Glee club prepares for spring concert

What do magician Harry Blackstone and the University Men's Glee Club director, Dr. Jerry Blackstone, have in common? In addition to rhyming and similar names, anyone who has heard the Men's Glee Club perform might argue that both Blackstones are magicians. In the time that Dr. Blackstone has been in charge of the Men's Glee Club, he has used his magic baton to lead the group to great success throughout the United States, as well as the rest of world.

PREVIEW
	Men's Glee Club Saturday at 8 p.m. Hill Auditorium $3 for students

Most recently, Blackstone and the Men's Glee Club traveled to California to perform at the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), held in San Diego over spring break. This convention was one of the oldest and most prestigious gatherings of choral directors in the world, and the University Men's Glee Club was the only collegiate men's choir to perform there this year, which was quite an honor for them, as well as for the University. Blackstone held the audiences spellbound and the group received many enthusiastic compliments.

This Saturday, the Men's Glee Club performs at its 137th Annual Spring Concert in Hill Auditorium. This concert gives University students a chance to experience this world-renowned, magical phenomenon first hand. In the span of two hours, Blackstone will captivate audience members as he leads this extremely talented group in a repertoire consisting of pieces in a variety of styles, as well as a number of languages. From sacred music to freedom songs to the University fight song, the Men's Glee Club will entertain and astonish their audience in English, French, German, Hebrew, Latin and Russian.

As an added bonus, the Friars will be performing a few pieces of their own. The Friars are an eight-member a capella subset of the Men's Glee Club. In addition to being extremely charismatic, and known for throwing squeaky toys and T-shirts out to their audiences, the Friars are very talented singers. As their most recent concert banners declared, the Friars are "kid-tested, mother-approved," and will be sure to entertain anyone and everyone in attendance.

As the second oldest collegiate choir in America, the Men's Glee Club first began in 1859, and holds the title as the oldest student organization here at the University. Since that time, the Glee Club has performed throughout the world, in places as diverse as Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America. In addition to traveling, the Men's Glee Club has competed at a number of music festivals, winning, among other honors, four first place awards at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales - a record unsurpassed in the history of this "Rose Bowl" of choral competition.

Tickets are available through the Michigan Union Ticket Office, with prices ranging from $10 for reserved seating on the main floor to $3 student seating on the second balcony. The concert is therefore relatively inexpensive for such quality entertainment. Blackstone probably won't be pulling a rabbit out of his hat, but hearing a hundred well-dressed college guys singing perfectly in a half-dozen or so different languages is perhaps an even greater feat. The evening promises to be a magical experience, so put off those end-of-term papers and go see the Men's Glee Club in action this Saturday evening.

Dr. Jerry Blackstone conducts the University Men's Glee Club at Hill Auditorium.

04-11-97