Texas A&M Singing Cadets

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The Texas A&M University Singing Cadets
The Texas A&M University Singing Cadets

The Texas A&M Singing Cadets are a male choral group at Texas A&M University. Internationally renowned and known as "The Voice of Aggieland", the Singing Cadets have been touring for 102 seasons, with their roots in a glee club founded on the A&M campus in 1894.[1] The Singing Cadets are one of the oldest collegette singing orgnanizations in the world.[2] They have toured both in America and abroad and have garned recognition by doing so, including invitations to sing for American presidents. [3] Contrary to their name, the Singing Cadets are currently not all members of the Corps of Cadets and have not been since 1963, when the university as a whole ceased mandating Corps membership.[4] Between 1996-2006 the Singing Cadets traveled over 35,000 miles and performed over 450 concerts worldwide.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

The first record of a singing organization at Texas A&M (then known as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas) was in 1893. The nine member glee club was composed of both students and faculty.[5] The group grew to approximately twenty members through the turn of the century and went to Houston in 1905 to participate in a massed four hundred member chorus that had been organized for a special occasion. Other tours in this early period of the organization's history included a trip to Fort Worth in 1907, where they met noted violinist Fritz Kreisler. One year later, the director of the group, T.P. Junkin left the A&M Glee Club, as it was then called.[3]

The next paradigm shift for the A&M Glee Club came in 1910 when they were reorganized by F.D. Steger, and they performed for a number of audiences throughout Texas. After enduring several more restructuring efforts and directors, the organization was finally and permanently laid down with an official constitution during the 1937-1938 school year. A professor at A&M, J. J. Woolket, was chosen as director and in 1940, a naming contest resulted in the name of Singing Cadets for the chorus. The Cadets entered the national spotlight when they performed at the 1939 Sugar Bowl game. This started a period in which the Cadets would accompany the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band onto the field at halftime for each football game.[3]

By a few years later, the Cadets were now directed by Richard Jenkins, who had a vision of making the organization regionally acclaimed. In 1942, Jenkins and the Cadets entered into the National Fred Waring Glee Club Contest, placing sixth. Another major event in 1942 was the participation of the group in providing choral music for the film We've Never Been Licked. The Cadets continued to tour for the next several years, cycling through a pair of directors until finally William Turner came to the helm of the Singing Cadets and held the post for the next fifteen years.[3]

The membership of the Singing Cadets had by this time stabilized at approximately sixty members, all male. They performed primarily across Texas, though they also made a trip to Mexico in 1952. Various side groups also formed within the Cadets that offered entertainment in between the main musical numbers, such as various barbershop quartets. The group continued to garner prestige and attention by singing in front of the Texas Legislature on more than one occasion, but had yet to realize any sort of major national attention.[3]

In 1960, Robert Boone became the new director of the Singing Cadets and he sought to expand their recognition. The group had their first telecast in 1963 when they performed at the nationally televised Miss Teenage America Pageant. For the next eight years, the group served as contestant escorts, performers, and background for the show. In 1971, the group was invited onto the Ed Sullivan Show by Sergio Franchi, though they did not make it onto television due to an earlier show running over the allotted time. They did, however, release a 45 rpm single of "No Man Is An Island" accompanying Franchi in the same year. Also in 1971, the Singing Cadets were invited to the White House by Senator John Tower to sing for numerous dignitaries, including President Richard Nixon and were well received.[3]

Sweater Patch from 1950s
Sweater Patch from 1950s

The Singing Cadets took their first trip abroad in the organization's history in 1974 when they journeyed to Romania as part of a goodwill tour, performing a number of shows over a period of three weeks. While the Cadets had previously stopped accompanying the Aggie Band onto Kyle Field during the halftime of football games, they did make special appearances on the field during special occasions of the university, such as the 1976 centennial celebration of Texas A&M University and in 1980 to dedicate the expansion of the football stadium.[3][5]

Singing Cadets took the silver medal in an International Choral Festival in Hawaii in 1979. This level of international performance was continued in 1983 in Mexico, where they again received the silver medal. Other major tours during the 1980s included several occasions marking the sesquicentennial anniversary of Texas in 1986 and European tours in 1987 and 1989. [3] In 2004, the Singing Cadets made their first trip to Australia, giving performances there.[4]

Presently, the Singing Cadets continue to perform mostly in Texas, combined with a sprinkling of national and international tours. Besides live performances, the group has also recorded a number of albums, with ten currently. [3] In 2006-2007, they performed over sixty concerts in the United States and a tour to South America during the summer, where they traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.[6] Also in May 2006 was a trip to the White House at the invitation of President George W. Bush at an event to welcome and honor America's returning athletes from the 2006 Winter Olympics[7][8] and performances at the Miss Texas Pageant.[6][5]

[edit] Music

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The Singing Cadets have sung a wide variety of music throughout their history. They have long included Christian hymns and gospel music into their repertoire, as well as Texas A&M school songs. Their other musical selections have varied throughout the decades, although Southern songs are a popular theme,[3] as are songs from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.[9]

Currently, there are seven recordings produced by the Singing Cadets that are available. In chronological order, the titles are Tradition, Duty, Honor, Country: A Tribute to President Bush, Remembrance, Centennial, 125th anniversary, Let Freedom Ring, Kennedy Center.[9]

[edit] Organization

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The Singing Cadets currently have about seventy members, all male.[1] They are not a part of the Corps of Cadets and have not been since Corps membership became non-obligatory at Texas A&M in the 1970s.[4] They are typically accompanied by a pianist and conducted by a director,[3] but have been known to utilize other instruments, including electric guitar, drums, and bass guitar when performing more recent songs. Another feature of the singing cadets is their use of skits and pantomime to accompany their music, incorporating a number of forms of entertainment into their concerts.[citation needed] The Cadets perform 50-60 concerts a year.[5] International performances of the Singing cadets include Australia, Romania, Mexico, Germany, England, Switzerland, and Hungary.[2]

[edit] Directors

  • Professor A. M. Soule
  • Professor Tyrrel
  • Professor T. P. Junkin
  • F. D. Steger
  • D. Ford
  • K. H. Beach
  • E. W. Glenn
  • Professor J. J. Woolket
  • Richard W. Jenkins
  • Ewell Porter
  • William M. Turner
  • Robert L. Boone[3]
  • David Kipp[10]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Texas A&M Singing Cadets (HTML). TAMU Singing Cadets (2004). Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
  2. ^ a b c Porter, Britney (February 2006), “Singing Cadets”, Plano Profile, <http://www.wishbonegraphics.com/adminnm/templates/pp-upfront.asp?articleid=810&zoneid=126> 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l A Not So Brief History of the Singing Cadets (HTML). TAMU Singing Cadets (2004). Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
  4. ^ a b c Auditions (HTML). TAMU Singing Cadets (2004). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  5. ^ a b c d Campbell, Heather (2002-09-13), “A century of perfect harmony”, The Battalion, <http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2002/09/13/AggieLife/A.Century.Of.Perfect.Harmony-518527.shtml> 
  6. ^ a b South American Serenade (HTML). The Battalion (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  7. ^ Association of Former Students Newsletter May 2006 (HTML). The Association of Former Students (2006). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  8. ^ The White House (2006-05-17). "President Bush Welcomes 2006 U.S. Winter Olympic and Paralympic Teams". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  9. ^ a b Auditions (HTML). TAMU Singing Cadets (2004). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  10. ^ Staff (HTML). TAMU Singing Cadets (2004). Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
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