Regarding The choir in general

The oldest continuously functioning Performing Arts Group in OR will soon be 100 years old.

If you have recently been at an EM's or Drifters' game, or a UofO basketball game or track meet, you may have seen and heard a group of men wearing yellow shirts printed with the words “Eugene Gleemen”, singing the National Anthem.

Or, you might have attended a Eugene Gleemen concert, such as our recent Spring concert where we sang songs from early Rock & Roll and the Doo Wop era: Blue Moon (the Marcels' version), Sincerely, Goodnight Sweetheart, Blue Suede Shoes, Shake Rattle & Roll and others. The audience enjoyed singing along with us—maybe you did too?

We sing a variety of music, selections from recent to traditional, such as broadway, gospel, folk songs, classical, sea shanties, rock & roll, country and more. What we sing changes from the Fall season to the Spring season, with Christmas songs during the Holidays and Romance around Valentine's Day.

Most folks don't know that the Eugene Gleemen is the oldest continuously operating Performing Arts Group in OR—perhaps it is the oldest such group on the West Coast? The Eugene Gleemen was formed on January 14,1926. Our 100th Anniversary is coming up— soon.

The Eugene Gleemen is woven into the tapestry of our community, past and present. The song, “The Oregon Trail”, was arranged for the Eugene Gleemen Choir; we sing it as the final number at many of our concerts. "Why We Sing" is a deeply moving song by Greg Gilpin and we recently began using that as our formal concert closer. The National Anthem is still part of our tradition. In TV's early days, those of us of a certain age can recall listening to the Eugene Gleemen singing the National Anthem at each broadcast day's sign-off. Then, we knew that Mom and Dad would tell us that we had to go to bed.

It's part of our tradition to serve the community. We are a non-profit group, donations are tax deductible—and appreciated. We use the money generated from our concerts and donations to fund gifts to local schools' choral groups. During the Holiday Season, we sing Xmas Carols for the residents of Retirement Communities— they love to sing along. We perform the National Anthem at sporting events such as Ems and Drifters games, basketball games, track & field events, etc. When the new Hayward Field was inaugurated, it was the Eugene Gleemen who sang the initial National Anthem (virtually).

You may know a Eugene Gleeman without realizing that he is one. Such men as: Jeffrey Ogburn who hosts "Jazz Sunday" music 6-8:00 PM on KLCC. Dr. Richard Loescher who sang in the bass section for years, performs as “Riccardo the Remarkable”. He donates his magic shows to nonprofits and provides entertainment for schools, care facilities, and YMCA preschool classes, Other Gleemen are the florist who creates a bouquet for your celebrations; your financial advisor; your real estate broker; your attorney, etc.

Families participate along with the men who sing; we have the Valentine's Day Ball, where we sing Romantic songs and a live band serves up dance music. Our picnics involve the families as well.
Several Gleemen are part of a lengthy family tradition of singing with us, such as Dr. George McCulley, a Eugene dentist, who followed his father and grandfather into the Eugene Gleeman.

Other Gleemen can boast of longtime membership. Gerry Keener, now in his 62d year as a Gleeman, has been a member since 1962. Others have been members for decades.

We are fortunate to have as our Musical Director Dr. John Jantzi, of the U of O Music Faculty. With input from our members, he selects our songs. We are also privileged to have professional musical accompaniment at our rehearsals and concerts. For nearly 100 years, this professionalism has been a feature of the Eugene Gleemen.

Our motto is “For the Sheer Joy of Singing”. We sing also for the companionship with others, the joy of singing, the health benefits (singing has been found to be beneficial to the health), the fun of performing around town, the social interaction, especially after the isolation during the height of the pandemic. There are many reasons to sing.

We are inviting men of all ages who love to sing, to join us in meeting our 100 Year Anniversary Goal and to continue our 100 years of tradition.

That goal is, when our 100th Anniversary arrives, we want to have 100 members.

Come Sing With Us--to help us meet our goal, to become a part of our proud tradition and, most importantly, to sing.

If you love to sing, but have not sung for a while and feel a little “rusty”—we have a “No audition” policy. Just show up at a rehearsal. We rehearse Tuesdays, 7-8:30.
- Ron Bush