The Harvard Choruses are three choral ensembles at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, consisting of the

Harvard Glee Club The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. The Glee Club is part of the H ...

, the

Radcliffe Choral Society The Radcliffe Choral Society (RCS) is a 60-voice treble choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1899, it is one of the country's oldest soprano-alto choruses and one of its most prominent collegiate choirs. With the tenor-bass Harvard ...

, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum (respectively a men's, a women's, and a mixed chorus.) Each year the three Harvard Choruses combine to perform a large choral-orchestral work. The Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus is an adjunct member, consisting of both Harvard students and members of the broader community, and serving in part as a training chorus for the other groups. The Harvard Choruses are under the direction of Harvard's Director of Choral Activities, Andrew Clark.

History

The all-male Harvard Glee-Club, the oldest university choir (collegiate glee-club) in America, was established in 1858 by the president of Harvard's

Pierian Sodality The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO) is a collegiate symphony orchestra comprising Harvard students and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in March 1808 as the Pierian Sodality, the orchestra is considered by some the oldest symphony orc ...

and several of their college friends. Archibald T. Davison was the Glee Club's first conductor and he served as choirmaster there before joining the Harvard Music Department in 1910. The members, a combination of undergraduate and graduate level students, are predominantly known for singing the Harvard Fight songs at university events and their four cardinal virtues: glee, good humor, unity, and joy. In 1899 the Radcliffe Choral Society was established as a treble choral ensemble. The group is student run and managed. More recently came the Harvard-Radcliffe ''Collegium Musicum'' which boasts the only co-ed membership of the three groups, and focuses primarily on early-Renaissance music. Until 2016, the Harvard Choruses were commonly known as the Holden Choruses or Holden Chapel Choirs, names derived from the choirs' original rehearsal and office space at

Holden Chapel Holden Chapel is a small building in Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University. Completed in 1744, it is the third oldest building at Harvard and one of the oldest college buildings in America. Early history In December 1741, Mrs. Samuel H ...

Harvard Yard Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest part of the Harvard University campus, its historic center and modern crossroads. It contains most of the freshman dormitories, Harvard's most important libraries, Memorial Church, sever ...

. The choir groups are known for being competitive within the three groups themselves, yet there is a fraternity-like bond within the male Glee club and the unique groups themselves convene for social activities that allow close bonding and networking opportunities.

References

External links

Holden Choirs

Harvard Glee Club

Radcliffe Choral Society

Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
Harvard University musical groups Choirs in Massachusetts University choirs {{US-singing-group-stub