Move Over, Kroks and Dins: Here Come the 'Veritones'

So you're in your fourth week at Harvard and have already been turned down by the Opportune, the Kroks, the Din and Tonics, and the Pitches.

But, before you give up on singing there may be one more chance--the newly formed Veritones.

From madrigals to Mozart to Motown to modern, the freshman coed singing group--which has already had 60 people try out for the 16 sports--is going head-to-head with the four other Harvard a cappella singing groups.

In fact, the idea behind the Veritones was promted by the overwhelming interest in performing in one of the very popular groups. When more than 200 aspirants showed up to audition for the five spots in Harvard's coed singing group, the Opportunes, Lee L. Eichen '89 decided it was time to start his own group.

With Inger C. Dewey '89, he held auditions, and though the aspiring Veritone turn-out was less impressive than the Opportune showing, it was more than enough to set the project in motion.

The group is still in the process of organizing and before they decide on future plans, they will need to raise funds, Dewey said. The group is currently applying for University funding.

Dewey added that plans are also tentative as to whether the Veritones will be Class of '89 group, a freshman group, or will vanish after this year.

Members of other singing groups said they felt no "threat" from the birth of the new group, but instead said that they wished more singing groups would spring up. "I think it's a great idea. Harvard has only four such singing groups. Look at a school like Yale. It has 12 groups," said Janet Y. Yearwood '87, business manager of the Radcliffe Pitches.

"We're sort of a nice complement [to the other singing groups]," said Veritone Mira K. Sorvino '89. "I don't really see the Veritones as a stepping-stone up."