The 11th Annual Harvard-Yale Cantata
September 24, 2026
Team Yale will summon some of its formidable musical theater resources to fight Team Harvard in The 11th Annual Harvard-Yale Cantata. This show is a competition of Harvard alumni vs. Yale alumni, as performers and writers. Both schools have renowned songwriter alumni (Harvard: Leonard Bernstein & Alan Jay Lerner, Yale: Cole Porter & Bobby Lopez), although a lot of the appeal comes from younger alums and even current students. Yale leads this series 7-2-1. Last year Harvard scored their second win, in a 32-31 point nail biter.
Derek Speedy returns as the Harvard team captain and Lauren Marut and Soleil Singh join up as Yale team co-captains. Blake Hullinger will be the Harvard music director and James Brandfonbrener serves as the Yale music director. More participants will be announced as the date approaches. Join producer and host Tom Toce for a cutthroat evening of terrific songs and wonderful performers. The critics have raved about past shows. As we always say, you don’t have to have gone to West Point to enjoy the Army-Navy game, and you don’t have to be affiliated with either school to love The Harvard-Yale Cantata.
The Harvard songwriters will include Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde, Mean Girls), Leonard Bernstein (On the Town, Wonderful Town, Candide, West Side Story), Alan Jay Lerner (Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Camelot), and Bonnie Raitt (fifteen-time Grammy Award winner).
The Harvard performers include:
Gabrielle Greene
Laura Sky Herman (Hello, Dolly! and Back to the Future national tours)
Samuel Hines
Blake Hullinger
Isa Peña
Emma Rogers
Derek Speedy (The Lifespan of a Fact at Gloucester Stage Company and Asolo Rep)
and more stars to be announced!
The Yale team is still assembling its repertoire, as the Harvard team has first choice due to its loss last year. Expect Yale to look to some of its powerhouse songwriters (like Cole Porter, Maury Yeston, Adam Guettel, or Robert Lopez) to compete against Harvard’s choices. Both teams will round out the evening with songs by younger and/or unheralded songwriters.
The Yale performers include:
Alaina Anderson (Dear Evan Hansen national tour, Mystic Pizza at Paper Mill Playhouse)
James Brandfonbrener
Ryan Bronston (The Simon & Garfunkel Story national tour)
Lauren Marut
Malia Munley
Lula Pilar
Emma Rutan
Soleil Singh
Isabella Walther-Meade
and more stars to be announced!
Please note that all artists and acts are subject to change at any time.
Featuring
Pricing
- $19.50 (includes $4.50 in fees) – $47 (includes $7 in fees)
- VIP Seating: $52.50 (includes $7.50 in fees)
- Premiums: $58 (includes $8 in fees)
- Additional $6 If Purchased At Venue
- Order Fees: 10% of ticket price, plus $3 facility fee
- $25 Food & Beverage Minimum