Fort Wayne area Varsity Glee Club members, left to right, are junior Sam Simpson, graduate of Bishop Dwenger High School; senior Stephen Wirtner, graduate of Homestead High School; senior Micah Reynolds, graduate of Concordia High School and junior Zach Bucher, graduate of Adams Central High School.
Returning to the Fort Wayne area for the second time this year is the heralded Purdue Varsity Glee Club. The 65-member male chorus will present their entertaining brand of music and showmanship in concert at the John & Ruth Rhinehart Music Center on the Purdue Fort Wayne campus Friday, October 26. They’ll be joined by members of the Singing Dons from the local campus.
Infomation on line at pfw.edu/tickets. Click on Purdue Varsity Glee Club in Concert to choose seats.
Four members of the ensemble are from the Fort Wayne area. Senior Micah Reynolds, a Concordia High School graduate, plays bass guitar in the back-up ensemble and is son of Douglas and Natalie Reynolds. He’s studying civil engineering. Senior Stephen Wirtner, a Homestead High School graduate, is studying electrical engineering technology. He’s the son of Greg and Cindy Wirtner. Sam Simpson is a junior studying mass communications and political science. He graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School and is son of Sam and Virginia Simpson. Zach Bucher is a junior studying management and accounting. He’s an Adams Central High School graduate and son of Trent and Kelli Bucher.
The Glee Club has served as ambassadors of the university with honor and dignity for 125 years. They’ve thrilled audiences across the state, the country and around the world with a musical repertoire that ranges from gospel, jazz, swing, religious and contemporary music to romantic ballads, barbershop harmony, folk tunes, patriotic selections and novelty numbers. They also showcase small groups specializing in a variety of popular music.
Over the years the group has performed in such storied venues as Carnegie Hall, the Crystal Palace and at several presidential inauguration venues in Washington, D.C. Internationally, they’ve sung in Australia, China, South Africa, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, United Kingdom and most recently in Poland and the Baltic States.
Widely known as a world class engineering institution, Purdue does not have a music degree program. They participate in the Glee Club because of their love of music and do not receive academic credit. Their majors range from photography, education, health and fitness, accounting and management to sciences and numerous engineering disciplines.
