The Carleton Knightingales

We’re the Knightingales.

From left to right: Back: Ali Hickman ’20, Maddie Damberg-Ott ’23, Anna Stubbs ’20, Becca Helmstetter ’23, Bryn Battani ’23. Front: Calla Slayton ’20, Jayla Williams ’21, Libby Nachreiner ’22, Lydia Boyum ’22, Colette Pollard ’22

The Knightingales (commonly referred to as the Gales) is a women’s a cappella group at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. We like chocolate chip cookies, laughing, eating free food, and, of course, singing.

From left to right: Back row: Anna Stubbs ’20, Libby Nachreiner ’22. Middle row: Lydia Boyum ’22, Colette Pollard ’22, Elsa Sandeno ’19, Calla Slayton ’20, Kaitlyn Hamers ’19. Front row: Ali Hickman ’20, Jayla Williams ’21, Sarah Ward ’19.

Founded in 1980, the Gales are the oldest all-female a cappella group on campus. In any given year, we have about ten to twelve members, and we hold auditions in the beginning of the fall trimester.

Each year, the Gales hold three major concerts, one at the end of each term. In addition, the Knightingales participate in Carleton’s many less-conventional concert traditions, such as Set Up Your Roommate (during fall trimester), Reading Days performances, the Family Weekend concert, faculty events, and other special occasions. The Knightingales have also been known to perform off-campus, including stints in the Northfield community and trips to Macalester’s annual A Cappella Fest. We rehearse three times a week at Dacie Moses House for either an hour and a half or two hours.

Our home–the Dacie Moses House (“The Cookie House”)

From left to right: Back row: Ali Hickman ’20, Maddie Damberg-Ott ’23, Lydia Boyum ’22. Middle row: Libby Nachreiner ’22, Becca Helmstetter ’23. Front row: Jayla Williams ’21, Calla Slayton ’20, Anna Stubbs ’20, Bryn Battani ’23.

Some days, we are classy in our little dresses, but other days, we can be just plain silly with kale in our hair:

From left to right: Back row: Sarah Ward ’19, Ali Hickman ’20, Elsa Sandeno ’19, Anna Stubbs ’20, Lydia Boyum ’22, Libby Nachreiner ’22. Front row: Jayla Williams ’21, Calla Slayton ’20, Colette Pollard ’22, Kaitlyn Hamers ’19.

From left to right: Kaitlyn Hamers ’19, Thandie Mangena ’22, Colette Pollard ’22, Sarah Ward ’19, Jayla Williams ’21, Libby Nachreiner ’22, Elsa Sandeno ’19.