UC Men's Chorale

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UC Men's Chorale performing at Crossroad Dining Commons on the UC Berkeley campus.

The University of California Men's Chorale (UCMC) is an all male student-run choral group at the University of California, Berkeley and the oldest collegiate a cappella group on the West Coast ^[1]. It is the second largest student-run chorale group on campus, second only to the lovely ladies of the UC Women's Chorale. They sing a capella and with accompaniment, in small groups or large. They also sing a wide range of styles such as classical, folk, contemporary, show tunes, doo-wop, and of course, Cal songs. UCMC perform many times a semester, so there are plenty of chances to check them out.

UCMC is also a proud member of the UC Choral Ensembles (UCCE). UCCE is a group of student-run choral and theater groups.

1 History
2 Performances
3 External links
4 References

[edit] History

UCMC began in 1885 as the University of California Glee Club, making it the oldest choral group in the Western United States. Back then, the Glee Club composed of around 100 male singers and in 1911 became the first collegiate choral group to tour Europe. In 1920, the Glee Club toured Asia, where they were billed as the "World Famous Glee Club and Jazz Band, America's Greatest College Company of Singers and Entertainers." In 1957, the group was invited to Tokyo to sing Beethoven's 9th symphony with a Japanese symphony orchestra and a chorus of women.

The Glee Club would often collaborate with the Treble Clef society (a group of female singers at Cal). In 1972, the two groups combined to form the Concert Chorale. Recently they have split again to form the UC Women's Chorale, and the UC Men's Chorale.

[edit] Performances

UC Men's Chorale at the annual UCCE Halloween Show, October 28, 2005

UCMC performs in a variety of shows each semester. Some examples include:

UCCE Halloween Show: A show exihibiting most of the UCCE groups in various themed costumes. One of the more popular concerts.
Fall Concert: Performed with the UC Women's Chorale and UC Alumni Chorus, this performance includes some more classical music. (e.g. in November 2005, the three choirs performed Francis Poulenc's Gloria).
Holiday Concert: An UCCE concert with various Christmas and other Winter holiday music.
Big Sing: A choral "competition" between various choirs of UC Berkeley and Stanford University during Big Game Week. The choirs tend to change the words of their various songs to accentuate the rivalry.
Caroling in San Francisco: Walking around San Francisco and at various hospitals with UCCE singing Christmas carols.
Music Department Valentine's Show: Every couple years the Music department invites UCCE groups to perform in a Valentine's concert.
A cappella Against AIDS: A benefit concert for an AIDS research and awareness group in Oakland.
Spring Show: A themed show with the UC Women's Chorale involving upbeat music and lots of choralography. Past themes include: Beatles music, and rock musicals.
DC Birthday Nights: The Dining Commons at UC Berkeley have monthly "birthday nights." UCMC performs at these on occasion.