Department of Music

The Virginia Glee Club celebrates the Class of 2011 on the evening of Saturday, May 21, 2011, with the annual VGC Finals Concert.  As the oldest musical organization on Grounds, the Glee Club carries with it the beloved traditions of the University, and honors its graduating members, and all UVa graduates, in a performance at 8:00 pm on the eve of Commencement.  The hour-long program provides entertainment for the entire family in the historic setting of the UVa Chapel and showcases the breadth of the Virginia Glee Club’s 140th season.  For graduates, the Finals Concert will be an intimate and unique addition to weekend Commencement plans, honoring the University’s rich tradition and history in song.

The evening’s program features works by Sibelius, Palestrina, and Franz Biebl’s perennial favorite, Ave Maria, as well as folk arrangements from Europe, South Africa and the Middle East.   Enjoy the soothing, rolling sounds of Shenandoah, as arranged especially for the Virginia Glee Club, and hear University favorites performed as they would have been sung in earlier days of UVA (by men only!). 

The concert is open to the general public and admission is free.  The University of Virginia Chapel is located adjacent to the Rotunda on the central grounds of the University.  Free-will offering.  For more information visit our website at www.virginiagleeclub.org.

Concert Program:

Frank Albinder, conductor
Daniel Hine, accompanist

About the Virginia Glee Club:

Founded in 1871, the Virginia Glee Club is the oldest collegiate choir in Virginia and among the oldest male glee clubs in the United States.  With an extensive history of international touring, the Glee Club has performed in cities throughout England, Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Sweden, Belgium, and Spain.  Additional tours include two visits to the Soviet Union, with performances in Moscow and Leningrad.  In recent year, The Glee Club toured France, performing in Paris and a cathedral in Marseilles, which was broadcast over French radio.  Additional performances include an appearance on the Today Show and for President Clinton’s inaugural address in 1993.  The Glee Club has also maintained a tradition of performing with women’s choral groups from around the country including Wellesley College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College in Massachusetts.  The group is conducted by Frank Albinder, who also directs the Washington Men’s Camerata and Woodley Ensemble, and has won Grammy recognition for his work with the internationally acclaimed male chorus, Chanticleer.

The University of Virginia is distinctive among institutions of higher education. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University sustains the ideal of developing, through education, leaders who are well-prepared to help shape the future of the nation.  Members consider The Virginia Glee Club a fraternity of talent, committed to performing at a professional level, promoting fellowship, preserving longstanding tradition, and upholding the ideals of student self-governance.  The Club is honored to sustain its legacy as the oldest musical organization at the University of Virginia, and proudly remains “Virginia’s Messengers of Harmony, Love and Brotherhood.”