Exclusively male chorus group features three Carmel alumni in annual performance

“Imagine a cello — deep, rich, full — one glorious instrument.” That’s how the Purdue Music Organizations (PMO) website describes the 57 members of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, which will perform at the Dale E. Graham Auditorium on Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Choir Director Lamonte Kuskye said the Glee Club is a male-only chorus at Purdue. “Purdue does not have a school of music. You can’t major or minor in music at Purdue because of bylaws, however they do have the Purdue Music Organization,” he said.

According to pmojo.com, the Glee Club has been performing for more than 110 years. It travels around the world, inspiring audiences from Asia to Africa. The Web site also said that major performances were at Carnegie Hall and during presidential inaugurations.

In addition, the Glee Club custom-fits its broad shows to entertain its diverse audiences. Some previous Glee Club performances can be viewed at youtube.com.

Junior Mark Foerster currently works with Kuskye here, and his brother John Foerster, a freshman at Purdue, is a high tenor in the Glee Club. Foerster also said freshman Tim Harris and junior Ryan McLean, both Carmel alumni, are also part of the Glee Club.

“It’s one of the most prestigious chorus groups in the nation among colleges,” Mark said. “They sing but not only (do they) sing but they are encouraged to be better people. After performances, they even go up to people they don’t even know and say thank you for coming and thank you for supporting us.

Kuskye said, “Purdue Glee Club has been around for many years and it’s their most popular and most famous (group). It’s very associated with Purdue because they have a very strong organization, and they tour all over the world. It’s truly one of the finest choruses in the country.”

The performance is also on the same date as Carmel Dance Marathon. It will simply be a fund-raiser for the PTO, which has always sponsored the performance at this school. Since it is a fund-raiser, the PTO members said that they are looking for sponsors to help pay the cost of have the Glee Club perform. Mark said the show will be about an hour and a half and will contain a series of songs the Glee Club performed throughout the year.

According to the PTO’s newsletter, the Glee Club performs a broad range of genres of music ranging from classical to contemporary to country to hip-hop.

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TICKET INFORMATION

• $10 general admission, $15 reserved seats.
• Tickets can be purchased in front of the Dale E. Graham Auditorium or by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Judy Van Houten, Glee Club Tickets, 3705 E. Carmel Dr., Carmel, IN 46033.