On Sunday, April 16th 2023, the Naperville Men’s Glee Club put on their spring concert titled “It’s a Grand Night for Singing” at Wentz Concert Hall in Downtown Naperville. The concert, which kicked off performances for their 35th anniversary year, featured many popular tunes across genres of music. Joining the glee club was the Thunderstones, an acapella quartet of the Wheaton College Men’s Glee Club, which sang a few pieces on their own then joined the Naperville Men’s Glee Club onstage for their final song.
It was a “Grand Night for Singing” indeed
The Naperville Men’s Glee Club, which consists of talented community members under the direction of John Rakes, performed a program ranging from Beethoven to Gershwin with music exploring grandeur, night, music of Broadway, and of course singing. Amongst some of the more popular songs were “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from the hit musical-movie The Sound of Music and “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables. Glee Club President, Dave Mueller, took the stage to welcome the audience to the club’s 35th year of making music in the Naperville Community. The Glee Club sang many numbers as a whole group, then split into smaller groups to continue the performance, each group having their own unique repertoire which kept the audience engaged. In addition to John Rakes’ conducting, assistant director Joel Jamison also joined the group onstage to conduct the piece “Sure On This Shining Night,” as well as sang in the club’s tenor section. Timothy Stacy, assistant accompanist and tenor joined pianist/principal accompanist Melanie Brsan for a lively number, “I’m Gonna Sing When the Spirit Says Sing,” for which the pair both played on the same piano. The concert showcased a true variety which is representative of the club’s members each ranging in age and musical background, and was the perfect kick-off to their 35th season.
Check out concerts and events in the Naperville community.
