News

Reunion 2015 - Episode 2: The Oldertones Strike Back

Yes, we’re at it again. We had such a good time at the Obertones alumni reunion in 2013 that we just couldn’t stay away for another year. Plus, Jake Elsas never did break out that sumo suit. The events will begin on the afternoon of Friday, May 22nd and continue through Sunday the 24th.

Things to look forward to? Much like in 2013, we will feature good food, much nostalgia for the days of yore, and of course some great singing on the Saturday night Finney Chapel a cappella concert.

There are some new ideas cooking up as well, though. How would you like to learn a few more tunes to sing at a gig for a Commencement event or other community venue? Imagine our own “rebel” Commencement picnic on Saturday afternoon, just before our big sound check. (Hey, you won’t have to worry about getting a table at The Feve!) These are just a couple of the new ideas we’ve been cooking up for the 2015 reunion.

As is typical for the Obertones, details will be forthcoming, but for now, check out the videos, pictures, and other media on this website to whet your a cappella appetite, and mark your calendars for what is sure to be a raging success of a reunion.

Obertones Advisory Board Formation

Following the reunion in 2013, the Obertones alumni community looked very different than it had a year before. Like many Oberlin alumni groups, it was fragmented and without any sense of identity or purpose. But the reunion sparked an interest in several capable (and strikingly handsome) alumni who wanted to continue advising the Obertones and building relationships between Oldertones, as they came to be called.

Thus, the Obertones Alumni Advisory Board was formed! Chaired by the ever-plucky Chad Putka ’12, this group exists for two main purposes:

(1) To aid The Oberlin Obertones in the development and accomplishment of goals through mentorship, access to resources, and institutional support;

(2) To connect and support the development of individual and collective Obertones alumni through the facilitation of communication, social events, and other means.

The OAAB has already had great success, but is always looking for prospective volunteers to help with projects. Want to organize a mini-reunion in your area? Have some history to share or media to preserve and disseminate? Looking to get rid of a massive sum of money? The OAAB can help with all this and more. Please contact us (obertonesalumni@gmail.com) if you want to get involved.

Current Obertones on Tour: You Can Help!

The Obertones have been taking an annual Spring Break tour for many years, and this year is no different. What makes this year different, you ask? Well, for one thing, they decided as early as May where they would be going for the following year! (Wow, makes us old guys look like slackers, doesn’t it?)

From Friday, March 20th-Sunday, March 29th, The Obertones plan to be gracing midwestern cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee with their presence.

Do you live or have connections in that general part of the country? Good! The Obertones always need places to stay where they can count on warm floors to sleep on and some cold cereal in the morning. Even better would be to help them organize a performance at a school, church, or community venue. The very best would be some combination of the two, with a Jacuzzi and a sizable check. One year in 2012, we stayed at a house with a toilet bidet. But I digress…

This is an opportunity to connect with the current generation of Tones, to share the music of Oberlin with your community, and to give back to the organization that gave us so much. If you have ideas or would like to contact us (link here), what are you waiting for? The Tones need your help!

Obertones Alumni Newsletter - May 2014

Need to catch up on the latest Tones Alumni news and gossip? Click here the read the latest Obertones Alumni Newsletter: Obertones Alumni Newsletter

Obertones Alumni Newsletter - March 2014

Miss the Sping Break Tour '13 news? Check it out: Obertones Alumni Newsletter