Penn State Glee Club
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The Penn State Glee Club is one of the most active and distinguished men's collegiate choruses in the United States. The Glee Club was founded in December of 1888, and since its first spring tour in March of 1889, the Glee Club has toured throughout the United States and abroad, with recent tours to Wales, Trinidad and Tobago, France, and California. In recent years, the Glee Club has sung at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, and Notre-Dame de Paris. They have sung for conventions of the Pennsylvania Music Educator's Association and the Intercollegiate Men's Choruses.
The Glee Club is Penn State's oldest musical organization and is composed of 60-80 singers from all majors in the University. The Annual Homecoming Concert is a traditional capstone of Homecoming Weekend as returning alumni join us on stage to sing the football songs. The Glee Club also holds an annual Blue and White Concert during the University's Blue and White Weekend in April and usually participates in the School of Music's Winterfest celebration of choral music. In addition to formal concerts, the Glee Club and its small ensembles have sung at various events for the University and the surrounding community of State College.
Each year, the Glee Club participates in a Spring Tour during the University's spring break. The Glee Club has toured such domestic sites as Florida, Colorado, and California, and has traveled abroad to experience the musical traditions of Scotland and France. These tours bring Penn State pride and the Glee Club's tradition to new audiences. The Glee Club also makes smaller trips to sing at churches, schools, and other venues who wish to experience its rich sound.
The Glee Club sings music for men's voices from the 16th to the 20th centuries, including sacred and secular works, folksongs from around the world, African American spirituals, traditional college songs, and songs of Penn State. Also performing during Glee Club concerts are two small ensembles: the Hi-Lo's, a specialty group founded in 1933 to perform madrigals, glees and popular songs; and the Varsity Quartet, dating from the 1920's, performing barbershop standards.
The Glee Club has made many recordings and television appearances and in 1994 released their first compact disc recording, P.S. - Happy Holidays, a selection of holiday favorites. The Blue and White Album features traditional college songs and songs of Penn State. The most recent recording of The Glee Club is The Green Album, a collection of songs from the British Isles and the United States. Its newest recording, Glee Club Gold is a collection of the Club's greatest performances from 1949 to the present. The Glee Club also takes part in various choral and musical performances in the Centre Region of Pennsylvania, including the premiere of The Last Voyage of Captain Meriwether Lewis in November of 1999.
