The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting mostly of undergraduate students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The second oldest collegiate chorus in the United States (the Harvard Glee Club is three years older), the Glee Club was established in 1861 and is currently in its 145th season. In classical music a chorus is any substantial group of performers in a play, revue, musical or opera who act more or less as one. ... For other uses, see Yale (disambiguation). ... City nickname: The Elm City Location in the state of Connecticut Founded April 24, 1638 County New Haven County Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. ... The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, all-male choral ensemble at Harvard University. ...

Personnel

Almost all the members of the group are undergraduate students, but the group also admits interested students from the graduate and professional schools.

Historically, most members of the group have majored in subjects other than music. It is common for members of the group to be involved in other musical pursuits on campus, such as a capella groups, acting, or instrumental music groups such as the Yale Concert Band and Yale Symphony Orchestra.

Several alumni of the group have gone on to become musicians and conductors.

History

Directors

The Yale Glee Club has had seven directors:

• 1861-1873 Gustave J. Stoeckel
• 1873-1905: Thomas G. Shepard
• 1905-1921: G. Frank Goodale (Yale B.A. 1889)
• 1921-1953: Marshall Bartholomew (Yale Sheffield School B.A. 1907)
• 1953-1992: Fenno F. Heath, Jr. (Yale B.A. 1950, M.A. 1952)
• 1992-2002: David H. Connell (Yale D.M.A. 1991)
• 2002-2003: Tim Snyder (Yale D.M.A.)
• 2003-present: Jeffrey Douma

• Director Marshall Bartholomew made many arrangements of folk tunes for men's chorus (TTBB), and many of these were published by G. Schirmer company as the "Yale Glee Club Series."
• Bartholomew's successor, Fenno Heath, arranged additional TTBB songs for the series, and after 1970 made many arrangements for mixed (SATB) chorus, which were also included in the series.
• Heath's successor, David Connell, wrote a number of additional arrangements for the group.

Fenno Follansbee Heath, Jr. ... David H. Connell is an American musician, conductor, and arranger, born c. ... Jeffrey Douma became Director of the Yale Glee Club and Assistant Professor of Choral Music at the Yale School of Music in the fall of 2003. ... Fenno Follansbee Heath, Jr. ... David H. Connell is an American musician, conductor, and arranger, born c. ...

Changes over the years

The chorus was initially composed of men only (as Yale's undergraduate college was all male). At some point (perhaps circa 1900) a separate group was set up for the first year students, called the Yale Freshman Chorus. For the period 1900-1970, the group was made up exclusively of male students in their second through fourth years ("upperclassmen").

In 1969, Yale admitted its first women undergraduates. The following year, the Glee Club changed from an all-male chorus to a mixed chorus. Despite the fact that a glee club is typically an all male chorus, the organization elected to keep its name unchanged. From 1970 to 2004, the group was made up of male and female upperclassmen. A Glee Club is a chorus, historically of men but also of just women or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in singing short songs. ...

In 2004 the university disbanded the Yale Freshman Chorus and changed the Glee Club so that it is now open to undergraduates of all years, by audition.

Tours

Since at least the 1920s, the Glee Club, has made dozens of concert tours, both domestic and international. International tours typically occur every second or third year and are 3 to 4 weeks in length. Domestic tours of 7 to 10 days are scheduled most years during the first week of January.

The Glee Club was one of the first U.S. college musical groups to tour abroad. Highlights of its many tours have included:

• South America tour, 1941
• A round-the-world tour in 1966
• A tour of Asia in 1996
• Several tours of Europe, including 1928, 1932, 1236, 1987, 1993, and 1999
• A tour to Puerto Rico and Cuba in 2000
• A tour of Africa in 2002
• New Zealand and Australia tour in 2005

External Links

• Yale Glee Club official web site