Please visit our Advertisers for our 2007 Concert Season Program! Since their inception, the Naperville Men's Glee Club has been recognized
with numerous honors including grants from the Illinois Arts Council,
the Traveler's/Citigroup Foundation, the DuPage Community Foundation,
the AT&T Foundation, the Target Foundation and the Naperville
Jaycees and honors from the New York Choral Festival and the National
Festival of the States in Washington D.C.. They have also performed nationally on CBS-TV.
They have organized and performed in joint concerts with the
United
States Naval Academy Men's Glee Club of Annapolis, Maryland; the
Miami University Men's
Glee Club from Oxford,
Ohio; the Varsity Men's Glee
Club from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and the
Purdue University Varsity
Glee Club of West Lafayette, Indiana. In addition, they organized
eight local choruses in a Plainfield tornado relief benefit and performed
with them at the Paramount
Theater in Aurora. A registered not-for-profit organization, the Naperville Men's Glee Club is dedicated to a high quality of male vocal music and combining it with strong fellowship. They promote male choral music in the schools as well as performing at various community functions. They gratefully accept financial support; checks may be made out to The Naperville Men's Glee Club and mailed to 744 Wildflower Circle, Naperville IL 60540. A performance fee schedule, including special not-for-profit group rates, is available; general inquiries and performance requests should be directed to the vice president, Dave Mueller, by phoning (630) 291-2569.
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Hear the Glee Club
Selections from our compact disc "Celebrating Ten Years of Harmony" (NMGC98).
If you are interested in purchasing a CD or audio cassette, please contact
our Album Sales Coordinator, Jim Ford, at ford@nmgc.org.Musical recordings copyright 1998 The Naperville Men's Glee Club. All rights reserved.
The Naperville Men's Glee Club Theme SongNMGCTheme.mp3 / 1.04MB / 1:06 / Music & lyrics by Dave Mueller; arr. B. Klee Roberts/ Recorded 8/29/98
Steal Away
StealAway.mp3 / 2.67MB / 2:50 / Trad.; arr. B. Klee Roberts/ Recorded 8/29/98Note: These songs require an MP3 (MPEG Layer 3 Audio) Player; if you do not have thew newest version of Microsoft's Media Player (which can handle MP3), you can download an MP3 player from mp3.com at http://www.mp3.com/software/players.html.
See the Glee Club
Video from our Tenth Anniversary Concert, February 21, 1998Video copyright 1998 The Naperville Men's Glee Club. All rights reserved.
Steal Away
nmgc10th.mpg / 4.02MB / 1:31 / Trad.; arr. B. Klee Roberts/ Recorded 2/21/98
Photo Albums
Our Tenth Anniversary Tour, St. Louis, Missouri, October 2-4, 1998
All photographs copyright 1998 The Naperville Men's Glee Club. All rights reserved.The University of Illinois Varsity Men's Glee Club Spring Concert,
Krannert Center, Urbana, Ilinois, April 10, 1999
All photographs copyright 1999 The Naperville Men's Glee Club. All rights reserved.See later photo albums at http://www.pbase.com/galleries/nmgc/.
Recent Performance History
Saturday, May 3rd, 
: A Gala Evening of Celebration with Reception,
Concert and Mini-Auction celebrating the Twentieth Anniversary of The Naperville Men’s Glee Club; Reception and Auction at 6:00, Concert at 7:00.
Grace United Methodist Church, 300 East Gartner Road, Naperville, Illinois. General Admission $15, Students & Seniors $12.
Made possible in part by the City of Naperville and the Illinois Arts Council.
Saturday, March 8th, 2008 at 7:00pm: The Naperville Men's Glee Club presents the PENN STATE GLEE CLUB, also featuring Downers Grove South High School and Naperville North High School choral performers; in the auditorium of Downers Grove South High School 1436 Norfolk Street (63rd & Dunham), Downers Grove, Illinois [get directions]. Sponsored in part by the City of Naperville and the Illinois Arts Council. $10 General Admission; $5 for students with student ID. Posters: PDF / Flash.
Saturday, December 8th, 2007 at 7:00pm and Sunday, December 9th, 2007 at 4:30pm: Christmas Presence: Our Family & Friends Christmas Concert with Two Performances!, Wesley United Methodist Church 21 E Franklin, Naperville, Illinois. Sponsored by Target, the City of Naperville, and the Illinois Arts Council.
Saturday, October 7th, 2007 2:30pm: Singing for Seniors, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1310 Shepherd Dr., Naperville, Illinois. Call 630/637-2637 for advance ticket purchase.
Saturday, April 28, 2007, 6:00pm:The Gift of Music Silent Auction & Spring Concert, Sts. Peter & Paul Ministry Center, 30 N Ellsworth Ave, Naperville, Illinois. Silent Auction at 6:00, Concert at 7:00. Proceeds benefitted in part the North Central College Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center, and featured special guests Brian Lynch and NCC Express from North Central College in Naperville.
