Overview
Moving through the turn of the century, Musical Association toured the Mohawk Valley, Hudson Valley and western New England. The Glee Club was entered into many Intercollegiate Glee Club contests and was a several-time state and regional champion. At the 1931 IMC festival at Carnegie Hall, the Union Men's Glee Club under the direction of Elmer A. Tidmarsh, attained an overall ranking that placed it within the top five in the United States.
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York, from the cities of Albany and Troy southward to Yonkers in Westchester County. Depending upon the definition delineating its boundaries, the Hudson Valley encompasses a growing metropolis which is home to between 3 and 3.5 million residents centered along the north-south axis of the Hudson River.
New England is a geographical and cultural region composed of six states of the northeastern United States: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north, respectively. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east and southeast, and Long Island Sound is to the south. Boston is New England's largest city as well as the capital of Massachusetts. The largest metropolitan area is Greater Boston with nearly a third of the entire region's population, which also includes Worcester, Massachusetts, Manchester, New Hampshire, and Providence, Rhode Island.
Throughout the 1930s, the Glee Club regularly performed in NYC, including live radio broadcasts from several posh hotels including the Ritz-Carlton. It was heard regionally over WJZ (WABC (AM)) and WKBW and nationally over the NBC radio Blue Network. In 1948, the Glee Club was heard over WGY every Sunday morning.
WABC, is a radio station licensed to New York City and is owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. The station shares studio facilities with sister stations WPLJ, WNSH and WNBM above Pennsylvania Station in midtown Manhattan.
The Blue Network was the on-air name of the now defunct American radio network, which ran from 1927 to 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the independent Blue Network was born of a divestiture in 1942, arising from anti-trust litigation, and is the direct predecessor of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)—organized 1943–1945 as a separate independent radio network and later TV broadcaster.
WGY is a commercial AM broadcasting station owned by iHeartMedia and licensed to Schenectady, New York. Its format consists of news and conservative talk, and its programming is simulcast on WGY-FM 103.1 MHz, plus, except for sports play-by-play, iHeartRadio streaming. WGY has been in operation since February 1922 and is one of the oldest stations in the United States, as well as the oldest in the New York state Capital Region.
1948 brought the Glee Club its first First Place finish in the annual Utica, New York Eisteddfod and broadened its touring schedule in the 1950s to include joint concerts with many New England and Mid-Atlantic colleges. These traditional, joint concerts continued under the stewardship of Hugh A. Wilson who became the director of the Glee Club in 1963. Prof. Wilson assumed directorship of the Union College Women's Glee Club in 1977. Both clubs performed jointly, and for the last time in May 1984. The Union College Choir was directed by Prof. Wilson until his retirement in 1998.
Utica is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York, its population was 62,235 in the 2010 U.S. census. Located on the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, Utica is approximately 95 miles northwest of Albany, 55 mi (89 km) east of Syracuse and 240 miles northwest of New York City. Utica and the nearby city of Rome anchor the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which comprises all of Oneida and Herkimer counties.
In Welsh culture, an eisteddfod is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. The tradition of such a meeting of Welsh artists dates back to at least the 12th century, when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan in 1176, but the decline of the bardic tradition made it fall into abeyance. The current format owes much to an 18th-century revival arising out of a number of informal eisteddfodau. The closest English equivalent to eisteddfod is "session"; the word is formed from two Welsh morphemes: eistedd, meaning "sit", and bod, meaning "be". In some countries, the term eisteddfod is used for certain types of performing arts competitions that have nothing to do with Welsh culture.
The Hangovers are a men's collegiate a cappella ensemble based at Cornell University. Founded in 1968, they are the oldest active a cappella group on campus and are the official a cappella subset of the Cornell University Glee Club, itself the oldest student organization of any kind at Cornell University. The Hangovers' repertoire consists mainly of popular songs arranged for the ensemble by its members and alumni, but the group also performs traditional Cornell songs, as well as selections from the Glee Club repertoire on occasion.
Founded in 1862, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club is one of the oldest continually running glee clubs in the United States and the oldest performing arts group at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club draws its singing members from the undergraduate and graduate men of the University of Pennsylvania; men and women from the Penn community are also called upon to fill roles in the pit band and technical staff when the Club is involved with theatrical productions. The Club, known for its eclectic mix of Penn standards, Broadway classics, classical favorites, and pop hits, has traveled to over 40 countries and territories on 5 continents. After directing the Glee Club for 44 years, Bruce Montgomery stepped down as director in 2000 and was replaced by former Glee Club member C. Erik Nordgren. After 15 years of dedicated service to the group, Nordgren stepped down and was succeeded by Joshua Glassman. After three years at the podium Joshua Glassman stepped down, passing the baton to Club alumnus Daniel Carsello.
The Cornell University Glee Club (CUGC) is the oldest student organization at Cornell University, having been organized shortly after the first students arrived on campus in 1868. The CUGC is a fifty-five member chorus for male voices, with repertoire including classical, folk, 20th-century music, and traditional Cornell songs. The Glee Club also performs major works with the Cornell University Chorus such as Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Handel's Messiah, and Bach's Mass in B Minor.
