Seventeen years ago, three Cornell students started singing together in the basement of Cascadilla Hall. Today, their legacy is Last Call, an award-winning, all-male a cappella group with more than 75 former and current members.

During the weekend of April 16, Last Call celebrated its 15th annual spring concert with a reunion that included 44 alumni, about two-thirds of their alumni base, their families and 16 current members.

"It's a dream come true" to see how far the group has come, said Fahim Hashim '94, one of Last Call's founding members. The group not only brings music to Cornell, Ithaca and other parts of the world but also works to help the community, he said.

It was great to have everyone finally meet each other, said Brian Herdeg '10, an applied and engineering physics major, who helped coordinate the reunion. "We really have the same personality all the way since 1994 in the group," he said.

Some alumni traveled from as far as California to attend the reunion, he said.

"To be part of something that is a lasting legacy is pretty cool," said Bryan Pitts '96, another founding member. "I look around and I see people from all nationalities, all places in the world, all walks of life and, you know, the thing that bonds them together is song," he said.

"How many times can you start something in college and come back 18 years later and still have it here?" added Gabriel Wong '95, another founding member.

"We really brought a mixture of song and comedy, and I think that's one of the traditions that's really stayed and lived with the group," Pitts added. "This college is hard enough," he said, and "we gave an opportunity to just laugh."

On April 17, Last Call put on its spring concert, "Straight Up XV." Nearly every seat in Statler Auditorium was filled, and several songs garnered standing ovations.

The group performed such songs as "Chain of Fools," "Bad Romance" and "Eye of the Tiger." The three graduating seniors in the group performed "In My Life," originally by the Beatles, as a tribute to the younger members. The group also performed an original song written, arranged and soloed by Aaron Sprecher '11, and the show included a performance by all 44 Last Call alumni at the reunion.

For the finale, the 60 former and current members sang two songs together on stage and exchanged hugs as the crowd applauded and shouted congratulations.

"After all the years, looking back, we just can't help but smile," Wong said.

Last Call also released their sixth CD, "Flair," at the concert; the CD can be purchased on the group's website, http://www.menoflastcall.com.

Hanna Roos '10 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.