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MEET OUR MEMBERS
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you're invited

 The Mendelssohn Glee Club

 

2023 ANNUAL WINTER HOLIDAY CONCERT
Tuesday, December 12, 7 pm

including music of the season and works by

Brahms, Gershwin, Randall Thompson, Prokofiev, Cy Coleman
 & Dorothy Fields, Rachmaninoff, Peter Yarrow, Scriabin,
Meredith Willson, Tchaikovsky, Mel Tormé, Tom Lehrer

guest artist

Alexandra Beliakovich, pianist

champagne reception to follow concert

new venue/Upper West Side

THE CENTER AT WEST PARK
West Park Presbyterian Church, 165 West 86th Street
(northeast corner of West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
 entrance on Amsterdam Avenue)

admission free

 
THIS CONCERT IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY A  GRANT
FROM THE CONDUCtORS CLUB OF NEW YORK
 
 

Love to Sing?
J O I N  U S!

Become a Part of Our
 Venerable 157-Year History

click here to meet our members

ontact conductor Gene Wisoff
917-916-1959 or click here

 
 
MGC Sings Star-Spangled Banner
At Mets Game September 27

click here for video
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
  JOIN   MEMBERS   DONATIONS      
  OUR CONDUCTOR   HISTORY   CONTACT US 
 
 

DONATIONS

The Mendelssohn Glee Club was able to reach its historic 150th-year  milestone because of supporters like you. Please know that we are grateful to our loyal and generous audience for helping us to continue our tradition of presenting free performances.

MGC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All contributions are tax deductible.

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To donate directly to MGC via PayPal using a credit card,
click here. (PayPal account not needed to use this service.)

 

Click here to learn more about other ways to donate.

 

JOIN US
 

Men who have some music-reading ability or musical or choral experience are invited to audition.

To schedule an audition, please contact the conductor, Gene Wisoff, at 917-916-1959 or click here.
 

REHEARSALS

We rehearse on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 163 W. 93rd Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues).

Computer sheet music with audible notes for each voice is provided to facilitate learning at home.

day and time
Monday from 7 to 9:15 pm. Street parking is usually available at our rehearsal hours. 

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CONTACT US

To make an appointment for an audition, please contact conductor Gene Wisoff (email) or phone 917-916-1959. 

For general questions about the Club or for additional information, please email MGC president Edward Darnall (click here).

 

 



 

 

 
ABOUT MGC

The Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York City was founded in 1866, celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2016. Named for composer Felix Mendelssohn, the Club has presented at least two free concerts in every year since its founding. The nonprofit organization is the oldest noncollege-affiliated men’s chorus in the country and the second oldest independent musical organization (after the New York Philharmonic).

The Club gives two major performances a year, in May and December.
 

Repertoire

We are always adding to our eclectic library of over 1,600 male choral pieces. Our repertoire includes art songs, ballads, spirituals, hymns, seasonal works, operatic choruses, lieder, barbershop songs, and selections from musical theater. 

 

Historic highlights

The glee club received accolades from Sir Arthur Sullivan and Arturo Toscanini and sang at the dedication of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1888.  Its conductors have included Joseph Mosenthal, Edward MacDowell, Frank Damrosch, Cesare Sodero, Emerson Buckley, and John Royer Bogue. Guest soloists have included Victor Herbert, Helen Traubel, Aprile Millo, and Emily Pulley. 

Click here to see detailed history.

 

Benefit recitals and
special performances


The Club serves the community by performing at local hospitals and senior centers and singing at special events. 

We welcome the opportunity to share our joy of singing. If you would be interested in having the Club perform for your organization, please contact us.

 

Men Who Sing:
Documentary about MGC

Men Who Sing: The 56-minute documentary follows the Club from rehearsals through performances over two years, providing glimpses of the singers and conductor at work and at play, and features interviews with both members and others connected to the chorus.

Click here to order DVD from Amazon.com.

 

About Felix Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn was born on February 3, 1809, in Hamburg, Germany. His best-known works include A Midsummer Night's Dream (with the famous "Wedding March"); his four symphonies (especially the "Italian" and the "Scottish"); a violin concerto; piano pieces entitled Songs Without Words; and the oratorio Elias (a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and soloists).

Mendelssohn inspired the creation of many choral clubs -- amateur and professional -- including the Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York City, founded in 1866.

The Mendelssohn name was adopted in recognition of the composer's important role, historically, in choral music. Not the least of his contributions to European and world culture was his crusade to bring attention to the choral works, genius, and deserved preeminence of Johann Sebastian Bach.

 
 
MGC AT 150
 
In 2016 the Mendelssohn Glee Club celebrated its 150th anniversary with two gala concerts.

An Opera Slam was presented at Merkin Concert Hall on May 10, 2016. The guest soloists, eight artists from the world of opera, included Met stars soprano Aprile Millo and tenor Barry Banks.

The Club performed works from its extensive repertoire and new music, with a premiere by celebrated composer Mohammed Fairouz.

WQXR morning host Jeff Spurgeon emceed the event, local politicians presented proclamations and plaques, and the Club was honored to have a vice president of the New-York Historical Society, Dr. Valerie Paley, give a brief talk about the cultural life of New York City in the1860s.

see video below
 

The Club presented a second gala concert at the Stephen Wise Synagogue (West 68th Street) on December 13.

The performance featured music from the Great American Songbook. Guest artists included jazz pianist John di Martino and vocalists Lauren Kinhan and Judy Niemack. 

 
Mendelssohn Glee Club, May 10, 2016
150th anniversary concert (part 1)
 
Mendelssohn Glee Club, May 10, 2016
150th anniversary concert (part 2)
 

Contact us

To make an appointment for an audition, please contact conductor Gene Wisoff (email) or phone 917-916-1959. 

For general questions about the Club or for additional information, please email MGC president Edward Darnall (click here).

 
 
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