The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the US. The Glee Club is part of the Harvard Choruses of Harvard University, which also include the treble voice Radcliffe Choral Society and the mixed-voice Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum. All three groups are led by Harvard's current Director of Choral Activities Andrew Clark. Thomas Sheehan is the accompanist of the Harvard Glee Club.
The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1858, and the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club, founded in 1859. The Glee Club performs several concerts each year in New Haven and goes on tour each January. According to music critic Zachary Woolfe of the New York Times, it is "one of the best collegiate singing ensembles, and one of the most adventurous." Its members are "world famous for their harmonic precision" per New York Times music critic Robert Sherman.
The University of Michigan Men's Glee Club is an all-male glee club at the University of Michigan. With roots tracing back to 1859, it is the second oldest glee club in the United States and is the oldest student organization at the university. The club has won the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on four separate occasions. Since 2018, the Club's musical director has been Mark Stover who has continued to expand the Club's repertoire and arranged performances.
Founded in 1872, the Rutgers University Glee Club (RUGC) is the eighth oldest Glee Club in the United States of America, a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is conducted by Dr. Patrick Gardner.
The Radcliffe Choral Society is a 60-voice treble choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1899, it is one of the country's oldest soprano-alto choruses and one of its most prominent collegiate choirs. With the tenor-bass Harvard Glee Club and the mixed-voice Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, it is one of the Harvard Choruses. All three groups are led by Harvard Director of Choral Activities Andrew Clark. The RCS Resident Conductor is Meg Weckworth.
RCS tours domestically every year and travels internationally every four years.
"Don't Rain on My Parade" is a popular song from the 1964 musical Funny Girl. It was also featured in the 1968 movie version of the musical. The song was written by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne. Both the movie and stage versions feature Barbra Streisand performing the song. In 2004 it finished No. 46 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
The Virginia Glee Club is a men's chorus based at the University of Virginia. It performs both traditional and contemporary vocal works, typically in TTBB arrangements. Founded in 1871, the Glee Club is the University's oldest musical organization and one of the oldest all-male collegiate vocal ensembles in the United States. It is currently conducted by Frank Albinder.
The Fairfield University Glee Club is a mixed chorus of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate singers at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. The Glee Club has performed in churches, schools and recital and concert halls throughout Europe, singing from Galway to Rome and Florence to London. The choir has performed at Carnegie Hall, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Westminster Cathedral in London, the Aula Paolo VI at the Vatican and the U.S. military academies at West Point and Annapolis.
The Princeton University Glee Club is the oldest and most prestigious choir at Princeton University, composed of approximately 90 mixed voices. They give multiple performances throughout the year featuring music from Baroque to Modern, and also tour internationally every other year. Every spring, they perform a major oratorio with professional soloists and orchestra, including most recently Mendelssohn's Elijah and Handel's Hercules. Currently the Glee Club is led by Gabriel Crouch.
The Georgia Tech Glee Club is an all-male a cappella singing group founded in 1906 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is a student-run glee club currently directed by Dr. Jerry Ulrich. The Glee Club sings all original arrangements and compositions arranged by Dr. Ulrich and by members of the group.
The Notre Dame Glee Club is a 75-voice, all-male choral ensemble at the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1915 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest Glee Club at a Catholic University in the United States.
The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club is an all-male choral ensemble at The Ohio State University. Officially founded in 1875, the Men's Glee Club is one of the oldest student organizations on Ohio State's campus and is the 12th oldest collegiate glee club in the United States. The group has garnered many accolades, most notably winning Choir of the World 1990 from the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. They were the first all-male choir and the first choir from the United States to do so since modern competition began in 1987.
The Wheaton College Men's Glee Club is an all-male glee club, at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois currently conducted by Dr. Mary Hopper.
The Amherst College Glee Club, founded in 1865, is a 40-voice all-male vocal ensemble, and one of the oldest continuous student organization at Amherst College. It is part of the Amherst College Choral Society, along with the Women's Chorus, the Concert Choir, and the Madrigal Singers. The club has a history of extensive international touring, having to date performed in over 55 countries. It is currently directed by Amherst College Senior Lecturer in Music Mallorie Chernin.
John Barry Talley was a musical director at the U.S. Naval Academy.
The Pennsylvania State University Glee Club is an all-male choral ensemble at Pennsylvania State University. Founded in 1888, the Penn State Glee club is the oldest organization at Penn State consisting of 60-80 undergraduate and graduate men from all colleges of the University. The Glee Club performs several concerts each year and goes on a tour during spring break. The Glee Club performs a variety of music from Broadway to Classical music, and has its place in Penn State tradition by singing University fight songs and performing at numerous events. Dr. Christopher Kiver is the current director of the Penn State Glee Club.
The Princeton University Orchestra (PUO) is the flagship symphony orchestra of Princeton University. The ensemble tours internationally and includes over 100 musicians, almost all of whom are undergraduates at the university. Every academic year, the Princeton University Orchestra holds eight or nine concerts in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall.
