Purdue Varsity Glee Club

Purdue Varsity Glee Club – Starting out humbly as an eleven-member group under the leadership of Lafayette organist Cyrus Dadswell, the Purdue Glee Club is an internationally-known chorus of around sixty members under the direction of William E. Griffel. The longest running director was Albert Stewart who led and expanded the group from 1932 to 1974. Known for their clean-cut appearance replete with short hair and a white carnation on their uniforms, the glee club members uphold a high standard of excellence in terms of their musical performance and personal character. In addition to performing all over the United States, the Glee Club has toured the British Isles, China, the South Pacific, and most recently South Africa (2008). Since 1933, the group has given a very popular Christmas Show, which it performs six times to capacity crowds that collectively exceed 30,000 listeners.