ final concert of the semester, follow their Instagram page @wellesleywidows for more details coming soon!
Contact the editors responsible for this story: Ivy Buck, Anabelle Meyers
