If you close your eyes while listening to the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club, you might feel like you’re lost in 18th century London or strolling down Diagon Alley in the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

How, though, can an organization with an old-fashioned, almost nostalgic sensibility be one of the most recognized and revered groups on such a progressive campus? The answer lies in three pillars that define the oldest student organization at the University: tradition, camaraderie and musical excellence.

Although these words may apply to many student groups, they, through their intertwined relationship, accurately represent the club as it celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. The University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club will hold their 150th annual fall concert on Nov. 21 at Hill Auditorium.

Founded in 1859 by — according to the website — “six or eight men," Glee Club membership has grown to around 100, and this number has been held in place by annual fall and winter auditions.

Some notable accomplishments of the club include world-wide recognition with four first-place finishes at the International Music Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales (1959, 1963, 1971, 1978) and national admiration when the club sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Tiger Stadium during the 1984 World Series.

Winning awards and performing to thousands of people are just two of many contributors to the Glee Club’s long-standing tradition.

Tradition

The word tradition is not easily defined.

Business junior and current Club member Lee Quakenbush described the first pillar as “upholding the values and practices of the last 150 years. These values, such as representing the University to the best of our ability, engaging with campus and reaching out to the community, typically are the catalyst for making traditions.”

For Dr. Jerry Blackstone, former Club director and current Director of Choral Activities in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the key is the past’s natural connection to the present.

“ ‘Tradition’ usually means ‘what we did last year,’ ” he said.

“In the case of the MGC, the alumni are vast and engaged, and bring a rich sense of history. Our tradition was to sing beautifully and to foster strong opportunities for student leaders from within the ensemble.”

Another former director, Bradley Bloom, a lecturer in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, took a more straight-forward approach, eloquently describing tradition as “A long-established custom and in many cases, that which is nostalgic.”

To attach some concrete examples to these abstract ideas, the Glee Club’s most familiar traditions include wearing a white tie with tux and tails, performing Michigan songs (including opening every show with “Laudes atque Carmina” and closing with “The Victors” and “The Yellow and Blue”), extensive touring in the United States and abroad, concerts at the acoustically perfect Hill Auditorium and finger snapping instead of clapping.

On the Road

Traveling, a tradition the club has upheld since the 1800s, has provided past and present members with fond memories and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

“In my day in Club, we would do pick-up sings at a moment's notice — just a bunch of guys walking around a city,” former member Steve Ramsey recalled.

“On our 1967 world tour, a group of us found ourselves inside the tomb of the Taj Mahal where the legendary king had buried his legendary princess," he said.

"And almost on cue, we struck up a chorus of ‘Busch Bavarian Beer,’ a bit raucous for the moment — maybe inappropriate — but the harmony! Oh, the harmony in that wonderful echo chamber.”

Business senior and current member Anthony Ambroselli explained a little less spontaneous but equally unforgettable moment.

“A favorite recent concert memory was during our trip to Spain last spring,” he explained.