MECHANICSBURG – The Ohio State University Men’s Glee Club will perform two concerts on Sunday at 4 and 7 p.m. here at the 1858 Meeting House.
The choral group was scheduled to perform in Mechanicsburg in 2020, but was forced to postpone the trip due to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19.
Sunday will also mark the first performance in two years in which the group will sing without wearing masks.
Champaign County is represented in the Men’s Glee Club by Isaac Bryant, a first-year member singing in the Bass 1 section, and Caleb Spinner, a second-year singing Tenor 1.
Both Bryant and Spinner graduated in 2020 from Mechanicsburg High School and study communication and journalism, respectively.
The themes of rebirth and revival are prevalent in the set list for the two performances, which contain both songs from past concerts as well as some new endeavors.
The a cappella arm of the Men’s Glee Club, “The Statesmen,” will also perform along with their parent group on Sunday. Their selections include a collection of popular pop songs, including “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith and a medley of boy-band tunes from the 1990s featuring the Backstreet Boys.
Founded in 1875, two years after Ohio State University was founded, the Men’s Glee Club is the second-oldest student organization at Ohio State. The group is even the elder to the Pride of the Buckeyes marching band.
The musical excellence of the Ohio State Men’s Glee Club is known around the globe. In 1990, then-conductor Professor James Gallagher led the group to a unanimous victory at the “Choir of the World” competition in Llangollen, Wales. With the win, the club became both the first male chorus and the first ensemble from the United States to earn the prestigious designation.
All proceeds from Sunday’s shows will go back into the restoration of the 1858 Meeting House, which is the oldest public building in Mechanicsburg, and has been a labor of love for the Champaign County Preservation Alliance.
Tickets for each of Sunday’s shows are $20, and can be purchased through the CCPA website, ccpapreserveohio.org.
