The longest continuously-performing Men’s Chorus west of the Mississippi is nearing our gala 100th Anniversary season!

Talk about history repeating itself! Back in 2024, the Gleemen were there to dedicate the new YMCA, just like they did for the original one sixty years earlier. Pretty cool, huh?

If you've caught a Eugene Emeralds or Drifters game, or cheered on the Ducks at a basketball game or track meet, you might have seen these guys in their bright yellow or green "Eugene Gleemen" shirts belting out the National Anthem.

Maybe you even joined the fun at their recent Spring concert? They took us back with some classic early Rock & Roll and Doo Wop tunes – think "Blue Moon," "Sincerely," "Goodnight Sweetheart," "Blue Suede Shoes," and "Shake Rattle & Roll." It was a blast singing along! This year's Spring concert, "The Songs We Love to Sing" is a fabulous collection of songs from our past and new songs. Our guest choir the Eugene Gay Men's Chorus will join forces creating a near 100 voice men's chorus on 3 numbers. This concert is May 17th, 2025 at 2:30pm at the Wildish Theater in Springfield.

The Historic Spring 2026 concert will be a vast selection from our archives of the most popular music ever sung by the Gleemen, our patrons and Gleemen will be assisting us in this selection.  We will be performing at a Historic venue to set the stage for this big 100th Anniversary event.

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But that's just a taste of what they do. The Gleemen's repertoire is all over the map, from current hits to timeless pieces. We're talkin Broadway showstoppers, soulful gospel, heartfelt folk songs, rousing classical pieces, salty sea shanties, energetic rock & roll, and down-to-earth country. And it changes with the seasons – festive carols for Christmas, romantic melodies for Valentine's Day.

Now, here's a little nugget you might not know: the Eugene Gleemen, this incredible group nearing their centennial, actually formed way back on January 14, 1926! They're a real cornerstone of our community, past and present. Fun fact: the song "The Oregon Trail" was written just for them, and they still close their concerts with it. And way back in the early days of TV, folks knew it was bedtime when they heard the Gleemen singing the National Anthem as the broadcast day ended.

These guys aren't just about the music; they're all about giving back. As a non-profit, their concerts and donations go towards supporting local school choral programs. During the holidays, they spread cheer by caroling at retirement communities, and they proudly perform the National Anthem at sporting events all over town. When the new Hayward Field opened, guess who sang the very first National Anthem (virtually, of course)? You guessed it – the Eugene Gleemen!

You might even know a Gleeman without realizing it! Think about folks like Jeffrey Ogburn, who hosts "Jazz Sunday" on KLCC.  Other members include your friendly neighborhood florist, your trusted financial advisor, your go-to real estate broker, your insightful attorney and nurses– just everyday guys who love to sing.

It's a family affair too! They have a Valentine's Day Ball with romantic tunes and live dance music, and their picnics are fun for everyone. Some families even have generations of Gleemen, like Dr. George McCulley, a local dentist who followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps.

And talk about dedication! Gerry Keener has been singing with the Gleemen since 1962 – that's an amazing 62 years! Plenty of other members have been with them for decades too.

They're lucky to have Dr. John Jantzi from the UO Music faculty as their Musical Director, who picks their awesome songs with input from the members. Plus, they have professional
musicians accompanying their rehearsals and concerts – a hallmark of the Gleemen for nearly a century.

Their motto says it all: "For the Sheer Joy of Singing." It's about the music, sure, but it's also about the camaraderie, the health benefits of singing, the fun of performing, and the social connections, especially after those isolating pandemic times. There are so many great reasons to sing!

And now, they're inviting you – men of all ages who love to sing – to join them as they aim for a huge goal: 100 members for their 100th Anniversary! Come be a part of their incredible tradition and, most importantly, share the joy of singing.
 

Dust off those vocal cords! Even if you haven't sung in a while, they have a no-audition policy. Just show up to a rehearsal on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

This articles from the early 1950s really shows how it all began:

"The birthday of the club was January 14, 1926. On that day, according to the official records, 'a meeting to organize a Eugene men's chorus was called to meet at the noon hour in the Chamber of Commerce rooms. The meeting was called to order by George McMorran, who spoke briefly upon the desirability of organizing such a chorus to utilize in concerts and during conventions and other occasions.'"

"One week later the first rehearsal was held, and within two months the club had chosen its name and adopted its by-laws. Initial financial backing was given by the Chamber of Commerce, the Elks Lodge, and the Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary service clubs. Gleemen members began paying membership dues in October 1926, and the club has continued to be financed by the dues of the active and associate members. Even so, the organization nearly expired during its first two years, due to financial straits, departure of the first conductor, and apparently a persistent indifference on the part of Eugene's musical public."

"In September 1927 the directors felt compelled 'to canvass the membership as to their desire to continue the Gleemen as an organization, and also to ask support from each member to clean up indebtedness.' Somehow most of the members remained loyal and the club continued."

