During their time as students at Saint Peter’s, past members of the Glee Club performed the school’s “Alma Mater” numerous times to audiences at multiple events. In soprano, alto and tenor tones, they would sing, “And as year on year comes winging, we will still be singing praises to Thy fame.”
Still literally “singing praises to Thy fame,” those lyrics reverberated within Roy Irving Theatre as alumni and former chorale members from the 1950s to as recently as 2012 gathered for the 2012 Glee Club Reunion on Saturday, October 27, at Saint Peter’s University.
While alumni proved the words to “Alma Mater” were never forgotten – even 30, 40 and 60 years later – compositions such as “Brothers, Sing On” and “Mulligan’s Musketeers” from the men’s choir, “He’s Gone Away” and “The Sally Garden” from the women’s choir and joint selections “Soon I Will Be Done” and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” were also performed flawlessly after only one-hour of rehearsal time. More than 60 voices joined together in song to deliver a first-class performance of choir classics to the delight of guests in attendance.
One of these voices came from Matthew R. Vieira ’09, a former Aidan C. McMullen Chorale member and student at Saint Peter’s.
“When I was still a student in the Chorale, there was a Glee Club Reunion,” he said. “I remember sitting with all my classmates, staring at the people in attendance and saying, ‘Wow! The Class of 1960? The Class of 1970?’ My classmates and I were picking out who we thought we would be and where we thought we would be 30 years later when we came back as alumni.”
And returned for the Glee Club Reunion he did – three years later. “Now that I’m here as an alumnus, it’s really good to see such a strong foundation of people supporting what is was to where it is now,” he said.
Current Saint Peter’s students in the Aidan C. McMullen Chorale – named after former moderator of the Glee Club the late Rev. Aidan C. McMullen, S.J. and led by Performing Arts Coordinator Kevin Cummines – also joined the choir veterans for a few numbers, such as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
David McConville ’68, who was a member of the Glee Club when it was an all male group prior to women attending Saint Peter’s, enjoyed socializing with current Chorale students during the reunion.
He said, “There’s camaraderie among singers in the world that transcends age. I was sitting next to a kid who’s graduating next year. He’s good with the music and he was helping me out. He had a great smile on his face and seemed like a happy person. That’s the reason why I joined the Glee Club.”
For McConville, the reunion brought back fond memories of his time at Saint Peter’s, and also rekindled his passion for singing.
“I was thinking when I was singing the music in practice how much I missed it,” he said. “I might join a barber shop quartet after this!”
Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University, was left mesmerized by the choir, saying, “This is an understatement – ‘Wow!’ The performance was incredible. I’m just awed by your passion for music, your commitment to tradition and your love of Saint Peter’s!”
In addition to the performance, attendees of the Glee Club Reunion also had the opportunity to rekindle old friendships with classmates and meet new acquaintances.
As yearbook photos of Saint Peter’s glee clubs from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s flashed on a projection screen in McIntyre Lounge, boisterous chatter and laugher filled the room as guests enjoyed dinner and heard from Scott Miller ’13, this year’s recipient of the Patrick R. Clynes Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to a member of the Aidan C. McMullen Chorale, and was established in memory of Patrick Clynes, the legendary men’s Glee Club conductor in the 1960s who passed away in 2006.
“This is my fourth and final year singing with the Aidan C. McMullen Chorale,” Miller said. “Singing in the Chorale for all these years has given me an outlet to share my love for music with others. I couldn’t imagine spending my Wednesday nights any other way then singing with my friends.”
This symphonic celebration would not have been possible without the assistance of the Glee Club Reunion Committee: Michael Milano ’74, chair; Thomas Casper ’70; Debra Cerrutti ’72; Jeanne Colford ’73; Joseph Colford III ’72; Thomas DeLuca ’72; Thomas Derise ’74; Julie Fristensky ’73; Warren Fristensky ’74; Carmel Galasso ’79; Gwynneth Galvin ’77; Barbara Mansfield ’74; John Mansfield ’73; Mary Quinn ’72; Sharon Quinn ’73; Francis Schultz ’72; Joan Shields ’75; Stephen Thomsen ’72; and Daniel Toomey ’64.
The late American Composer Irving Berlin once said, “The song is ended. But the melody lingers on.” Attendees of the Glee Club Reunion left the event with a song in their hearts, and another memory of Saint Peter’s that will replay in their minds like an unforgotten tune for a lifetime.