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The Catskill Glee Club (male chorus) was
organized in 1927. During the first concert, on May 1, 1928,
a fire broke out in a nearby business district. Two members
of the club, who also happened to be firefighters, responded
and were overcome by smoke. The concert went on as scheduled
but without the two men.
Since its founding, the Catskill Glee Club has had five
conductors, ten accompanists, and five assistant accompanists. Sixteen members
served in the Armed
Forces and one member, who was awarded the Bronze Star, was killed in France in
1944. There have been 134 spring and winter concerts and over 650 road
performances.
We sing in a variety of musical styles --
from Renaissance to rock -- including folk and popular
songs, classical pieces, spirituals, sacred music, and show
tunes.
The Club performs a winter concert in
December and a spring concert in May on Saturday evening.
Occasional road concerts are scheduled in the winter
and spring. Concert dress is
a tuxedo, but a black suit will do in a pinch.
The Club participated in the Massed Concert of the Mohawk
Hudson Male Chorus Association (April 2018) in Rensselaer,
New York, hosted by the Mendelssohn Club of Albany. Also
joining us was the Mendelssohn Club of Kingston.
In
April 2016, the Catskill Glee Club hosted the 57th annual
massed concert of the Mohawk Hudson Male Chorus Association.
The Club's 25 members, ranging in
age from 21 to 85, come from Columbia, Greene, and Ulster counties and from the
Capitol District.
Dues are $30 per year.
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Michael Wright joined the Catskill Glee Club as conductor in
January 2014.
He has
been a singing member of the Mendelssohn Club of Albany for
over 20 years and is currently that club’s assistant
conductor. He also served, since 2012, as co-conductor of
the Yankee Male Chorus for its annual four-day summer tour
in New England.
Mr.
Wright received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano
performance from Indiana University, where he was a pupil of
the late Cuban-born pianist Jorge Bolet. While at Indiana,
he also studied conducting, participated in conducting
ensembles, and sang under the baton of such notables as
Robert Shaw, John Nelson, Helmut Rilling, and Margaret
Hillis.
He is
president of the Conductors Club of New York and conducts
for the Northeast Men's Summer Chorus in August.
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