Welcome (or welcome back) to South Bend!
We hope you’ve all enjoyed your summer! With the 2023 Fall Semester coming near, we, the Co-Presidents of the Notre Dame Glee Club, would like to invite you to audition to join us! But first, we imagine you have some questions that need answering:
What is the Glee Club?
The Notre Dame Glee Club is a 60-person, all-male chorus world-renowned for its sound, which has served as the voice of Our Lady’s University since 1915. The group boasts a wide repertoire of music, ranging from Renaissance polyphony to American barbershop, from Beethoven to Billy Joel! We perform five regular concerts a year at Notre Dame (Fall, Christmas [x2], Spring, and Commencement) in the Leighton Concert Hall of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. We also tour twice each year across the United States, and once every other year internationally, which took us to 8 states and 4 countries during the 2022-2023 academic year. And this coming year, we are adding to our travel by taking our Christmas concert on tour, for the first time ever!
The unique experience that the Glee Club provides does not stop with music, though. We also pride ourselves on our social and spiritual community, united by great friendship as well as great music Our members form close bonds with each other during rehearsals as well as our outside activities, which have included trips to the Grotto, wing-eating competitions, pickup sports, Christmas caroling, and even impromptu midnight concerts in front of the Golden Dome. Members also organize and participate in service initiatives on campus and around South Bend in the spirit of giving back to the community.
Do you need a music background to audition?
Previous singing experience is not required for auditioning; several current members of Glee Club had never sung in a choir before auditioning! You also do not have to be studying music to be in the Glee Club. Members of the Glee Club range from Vocal Performance majors with years of training to Mechanical Engineering majors who had previously only sung in the shower.
What is the time commitment?
The Glee Club rehearses four days a week in the evening for an hour and fifteen minutes, plus occasional mini-concerts and extra rehearsals. This is usually Monday-Thursday from 5:00pm-6:15pm, with members often heading to dinner together afterward. We understand that this is a sizable time commitment, but we make a great effort to work around class and personal conflicts when they arise. As student-musicians, we are all students first, and we will always work with you to ensure that you can devote the necessary time to your studies.
Where are the auditions and where do I sign up?
Auditions for the Notre Dame Glee Club will take place in 329 Coleman-Morse Center (located on South Quad) during Welcome Weekend (August 20-21). Auditions are open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Holy Cross students are welcome and encouraged to audition as well!
To sign up for auditions and for more information, visit choirs.nd.edu and follow the audition instructions. Be sure to choose Glee Club as your first choice!
First-year students: Make sure to check the Welcome Weekend Schedule at welcomeweekend.nd.edu to make sure your audition doesn’t conflict with an event that you’re encouraged to attend.
If you have any questions about auditions or Glee Club in general, feel free to contact us at gleeclub@nd.edu.
Hope to see you at auditions and go Irish!
Jack Schadl and Joe Golden
Co-Presidents, Notre Dame Glee Club
Class of 2024