a brief history of
redhot
over the years
The Founding, 1977
Shelley Lotter and Leslie Lipton, two of the best singers among the new female groups on campus, wanted to explore the vast possibilities of a mixed-voice sound, and founded the first coed a cappella group on campus with several friends from the Whiffenpoofs.
Opening Night, 1979
Redhot produces its first studio album!
Washington D.C., 1980
The group takes its very first tour to the nation’s capital.
1986, 1986
Redhot’s fourth studio release, this album is legendary within the group, past and present.
13th Annual Jamboree, 1990
Redhot hosts its annual spring concert with the Whiffenpoofs.
Eastern Europe, 1990
Redhot embarks on its first international tour through Eastern Europe, including a concert in Prague for Shirley Temple Black, the singer/actress and U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia, on the night of their first free election.
Carnegie Hall, 1991
Redhot joins stars such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Artie Shaw, Hildegarde and Lorna Luft to celebrate the centennial of Cole Porter’s birth in concert at Carnegie Hall.
15th Anniversary Reunion, 1992
Alumni come together to celebrate the group’s fifteenth anniversary in style!
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARA), 1992
Redhot takes home four prizes: Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement, Best Mixed Collegiate Soloist, Best Mixed Collegiate Song, and Best Mixed Collegiate Album for its sixth release, Shut Up and Sing. In 1995, CARA awards Lisa Bielawa runner up Best Female Vocalist. The Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) hails Redhot as “one of the nation’s most consistently excellent mixed collegiate a cappella groups.”
Sweet as Sin, 1996
Redhot releases its seventh studio album, which garners recognition from several important compilations in the a cappella world, including…
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Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) – features “Calling You” on its annual CD.
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A Cappella Party: The Best of the Ivy League Singing Groups – features “When You Are Old” and “Summertime” on this 17-track release.
Young Composer's Competition, 1997
“When You Are Old,” composed for the group by John Kelley ’86 based on a poem by William Butler Yeats, wins the Young Composer’s Competition. The song is incredibly special to the group – it has been featured on all ten of Redhot’s studio albums since its composition and we sing it at the end of almost every concert.
The White House, 1997
Redhot performs at the White House for an official holiday party, attended by military families, staff families, and of course, President Bill Clinton!
Redhot Marriage, 2004
Shannon Polly (’97) and Gary Reeder (’97), who met as freshmen taps in Redhot & Blue, get married in New Haven!
Songs for Soup, 2004
Redhot sings with other Yale music groups at a benefit concert for St. Thomas Moore Soup Kitchen.
United Nations Executive Board, 2011
Redhot performs at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. Ambassador Killion states that, “Redhot & Blue is the best a cappella group in America.”
Invitations, 2011
Redhot is invited to sing again at the White House, for both President Barack Obama and Governor Romney. Several months later, Redhot receives an invitation to perform on the network television show, The Sing-Off.
Concert for
Morgan Freeman, 2012
Redhot is incredibly fortunate to sing a private concert for Morgan Freeman!
Concert for
Harry Belafonte, 2012
Redhot is humbled to be able to perform for the American singer and social activist, Harry Belafonte.
A Little Bit of Trouble and
In the City, 2013
Be sure to order your copy of Redhot’s TWO albums from this year, one in the studio and one live in concert!
