- Notre Dame Glee Club
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Notre Dame Glee Club
The University of 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.
Contents
History
Founding and development
Recognized as one of the finest all-male collegiate choral groups in the country, the University of Notre Dame Glee Club has a rich history of singing and brothership spanning the last ninety-four years. More than 2,000 young men have sung with the Club over the years, combining the rich traditions of Notre Dame with the highest standards of artistic excellence.
Since 1915, the members of the Glee Club have enjoyed an exciting fraternal organization combined with an intensive study of vocal technique and musical styles. The group has toured from coast to coast and around the world, performing over one hundred concerts per year. As musical ambassadors of Notre Dame, the Glee Club has always been welcomed with warmth and enthusiasm.
The Glee Club today
The Glee Club sings hundreds of concerts every year, ranging from small impromptu engagements (one song – one or two people in the audience) to large formal performances (two hours of music with 4,000+ in the audience). For formal performances, the group members wear formal evening dress (White tie). On other occasions the group performs in matching blazer and necktie, matching polo shirts, or in street clothes.
Each year, the group performs four major campus concerts: one in the Fall, one at Christmas (two consecutive performances of the same program, the proceeds of which go to the South Bend Center for the Homeless), one in the Spring, and one for Commencement. All major concerts have been performed in the 950-seat Leighton Concert Hall in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC). Prior to the construction of the DPAC, the concerts took place in Washington Hall, which can seat 550 people.
The group or portions of it performs a large number of other concerts over the course of the year. These include ND in Revue (Saturday mornings before each ND home football game), joint concerts with other campus and outside ensembles, numerous events in and around the South Bend area, and many University functions. The group has frequently partnered with visiting artists; in recent years, these have included Ronan Tynan, Leon Fleisher, Dave Brubeck, and Vince Gill. The group also partners regularly with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra; pieces they have performed together in recent years include Symphony No. 2 (Mahler), the 1812 Overture, and Alexander Nevsky. Every year the group sings at Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. In the first or second week in December the Club goes Christmas Caroling to all the women's dorms of Saint Mary's College and Notre Dame.
The Glee Club goes on two, week-long domestic tours every year, over the University's Fall and Spring Break weeks. They usually travel by bus, performing a full concert each night. The group also travels overseas for an international tour every two years. In the summer of 2007, the Club traveled to Europe for a four-week tour, stopping in 13 cities in 7 countries. In the summer of 2009, the Glee Club traveled to Latin America with the Notre Dame Symphony for a two-week tour.
The Glee Club rehearses in the Penote Room of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
Current Glee Club Administration: (2011–2012)
- President – Mikey Clark
- Vice President – Tim Schumer/Doug Pernik
- Secretary – John Kemnetz
- Treasurer – Nick Seach
- Business Manager – Sean Leyes
- Alumni Representative – Mitch Speer
Notre Dame Glee Club Conductors
- John Becker: 1917–1923
- J. Lewis Browne: 1923–1926
- Joseph Casasanta: 1926–1938
- Daniel "Dean" Pedtke: 1938–1973
- David Clark "Coach" Isele: 1973–1979
- Richard Belland: 1979–1981
- Carl Stam: 1981–1991
- Mark Ring: 1991–1993
- Daniel Stowe: 1993–present
See also
References
External links
Categories:- Glee clubs
- Musical groups established in 1915
- University choirs
- University of Notre Dame
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