How to Go
What: University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club
Where: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 125 N. Wilkinson St., Dayton
When: Saturday; 7 p.m.
Cost: All proceeds from a freewill offering will go into the Alumni Club’s Student Scholarship Fund.
More info: Call 937-293-7799 or visit www.alumni.umich.edu/clubs/dayton
The University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club, the second oldest collegiate chorus in the U.S., will be in concert Saturday at Westminster Presbyterian Church along with the university’s a cappella ensemble The Friars.
Founded in 1859 and containing 100 members, the Glee Club offers a broad repertoire comprising Renaissance motets, Romantic anthems, opera choruses and more. Saturday’s concert, sponsored by the University of Michigan Alumni Club of Dayton, highlights classical and contemporary choral works derived from the theme “Songs of Innocence and Experience.”
“The concert looks at both sides of the human soul,” said Dr. Eugene Rogers, who has conducted the troupe since 2011. “We look at both sides of the state of man, the purity and the real life experiences. The program is centered around an amazing commissioned piece by Portuguese composer Eurico Carrapatoso entitled ‘Diptych of Innocence and Light,’ which is based on William Blake’s poem. We will also present Benjamin Britten’s ‘The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard,’ a poignant story dealing with the innocence of love and the experience of lust and ultimately murder.”
In addition to offering excerpts from Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Richard Nance’s “Songs of a Young Man,” Rogers links Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ “Wheels of a Dream” (from the Broadway musical “Ragtime”) with Bobby McFerrin’s “Freedom is a Voice.”
“In ‘Wheels of a Dream,’ Coalhouse and Sarah discuss their innocent young son living in the midst of inequality in our country,” Rogers said. “They hope he’ll have a better life than them. I felt the song powerfully connects with McFerrin’s commentary on what freedom is. McFerrin says freedom is your voice, your song, your courage. It’s the key to a better life. Throughout the evening we will take the audience on a full journey through various styles of music and various stories that convey the message of innocence and experience.”
The Glee Club, who last performed in Dayton in 2005 and 2010, was notably honored in 1959 as the first American male choir to win first place at the International Musical Eistedfodd in Llangollen, Wales. David Grupe, operations manager for the Bach Society of Dayton, is an alumnus and serves on the Alumni Club board. The Glee Club performs regularly within Michigan and takes annual tours throughout the country and abroad. Previous international tours include South America, Australia, Great Britain/ Ireland, Cuba and China.
“The way human sound is colored, nurtured and fostered is very special,” Rogers said. “The range of variety in a male choir is pretty spectacular.”
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