Dins Will Sing for Passage on QE II

After final exams are over, the Harvard Din and Tonics will be packing their bags for a jaunt to London, after which they will board a cruise ship back to New York. The only string? They'll have to sing for their supper.

The Dins will entertain passengers aboard the Queen Elizabeth II (QE II) with three evening a capella performances in exchange for passage, according to Aerlyn G. Dawn '98, president of the Dins.

"I think one of the previous sets of Dins contacted the QE II a while ago, and we had kind of forgotten about it, so it was a pleasant surprise [to be contacted]," said Tour Manager Oliver C. Haugen '98.

"This trip falls right after graduation and it's a wonderful way to cap off the year and start into our summer," Freedman said.

The Dins will leave for South-hampton on June 3 and will return on June 13. The Dins do not plan to perform in London.

"We want some time to spend in the city so we're not planning for any corporate concerts," Haugen said.

"Last year [London] was our first city on our world tour," said Paul H. Freedman '99, the Dins business manager. "We'll probably take the newer members to our favorite sites."

Freedman said he has heard mixed reactions about the QE II, but is hoping for a pleasant voyage.

"I've heard mixed things about the ship," he said. "The people who loved it said that they gained a lot of weight because the food was too good, but one person said she had a miserable time because during the entire Atlantic crossing they had 30-foot seas, so we're hoping for good weather on our voyage."

For many members, however, the chance for a cruise is the most exciting part of the trip.

"I'm very excited," Haugen said. "Trans-atlantic cruises are not that common anymore."

The 16-member Din and Tonics was founded in 1979. The group takes a 10-week world tour every two years, and normally spend their off-year summers pursuing other interests, according to Freedman.

"Normally we have the off-summers completely to ourselves, but since we have this opportunity we decided to spend it with each other," Freedman said. "It's something we've never done before; it's very exciting."

This year, the Dins also traveled to Utah during intersession and took their annual tour of Bermuda during spring break.

"It should be a blast," Dawn said. "It's nice to have a last trip together before we go off in our own lives."

The Din and Tonics will hold a concert this Friday in Sanders Theater at 8 p.m.