"What I saw that evening were young men in the act of expressing themselves through an art-form, energized to the fullness of their powers. You were all alive and vibrant to the roots of your beings. The air tingled. Everything in you that is most gracious and beautiful, from religious worship to the laughter of high animal spirits, was set flowing. It flowed through you into the audience and sent us home happy and invigorated."
--Lucien Price, Amphion's Lyre
Founded in 1858, the Harvard Glee Club is the oldest college choir in America, and is considered by many to be the premier collegiate men's chorus in the country. We are a close-knit group of Harvard undergraduate and graduate students bound together by friendship, a shared love of music, and a passion for singing for diverse audiences at Harvard, across the United States, and around the world.
In addition to the main chorus, the Glee Club features a smaller subset ensemble, HGC Lite, which performs lighter a cappella works.
For any questions about the Harvard Glee Club, contact our manager, Jason Varnell at
The Holden Choruses of Harvard University are made up of the all-male Harvard Glee Club, the all-female Radcliffe Choral Society, and the mixed Harvard Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, as well as the larger Harvard Radcliffe Chorus and Choir in Progress. Each September, auditions are held for all groups simultaneously. The preliminary auditions are held one-on-one with one of the Holden conductors; these auditions focus on musicality, including basic vocal exercises, ear training exercises, and simple sight-reading excerpts. Singers of ALL skill levels and backgrounds are encouraged to audition; musicality, not extensive skill, is the prime focus. At the preliminary auditions, singers are asked to rank the choirs in order of preference. After preliminary auditions, each choir draws up a list of preliminary acceptances; you may be accepted preliminarily into more than one group.
Next, singers are asked to attend "mob rehearsals", or "mobs", with each group that has preliminarily accepted them, in which they learn a brief piece with all preliminary acceptees and returning members. The final step is a quartet audition where singers will perform the piece they have learned in mobs with three returning members of the group.
The process is painless and very fun, and offers a great chance to see the musical and social dynamics of the Holden Choruses. The Choral Program has a place for every singer, regardless of skill or background.
2010-2011 Audition dates and times (all auditions are held in Paine Hall, Music Building. Click here for a map):
Wednesday, September 1: 1-4pm, Paine Room 3
Thursday, September 2: 1-4pm, Paine Room 3
Friday, September 3: 12-3pm, Paine Room 3
Sunday, September 5: 1-4pm, Paine Room 3
Monday, September 6: 1-5pm and 7-10pm, Paine Room 3
Hear the Choruses at the following dates/times:
Tuesday, August 31:
4:30-5:30pm - Convocation, Tercentenary Theater
Wednesday, September 1:
8:00-9:30pm - Open rehearsal, Sanders Theater
Friday, September 3:
3:30-4:40pm - Open rehearsal, Sanders Theater
Meet returning members of the Choruses at the following dates/times:
Wednesday, September 1:
4:00-7:00pm - Activities Fair
Friday, September 3:
4:45-6:00pm - Holden Choruses Mini Concerts, Sanders Theater
6:00-6:30pm - Holden Info/Pizza, Memorial Hall Transept
