Purdue Varsity Glee Club ‘Wows’ Audience In Syracuse
March 3, 2024 at 3:48 p.m.
SYRACUSE - The Purdue Varsity Glee Club wowed the audience Friday night when it returned to Syracuse, according to a news release from Chautauqua-Wawasee.
The performance in the Wawasee High School auditorium was introduced by Syracuse resident and Purdue alumni Russell Anderson, followed by 70 club members running down the aisles to the stage and quickly filling the risers to begin the show.
Thee featured many genres and diversity of music as well as solos and “specialty groups,” such as an Indian quintet dressed in traditional kurta attire.
The different kinds of music ranged from romantic songs to religious hymns to the Beatles’ “Obladi Oblada,” show tune “Ol’ Man River,” movie tune “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” a barbershop quartet singing “Kiss From a Rose” and Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild,” sung by a 1950s leather jacket trio. Solos were sung by Elkhart native Patrick Petersen and Goshen’s Brian Schneider.
Barbara Armstrong, of Wawasee and Westfield, said, “Scott and I saw them in Westfield a week ago. Because this year’s performance was the best of the previous four we’ve seen, we were eager to drive up for an encore appearance.”
The Syracuse performance, led by William Griffel, director, and Scott Hines, assistant director, was their last public show for the 2023-24 school year.
The Glee Club arrived in Syracuse at 5 p.m., warmed up singing then was served dinner by the Wawasee High School Culinary Arts class. They performed from 7:30 to 9 p.m., met with family and friends in the surge area until 9:30 p.m. and sang one final song, then boarded the buses to return to West Lafayette, the release states.
Chautauqua plans to invite them to perform in spring 2026.
The Purdue Varsity Glee Club has an established reputation for musical excellence, according to the release. Founded in 1893, the Purdue Varsity Glee Club’s core principles are education and growth, diversity and inclusion, student leadership and stewardship.
The next event sponsored by Chautauqua-Wawasee will be May 7 at 7 p.m. at Wawasee High School. Shanna Zolman Mahaley returns to her hometown school to present a program about her faith and basketball career. This event is free to attend.
SYRACUSE - The Purdue Varsity Glee Club wowed the audience Friday night when it returned to Syracuse, according to a news release from Chautauqua-Wawasee.
The performance in the Wawasee High School auditorium was introduced by Syracuse resident and Purdue alumni Russell Anderson, followed by 70 club members running down the aisles to the stage and quickly filling the risers to begin the show.
Thee featured many genres and diversity of music as well as solos and “specialty groups,” such as an Indian quintet dressed in traditional kurta attire.
The different kinds of music ranged from romantic songs to religious hymns to the Beatles’ “Obladi Oblada,” show tune “Ol’ Man River,” movie tune “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” a barbershop quartet singing “Kiss From a Rose” and Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild,” sung by a 1950s leather jacket trio. Solos were sung by Elkhart native Patrick Petersen and Goshen’s Brian Schneider.
Barbara Armstrong, of Wawasee and Westfield, said, “Scott and I saw them in Westfield a week ago. Because this year’s performance was the best of the previous four we’ve seen, we were eager to drive up for an encore appearance.”
The Syracuse performance, led by William Griffel, director, and Scott Hines, assistant director, was their last public show for the 2023-24 school year.
The Glee Club arrived in Syracuse at 5 p.m., warmed up singing then was served dinner by the Wawasee High School Culinary Arts class. They performed from 7:30 to 9 p.m., met with family and friends in the surge area until 9:30 p.m. and sang one final song, then boarded the buses to return to West Lafayette, the release states.
Chautauqua plans to invite them to perform in spring 2026.
The Purdue Varsity Glee Club has an established reputation for musical excellence, according to the release. Founded in 1893, the Purdue Varsity Glee Club’s core principles are education and growth, diversity and inclusion, student leadership and stewardship.
The next event sponsored by Chautauqua-Wawasee will be May 7 at 7 p.m. at Wawasee High School. Shanna Zolman Mahaley returns to her hometown school to present a program about her faith and basketball career. This event is free to attend.