"The substantial growth period of the Gleemen started in the fall of 1928. Partly the improvement came because things could not get worse, partly because the new officers now better understood the problems of running the club; also the financial problem was solved by calling upon an associate membership for support. But mainly the growth was due to the new conductor, John Stark Evans, of the University of Oregon School of Music faculty. With the warm and skillful help of accompanist Cora Moore Frey, Mr. Evans educated the members of the club to finer and finer music as he directed them in performances. Perhaps the Gleemen were touched with a new respect for what they were doing, and hence a new enthusiasm which inevitably improved their performances. The sixteen years with John Stark Evans and Cora Moore Frey clearly shaped the charadter and purpose of the organization."

"Again in 1944 the Gleemen were able to draw leadership from the University of Oregon, when Mr. Evans moved from Eugene. Theodore Kratt, Dean of the School of Music, then became conductor, with Donald W. Allton of the School of Music faculty as accompanist. During the first pat of 1945-46 Dean Kratt served in the Army's overseas education program; for that period Mr. Allton served as conductor, and Stacey Green of the School of Music faculty was accompanist. With Dean Kratt's return, Mr. Allton resumed as accompanist for two more years and then resigned. Mr. Green then became accompanist in 1948."

"The Gleemen have always been fortunate in their close relationships with the University, for few members of the club have training or experience in professional musical work. Especially now does this leadership bring insight and opportunities which could not come otherwise to a group of music-loving amateurs. Safely past the troubled early and formative years, the Gleemen are steadily advancing. With Theodore Kratt and Stacey Green, the members were learning more fundamentals and continuing to broaden their acquaintance and enjoyment in all types of good choral music."

"In their first 25 seasons the Gleemen have presented more than 120 formal concerts, well over half of these outside of Eugene. At home the club has participated in pageants, in lodge programs, in conventions of service clubs, church organizations, American Legion and State Editors, in University of Oregon vaccalaureate services, in music festivals and Easter services, on the University concert series and with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Within Oregon the club has presented formal concerts in Albany, Brownsville, Camp Adair, Coos Bay, Coquille, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Drain, Klamath Falls, McMinnville, Medford, Monmouth, Newberg, Oakridge, Portland (10 concerts), Roseburg, Salem (10 concerts), Silverton, and Sweet Home. Notable longer trips have taken the club twice to Victoria, B.C., to Seattle for the 1932 convention of Rotary International, and twice to San Francisco. Even wider recognition has come through nation-wide broadcasts, the club having sung over stations KORE in Eugene, KOAC in Corvallis, KGW and KOIN in Portland, KJR and KOMO in Seattle and KFRC in San Francisco. The publicity phase of the club's work has been thus recognized by Eugene officials:"

"The Mayor and the Common Council of the City of Eugene extend to the Eugene Gleemen an acknowledgment of the great civic service rendered to the city by their organization, an appreciation of the labor and self-sacrifice which have been expended in bringing the organization to the degree of perfection attained, a recognition of the fine leadership and of the loyal rank and file. Eugene has a consideration and prestige that it could have obtained in no other way, due to the public spirit of these men."

"Members of the Gleemen cherish most highly the tangible benefits from their concert income. The club has raised money for playgrounds and other public activities in Brownsville, Cottage Grove, Drain, Eugene, McMinnville, Medford, Newberg, Salem, Silverton, and Sweet Home. Various community relief funds have been augmented in Albany, Eugene, Newberg, and Roseburg, Boy Scouts have profited directly from Gleemen concerts in Coos Bay, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Eugene, and Salem. Service clubs' philanthropic activities have been aided in Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Klamath Falls, McMinnville, Salem, and notably in Portland where a series of concerts earned over $25,000 which Rotary gave to the Shriners' Hospital for Crippled Children and to other children's work. These financial results are possible because some local organization always assumes the expense of concert arrangements, the Gleemen receive only the bare expenses of the trip, and all other concert proceeds to go the service activity concerned. The Gleemen sing for the joy of singing, but also for the love of giving."

"During this first quarter-century over 400 songs have come into the Gleemen library. The membership has usually been about 75 men, but at various times during the period some 425 men have belonged to the club. They have been from all types of occupation, with no distinctions as to religion or politics or temperament; they have fairly represented the men in Eugene and its neighboring communities with the nominal ability and the continuing desire to sing. The club is a working organization. The Gleemen are proud to stand on their record, but will not stop there--there are many more musical mountains to be climbed, each of them from another landmark in community service."

Our directors list:

Hugh Winder (1926-27)

David John Jones (1927)

Tom Kaarbus (1927)

Eugene Karr (1928)

John Stark Evans UO Music Professor (1928-1944)

Theodore Kratt UO Music Professor (1944-1962)

Neil Wilson UO Music Instructor (1962-1963)

Esley Schick  (1963-1969) Assistant Dir. Since 1950

Max Riseinger UO Choral Conductor  (1969-1975)

Esley Schick  (1975-1987) a combined 19 years

Nelson Ennes (1987-1988)

Steve Maricle  (1989-1993) 1st Baptist , Music Director

Ray Morse (1993-1994)

David Phillips (1994-1995)

Royce Osborne (1995-2001) Ebbert Methodist, Music Director

James Roddan (2001-2002)

John Jantzi UO Music Professor (2002- present)