On Friday night, Susie’s was packed with students coming to watch the sensational Harvard a cappella group, Din & Tonics. The Dins’ performance repertoire ranged from their famous rendition of the song “Sh-boom” to physically interpretive works filled with humor. From playing through bits such as a bowtie competition to exposing one of their singers as a past Exeter student, the group won over the large crowd. After the performance, passionate students formed a long line to get signatures and photographs with the group, a testament to their successful performance.
Before the performance, a special Q&A was hosted in Paresky Commons to give some students, most being a cappella singers themselves, an opportunity to converse with the singers personally and gain a deeper insight into the group. Kieran Chung, a sophomore at Harvard and the producer of the Dins, emphasized the group’s easygoing approach to performance.
“Something we try to keep in general is just a sense of excitement and silliness. We have a saying: we take our music seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously. We really try to be spontaneous on stage, have fun, and interact with each other. We perform at schools sometimes, [and] I love it. It’s my favorite thing because I feel like younger people are always more excited to see us, and they always bring really great energy. We’re so excited to be here, truly,” said Chung.
Prior to the performance, many students on campus were familiar with the Dins due to their viral presence on social media. The organization of the event arose from the enthusiasm of Andover students, particularly through efforts from Jane Hlavaty ’28 and Samantha Gong ’28.
“Me and another person in my history class, Samantha Gong ’28, were really, really passionate about the Din & Tonics. I talked to Mr. Capano, who is our history teacher and also the head of student activities, and we requested that he invite them. I sent him an email with all the information about the Dins and their contact email. Basically, Mr. Capano reached out, they responded, and they came,” said Hlavaty.
Even though the Dins are just one of many a cappella clubs at Harvard, they distinguish themselves through their jazzy repertoire and their humorous performances. Christopher Schwarting, a baritone and freshman at Harvard, reflected on the group’s core identity.
“We’re a jazz [group] and we’re really interested into jazz standards, so not necessarily the things you get on big hit radio. That particularly gives us a unique flair where we’re sort of dipping our toes in the old repertoire and things that are brand new. The Dins really like to present themselves alongside this repertoire. It’s this fun, theatrical environment. Not only is the group really into bits, but I believe out of the thirteen of us, nine or ten are in theater actively at Harvard. [It’s] very important for us as performers to not just deliver on beautiful and exciting music, but to create a show and a performance that’s very live and dynamic and engaging,” said Schwarting.
During the Q&A session, the Dins sang side-by-side with Andover’s own a cappella singers, teaching them the signature song, “Sh-Boom.” Frank Hu ’26 expressed his gratitude for the opportunity and his inspiration from their unexpected comedy.
“It was excellent. They sang beautifully, and I laughed, which I didn’t expect. It was comedic… Getting to sing with them was also incredible. It taught me to incorporate some more theatrics into my singing. Right now, my singing mostly focuses on the actual singing itself, but maybe I should add some dancing or performance elements,” said Hu.
Besides offering a vivid performance, the Dins shared personal memories and reflections with students looking into pursuing music into college. Schwarting emphasized the importance of persistent work and embracing challenges.
“I’d say, first, just go for it, because I know there could be a lot of hesitation. I didn’t mean to start [singing] in high school, I didn’t mean to sing at Harvard, and I just landed myself. The second would be to keep at it, if there’s a passage that’s not working for you, if there’s a riff you want to get, but you can’t get it. If you keep on working at it, if you keep on giving it your all, I find that very often our biggest obstacle is the mind, not necessarily our skill,” said Schwarting.