Saturday December 9, 2006, 7pm: Christmas Presence, a Christmas concert with family and friends featuring Kristy Glass, Wesley United Methodist Church 21 E Franklin, Naperville, Illinois. Sponsored by Target, the City of Naperville, and the Illinois Arts Council.
Sunday October 15, 2006, 4pm: Grace United Methodist Church Concert Series, Grace United Methodist Church, 300 East Gartner Road, Naperville, Illinois.
Sunday October 22, 2006, 7pm: First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake Concert Series, First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake, 236 West Crystal Lake Ave, Crystal Lake, Illinois. (Free!)
Sunday July 30, 2006, 6pm: Naperville 175th Anniversary Concert with the Naperville Light Guard Band, Central Park Bandshell, Naperville, Illinois. (Free!)
Thursday July 6, 2006, 7:45pm: Naperville Municipal Band Concert, Central Park Bandshell, Naperville, Illinois. (Free!)
Saturday, May 6, 2006, 6:00pm: Hearts of Gold Silent Auction & Spring Concert, Sts. Peter & Paul Ministry Center, 30 N Ellsworth Ave, Naperville, Illinois. Silent Auction at 6:00, Concert at 7:00. Benefitting Krejci Academy.
Saturday, April 22, 2006: Songfest '06 Men's Choral Conference hosted by the Varsity Men's Glee Club, University of Illinois at Urbana, Dr. Barrington Coleman, Conductor and Almeda Berkey, Guest Conductor; with the Notre Dame Men's Glee Club and the Purdue Varsity Men's Glee Club. Conference Concert at 7:30 pm, Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. The concert featured new commissioned works by composer and arranger Jackson Berkey, who accompanied the chorus.
Saturday, February 11, 2006, 7:30pm: Sandwich Opera House Series, Sandwich Opera House, 140 E. Railroad Street, Sandwich, Illinois.
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The
Naperville Men's Glee Club...
rehearses every Saturday from 9:30 to 11:00 AM at:
| Church of the Brethren 1020 West Jefferson Naperville, Illinois USA |
Admission to the Glee Club is through invitation or audition. Auditions may be arranged anytime by contacting our president, Ron Plain, at (630) 452-1458.
Interested men are welcome to join the Glee Club for a rehearsal or two before the audition. No special preparation or materials are needed for the audition.
Information of specific interest to members of the Glee Club is maintainted in our Member Zone (username and password required for entry).
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Staff
Founder and Artistic Director
Bonnie Klee Roberts
Bonnie Roberts received her early musical theater and performance training at New Trier High School, Winnetka, Illinois, under the direction of Dr. William J. Peterman. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois, studying voice with James Bailey and music education with Dr. Coleen Kirk and Dr. Bennett Reimer. During her U of I years, she worked with guest artists Robert Shaw and John Cage and also assisted with doctoral research into the needs of married women students. Ms. Roberts has completed additional graduate study at the U of I and taken courses at North Central College and Northwestern University.
Ms. Roberts has served as a choral director for forty years, primarily in the Boston, San Francisco and Chicago areas. She is also the arranger of many choral works and a vocal performer. She has been a public and private school music and special education classroom teacher and aide at all age levels and home-schooled one of her children with special health needs. Junior and Senior High choral groups prepared for competition in festivals and conferences under her direction have consistently received the highest ratings.
Ms. Roberts has been awarded the Key to the City of Naperville by Mayor George Pradel for her work with the Glee Club and in the community. She has received the Naperville Jaycees Distinguished Service Award for her work in the arts. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and Chorus America.
Principal Accompanist
Melanie Brsan
Melanie Brsan has a bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), 2001. She has been performing since the age of 8, accompanying since the age of 12, and teaching since the age of 15. Among her most notable awards was winning the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, in which she had the honor of performing as piano soloist with the orchestra. She has also received awards for performances at jazz festivals.
Along with performing solo concerts, Ms. Brsan accompanies instrumentalists, vocalists, accomplished opera singers, and plays with chamber music ensembles throughout the Chicago area. She also does free-lancing at retirement homes, churches, weddings, banquets, parties, and corporate functions. Melanie is involved in her local community of Joliet as an accompanist/pianist for choirs and churches.
Ms. Brsan has over 30 piano students from the Joliet and the surrounding area. She continues her post-graduate education by attending various pedagogy conferences and workshops throughout the country. Melanie is on the piano and chamber faculty at the Kankakee Valley Piano and Chamber Camp. In 2003, Melanie was chosen as a finalist for the MTNA Studio Fellowship Award for best new teacher in the United States. In her free time, she enjoys going to the 'city'-Chicago-to see live jazz and classical music and try various cuisines.
Executive Board Member
Jeffrey Ray
An accomplished and celebrated singer, Mr. Ray is heard as a Baritone soloist in both opera and concert halls throughout America and Europe. He made his U.S. operatic debut in 1995 in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Don Pasquale while a member of their esteemed “Lyric Opera Center for American Artists.” That same season, he also sang the role of Fleville in Andrea Chenier. Two years later, he debuted in Europe at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Lescaut in a new production of Massenet’s Manon, and as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly which he repeated many times with both Deutsche Oper Berlin and Utah Opera. He returned successfully to both continents adding many new roles to his repertoire.
