About Us

Founded in 1952, the Chattertocks of Brown University is one of the oldest treble college a cappella groups in the United States.

The group was founded by Nancy Tobin, Dorothy Senerchia, and Helen Johnson, Class of 1955 at Pembroke College (Brown University) as a parody of the Brown Jabberwocks, the men's a cappella group. On April 28, 1952, the women entered an inter-dorm song contest, calling themselves the "Chattertocks" and sporting borrowed grey flannel suits, white button-down shirts, rep ties, and pinned-back hair. They sang “Halls of Ivy” and “Mood Indigo,” both Jabberwock standards. Coached by Tobin's boyfriend, Jabberwock John Dorer, they won first place.

No longer performing in grey flannel suits, the group has continued to grow and evolve with the changing times. The Chattertocks started recording early on with a number of vinyl albums. The group has continued to record and release albums, including, most recently, "Bird House" (2016) and “Youth” (2018).

Today, the group continues to perform at Brown, as well as at other college campuses and various venues around the country.