Ohio State Men's Glee Club Sesquicentennial
As part of MGC's Sesquicentennial celebration, respected men’s choruses from the University of Michigan, Bowling Green State University, and The Ohio State University unite for an exciting afternoon of choral music.
The concert is FREE.
Note that the 5 p.m. concert is a repeat of the concert at 2:30 p.m.
Doors for the 5 p.m. concert will open at 4:30 p.m.
Venue Change
This concert has been moved from Mershon Auditorium to First Community Church — North.
3777 Dublin Rd., Columbus OH 43221
The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club
Robert J. Ward, conductor; Casey L. Cook, associate conductor and collaborative pianist. About Ohio State MGC
Bowling Green State University Men’s Chorus
Richard L. Schnipke, conductor
The Bowling Green State University Men’s Chorus is an auditioned ensemble open to all tenor and bass students, faculty and staff at BGSU. Established in 1971, the chorus’ motto and reputation as “America’s Finest Singing Machine” is well deserved, emanating decades of musical excellence. The ensemble encompasses students from all majors; over half are non-music majors, representing all seven colleges at the university.
The chorus organizes and presents two tours each academic year. Autumn finds the singers traveling to locations in Ohio and Michigan, performing at high schools during the day and at various concert venues in the evenings. The spring tour ventures to different locations each year. Past trips have taken the group to destinations including Colorado, Florida, New York City, Toronto, and Washington, DC. These off-campus pursuits provide opportunities to perform for diverse audiences, serve as musical ambassadors for BGSU, see different parts of the country, and bond and create lasting friendships with fellow chorus members.
Along with producing numerous CDs, the BGSU Men’s Chorus has performed at a number of regional and national ACDA conferences, the North Coast Conference of NAfME, as well as numerous OMEA state conferences and IMC national seminars. In 2023, the group was honored to perform at the ACDA National Conference in Cincinnati, the OMEA Professional Development Conference in Columbus and the IMC National Seminar in Albion, Michigan. The ensemble will also appear at the 2025 OMEA Professional Development Conference in Cleveland. With the support of the College of Musical Arts, the group also frequently commissions new works for the BGSU Choral Series. Recent commissioned composers include Stacy Gibbs, Dave Brubeck, Tim Takach, Zebulon Highben, Michael Cox and Steven Sametz.
University of Michigan Men's Glee Club
Michael Mitchell, conductor
The University of Michigan Men's Glee Club is the second-oldest collegiate chorus in the United States, and has long been acclaimed as one of the finest male choruses in the world. It is the oldest musical group on campus, as well as the oldest student organization at the University. Once a group of only six or eight men — then ten to twenty men — it has blossomed into a group of over 100 men and non-binary individuals representing a majority of the schools and colleges at the University of Michigan.
For 164 years, the UMMGC has been at the pinnacle of male choral ensemble singing. It has traversed every corner of the United States and the world, been awarded first place at premier international choral festivals, and has performed for major world leaders including the President of the United States, the Queen of the Netherlands, and others.
Origins: 1859–1870. From the very humblest of beginnings, the Men’s Glee Club was founded in 1859, just one year after the inception of the oldest collegiate chorus in the country, the Harvard Glee Club.
All events are subject to change.