Glee Club at Carnegie Hall

The Rensselaer Orchestra performed with great accomplishment at Carnegie Hall in October. But they were not the first student group to play there. On the occasion of the alumni MusicFest in 2006, John Foehl ’53 provided a wealth of memories of his time with the Glee Club, including this:

“Auditions sophomore year took place at Glee Club Summer Camp held in late August or early September 1950 at Camp Van Schoonhoven. The camp was intended to give us an early start in learning the music for the year with special emphasis on our participation in the Harvest Song Festival for the benefit of the Heart Fund. This was a competition for New York state choruses and glee clubs held in October 1950 in Carnegie Hall. Fred Waring, the well-known band leader and choral director, served as the master of ceremonies and as one of the judges. We appeared 92 strong, sang Listen to the Salutation of the Dawn and Border Ballad, and captured the first-place trophy.”