About Us

Currently in it’s 150th anniversary year, the prestigious Rutgers University Glee Club holds a distinctive position on campus that few groups or organizations could claim. Founded in 1872, it is the oldest student-run organization, a credited class, and is easily one of the most recognizable groups on campus to students and faculty alike. While the singers of the RUGC sing traditional songs of Rutgers history for public events and celebrations, their intense rehearsals are dedicated to challenging choral music that is respected internationally, allowing them to be recognized as one of the top male choral ensembles in the United States. As a result, they have sung all over the world, and plan to have their international tour in Italy in May of 2022.

 

Underneath the musical excellence is a strong community rarely found in student societies of today. Countless traditions can be seen continuing on, such as the annual “Soup Bowl” where the Rutgers University Marching Band compete against the RUGC in a game of flag football, singing and eating in pizzerias after late-night rehearsals, or organizing a summer BBQ where alumni return to see past friends.

 

 

Despite shifts in membership every year, the Rutgers University Glee Club maintains its role as a standard-bearer for the University and its traditions. But its members don’t sing or put in the long hours of rehearsal solely for the sake of tradition. It’s the constant spirit and joy for music that allows the broadest of differences to be bridged, and for many voices to become one.

 

We are, and will always be “Ever Changing, yet eternally the same.”

Inclusion Statement:

The Rutgers Glee Club has rendered the spirit of the university since its inception in 1872 and, over 150 years later, continues to do so with pride. Throughout its history, the members of the Glee Club have represented a wide range of personalities, ideas, and worldviews. The institution and membership of the Glee Club do not wish to ignore or erase our storied past; rather, we wish to acknowledge and commit ourselves to creating an environment that welcomes any person who wishes to sing beside us, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation. This includes, now especially, groups of people who have been historically or systematically disenfranchised and therefore left out of our organization’s unique combination of bonds in friendship and musical excellence. The Glee Club emphasizes that while its classification in name and status has constantly evolved, its membership remains a group of high-level tenors and basses, without exclusionary regard of gender identity or expression. The Glee Club commits itself to embody the nature of our rapidly changing campus, country, and society, in hopes of living up to its credo.