With a history extending back to 1859, the Men’s Glee Club is the oldest continually-run student organization at the University.

“It formed mainly at first not necessarily as a singing group but as more of a social group,” Glee Club President Drew Smith said.”But at the same time, singing was a big part of it.”

Smith said the club was initially a loose arrangement of both vocals and instrumentals but eventually evolved into a more structured chorus. Now it stands alongside Harvard’s Glee Club as one of the most prestigious of its type in the US.

The club is comprised of four vocal sections and currently has 103 members. They perform repertoires chosen by Director Paul Rardin, who is also an associate professor in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, with music selections varying from folk songs to Latin Renaissance pieces.

The club rehearses twice a week and performs every fall and spring at Hill Auditorium. In addition, it tours the state of Michigan and the Midwest twice a year and internationally every four years.

“We’ve been to every continent except for Africa on our tours,” Smith said. “So we're pretty well traveled as a group.”

For its 150th anniversary, the club plans to celebrate by premiering a piece commissioned from former faculty member William Bolcom. They plan to invite Glee Club alumni to a celebration weekend in the spring.

Maintaining connections with alumni is an important part of the Glee Club.

“One thing that’s great about the Glee Club is that you get such a strong alumni base. We’ll talk to people from 20, 30 years ago,” said Joe Wieciek, the assistant alumni relations manager and co-150th anniversary coordinator.

Wieciek also said they are trying to create an alumni tour group to further maintain the alumni bond.

As part of their 150th celebration, the Glee Club is set to perform Nov. 21 at Hill Auditorium featuring an American-themed repertoire.