Jeffrey’s concert engagements have taken him to New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center’s Avery Fischer Hall, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Munich and Salzburg. He cherishes his opportunities to sing at the Ravinia Festival. Mr. Ray has also been heard locally as soloist in the Mozart Requiem with the Elgin Symphony and in the Brahm’s Requiem with the Elgin Choral Union. He sings regularly with the DuPage Symphony, and University of Chicago Symphony. In April 2006 he joined The Naperville Chorus as the Baritone soloist in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem.Jeffrey is the proud father of three wonderful children, ages 6, 4 and 2. While he has put his operatic travels on hold for now, he continues to be an avid recitalist and concert singer. Mr. Ray is a member of the voice faculty at both North Park University and the University of St. Francis, with a thriving voice studio. Jeff is the recipient of many awards and honors including those from the American Opera Society, the Chicago Union League and the American Berlin Opera Foundation. He can also be heard regularly as soloist for the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs teams singing the National Anthem.
Jeffrey served as the first Executive Director of the Naperville Men’s Glee Club.
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Performance History
Founded in 1988, The Naperville Men's Glee Club performs at various functions about once a month and produces a full concert twice a year. Highlights of our performance schedule include:| CBS-TV | CBS This Morning |
1990 |
| Paramount Theatre | Voices for Relief Benefit |
1990 |
| Marine Corps Birthday Ball | 1990, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95, |
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| White Sox | 1990, '91, '92, '93, '95, '96, '97, '98, |
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| United States Naval Academy Men's Glee Club, Annapolis, Maryland | Joint Concert |
1991 |
| Lisle Park District | Summer Series |
1993, '94 '95 |
| NCTV Christmas Show | 1993 |
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| Medinah Country Club | 1993 |
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| Easter Seals Telethon |
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1993, '94, '97, '99 |
| Miami University (Ohio) Men's Glee Club | Joint Concert |
1993, '94, '99, '02 |
| Varsity Men's Glee Club, University of Illinois | Joint Concert |
1994, '98, '99, '02, '06 |
| Chicago Hilton | 1994 |
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| Naperville Mayoral/City Council Inauguration | 1995 |
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| DuPage Mayors Conference | 1995 |
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| Purdue University Varsity Men's Glee Club | Joint Concert |
1995 |
| Retired Officers Association | 1997 |
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| McDonald's Corporation |
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1999 |
| Lincoln Center, New York | New York Choral Festival |
2000 |
| Intercollegiate Men's Choruses National Seminar | 2001 |
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| Washington National Cathederal | Festival of the States | 2003 |
Types of Music Performed...
...includes a wide range of a cappella and accompanied music, both sacred and secular, including:- Show Tunes
- Contemporary Modern & Vintage Jazz
- Spirituals
- Traditional Men's Glee Club
- Renaissance Madrigals
- Classical Repertoire
- Patriotic and Service Songs
- Romantic Ballads
Awards and Recognitions:
New York Choral Festival (Lincoln Center, New York), Highest Rating 2000
Illinois Arts Council
Grant, 1992-93, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000,
2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-29006, 2006-2007
City of Naperville Culture Fund Grant, 2005, 2006, 2007
Naperville
Jaycees Grant, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Travelers' & Citigroup Foundation Grants, 1996,
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
AT&T Foundation
Grant, 1995, 1996, 1997
Lucent Foundation Grant, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Target Foundation Grant, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
The James L. Moser Foundation Grant, 2003
Sara Lee Foundation Matching Gift, 2003
Computer Associates Matching Gift, 2003
Proclamation from the City of Naperville, 1998, 2003
State of Illinois House Resolution, 1999
Festival of the States, 2003, 2008
Affiliations
Member: Chorus AmericaMember: The Naperville Chamber of Commerce
Member: Project Millenium 1998-2000
Range of Performance
Full 50-Voice Male Glee ClubEight Voice Sea-Chanty and Pop Group (Voice Male)
Eight Voice Jazz and Pop Group (Silver Lining)
Various Tenor, Baritone, and Bass Soloists
Get the Big Picture
Large versions of the photo of the Glee Club at the top of the page, suitable for print reproduction:- Color: gleeclub_big.jpg / 2,695,560 bytes / 1746 pixels x 1397 pixels x 16 Million Colors (about a 5 minute download at 28.8kbps)
- Black & White: gleeclub_big_bw.jpg / 617,259 bytes / 1746 pixels x 1397 pixels x 256 Colors (about a 2 minute download at 28.8kbps)
The Glee Club represents just a portion of the cultural landscape in Naperville, which also is home to:
- The Naperville Municipal Band
- The Naperville Chorus
- The Young Naperville Singers
- The Summer Place Theatre
- Singing for Seniors
Our thanks to Webmaster Sources LLC, Naperville, Illinois, for hosting our Web page.
Further Information
| President: John Bodine president@nmgc.org |
Membership Chairman: Email: info@nmgc.org |
Audio Recording Sales: Jim Ford ford@nmgc.org |
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