University Glee Club of New Haven

Spurred by the nostalgia of group singing in World War I and memories of college glee club days, an all-male chorus was established in New Haven in December, 1924. Under the direction of Yale Music Director Marshall Bartholomew, the group quickly mushroomed and received rave reviews in the local newspapers.

University of New Haven is not just an educational institution where students plug away at mountains of homework 24 hours a day and don’t see the end. The university wants students to unlock the potential and offer various courses, organize hobby workshops, and interest groups. The teachers and professors want to be on the same wave with students. And the university glee club became a link between them. Quite often, people of different ages don’t understand each other, and it becomes the burning subject of a stereotype essay. But we know that music is the greatest creation of humanity and it can unite anyone. The New Haven Glee Club proves this.

Over the years, the singing group idea flourished and so did the University Glee Club. Today, we are considered the oldest independent men's glee club in the country!

But this club isn’t only an interest group. It’s a tribute to traditions. It was founded almost 90 years ago, and it’s a part not only of the university but also the whole country’s history. Remember and revive traditions - it’s the duty of each concerned citizen of any country. We have no right to forget. Who knows, maybe we’ll become famous people, and your descendants will decide that we weren’t important for history and forget us. The university glee has immediate success not only in its own district. The students of other states had heard about them and dreamed of seeing these adorable men with sweet voices in person. Partly because of their amazing voices, and partially because of their repertoire. They have been performing songs of various musical genres, including classical music, broadway, glees, etc. Now they use even modern songs in a specific arrangement to make it sound more interesting. The Glee Club of the previous century dreamed of being popular, so the modern generation achieved this dream.

The Glee Club is a rich blend of men's voices: Tenor I, Tenor II, Baritone and Bass. We meet once per week, and along with a professional accompanist, rehearse a wide variety of choral music.

In 1948, after 24 years of directing the four-part harmony group, Mr Bartholomew retired from Yale and the UGC. He passed the baton to the then director of the Yale Glee Club, Fenno Heath. Heath directed us until his retirement in 1986. During his distinguished tenure, the Club performed at many different venues with several famous soloists, glee clubs and choruses.

The University Glee Club's third director, Mark Dollhopf, Yale Class of 1977, is an alumnus of Yale's fine musical traditions, including its Glee Club and the Whiffenpoofs. Ethan Nash was the fourth director. A 1997 graduate of Yale, Ethan majored in music and received his PhD at the prestigious Hartt School of Music. Our fifth director, Kevin Buno, received his undergraduate degree from the College of Saint Rose and a master's degree from the University of Connecticut. Lars Gjerde, our sixth director, received music degrees from Augustana College and Edvard Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway, and a Master's and PhD from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York

The current participants of the New Haven Glee Club give concerts. Moreover, they organize the entire concert seasons and are ready to see the new members of the club. Everyone, including teachers or students, may contact them and try his hand at singing. Having seen glee, most modern people can think that any gender stereotype influenced glee’s idea. It would be an interesting subject for stereotype essay, but again, the fact that only males participate in this club is the attempt to pay tribute to old traditions.

People shouldn’t think of such unimportant matters like sex or age. The only thing they should do is promote the University Glee Club of New Haven and make more people in the world know about it.

Robert Strebendt received his Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from Yale University. He is a multifaceted musician focused in conducting, singing, teaching, and composition. Mr. Strebendt the founding artistic director of the Whitney Center Chorale, and also served on the faculty at Wesleyan University where he directed the Collegium Musicum, an early vocal music chamber ensemble. Mr. Strebendt is a voice instructor at Yale University and The Hopkins School, as well as a general music and choir teacher at Ezra academy. Mr. Strebendt is excited to be conducting the University Glee Club of New Haven.