Notre Dame Glee Club
Encyclopedia
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 club
s, it is the oldest Glee Club at a Catholic University in the United States
.
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.
). 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.
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
ensemble at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. Founded in 1915
1915 in music
-Events:* Tom Brown's band from New Orleans goes to Chicago, Illinois and start advertising themselves as a "Jass Band"*Herbert Howells is given six months to live, and becomes the first person in the UK to receive radium treatment .*The ukulele becomes popular as a result of its appearance in the...
in the tradition of English and American glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
s, it is the oldest Glee Club at a Catholic University in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
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 tieWhite tie
White tie is the most formal evening dress code in Western fashion. It is worn to ceremonial occasions such as state dinners in some countries, as well as to very formal balls and evening weddings...
). On other occasions the group performs in matching blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
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
Ronan Tynan
Ronan Tynan is a singer in the classical Irish style. He is most famous for his renditions of "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium during important New York Yankees games, such as Opening Day, nationally-televised games, the last game at the old Yankee Stadium, and playoff games...
, Leon Fleisher
Leon Fleisher
Leon Fleisher is an American pianist and conductor.-Early life and studies:Fleisher was born in San Francisco, where he started studying the piano at age four...
, Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, and Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
. The group also partners regularly with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra; pieces they have performed together in recent years include Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)
Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)
The Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler, known as the Resurrection, was written between 1888 and 1894, and first performed in 1895. Apart from the Eighth Symphony, this symphony was Mahler's most popular and successful work during his lifetime. It is his first major work that would eventually mark his...
, the 1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
, 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