Name: Henry Ratliff
Year at Kenyon: First Year
Hometown: New York City
Possible Major(s): Drama, English
Campus Activities: Kokosingers
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Cookie Dough
When did you start to get involved with the arts and music?
I’ve loved singing for as long as I can remember. I had a small part in a community theater’s production of The Wind in the Willows when I was six, and I loved it! I’ve been singing and acting ever since. I was in a band with my friend Gavin Coon, who’s also freshman here, in middle school, and I was in a lot of the plays and musicals at my high school and middle school.
Have you been in any productions recently?
I got to play Roger in Rent at my high school in March, which was crazy. It’s definitely the most fun I’ve ever had acting. My character was dying from AIDS, which is obviously not fun, but the role was really intense and his songs are great.
Do you have a favorite part of being a member of the Kokosingers?
They’re all just great dudes. They’ve been really welcoming to us freshmen and it’s been great getting to know all of them. There’s definitely a kind of brotherhood that we have and it’s an awesome thing to be a part of. I’ve also loved getting to do a lot of different types of songs, since we all have different tastes in music. Everything translates weirdly well to a Capella.
A favorite memory with the Kokes?
Getting to sing at the Tim Kaine rally in October was pretty wild. That’s got to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. One of us was detained by the secret service for bringing a bag in, we had to warm up in a locker room, and we went on way earlier than we expected to, but that honestly just made the whole thing hilarious and more fun. I don’t even think Tim Kaine was actually there when we went on, but it was cool enough that we performed there at all.
“Zamn zaddy (as Henry himself usually says), Henry is just an awesome guy to chill with. Being in the Kokes with him has been so great and I’m really glad to have him as a friend. He’s just a great guy. One of the closest friends that I have here at Kenyon. He’s someone I can always turn to when I need somebody to talk to. The only person I think is more fantastic than him is Josh Aberman, you know?” -Josh Aberman, co-member of the Kokosingers and a classmate of Henry’s
What are you most excited about for the upcoming tour you guys have this January?
We’re performing for a lot of alumni, and I’m looking forward to meeting and singing with former Kokes. We’re also performing in Manhattan, so I’m excited to sing at home for my friends and family. Tour is apparently really fun and I’m excited to spend two weeks with these guys.
Where do you see yourself in seven years?
Probably wishing I could sleep in more.
And lastly if you were stranded on a deserted island what three animals, real or imaginary, would you hope to find and befriend there?
Three really big birds that can understand me, so I can get them to fly me off that island. They can take turns carrying me or something. I would not survive on a desert island.
Photo Credit: Gus Aronson, Annmarie Morrison