The Glee Gab Volume 27, Issue 2, Spring 2010 Director Dr. Patrick Gardner 732-932-1799 [email protected] Advisor Dr. Peter R. Gillett 732-445-4765 [email protected] 2009–2010 Senior Officers President Rich Wells [email protected] Business Manager Dan Comito [email protected] Treasurer Matt Prepis [email protected] Vice President Alumni Relations Matthew Gunther [email protected] Vice President Special Organizational Affairs Steve Rocha [email protected] Inside This Issue Let the Hunt Begin ...Page 3 Alumni Corner: Peter Stamboulis ...Page 6 The Official Newsletter of the Rutgers University Glee Club SOUP BOWL: ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER VICTORY DR. PATRICK GARDNER DIRECTOR PETER FABIAN, SAS ’11 EXECUTIVE SECRETARY 2009–2010 B R reak! We jogged out of the huddle and made utgers University Glee Club members share our way to the waiting and eager line of many memories of the Christmas in Carol Marching Band defenders just beyond the line and Song concert series, including that marvelof scrimmage. We had the wide side of the field ous moment that occurs each year—the awesome to our right and we called a 38 misdirection silence that follows the thundering final chords sweep to make better use of this space. We sank of Honegger’s King David. After that expectant into our stances and the cadence began. Red 42, moment, the minister quietly breaks the silence Red 42, set … hit! A front side down block by with one of the final readings and the choirs and the guard and a reach block by the center take the audience prepare for Silent Night and the end care of the primary threat; now we look towards of another traditional Rutgers event. Imagine my the secondary blocks. The full back leads with a surprise then as I heard the front of our audience spectacular block of the scraping outside lineat the second “show” this last Christmas burst backer and the wide receiver expertly stalk blocks into loud and raucous applause at that moment, the corner. Unfortunately, the safety is flying up complete with a few audible gasps. and has a clear bead on our tailback to Well, my first thought as the director make the stop well before the first down was that I needed to talk to Ed Potosnak “Pride in marker. Suddenly, out of nowhere the and the 40 or 50 alumni and friends Musical back side guard pulls and lays a huge that come to that particular show each Excellence kick-out block on the safety, blindsiding year directly from Ed’s merry Christmas Since 1872” party. Perhaps the bar was stocked a bit him and leaving an open lane to the end zone. The tailback scampers in on the too well this year and our alumni just right pylon and sudcouldn’t contain themdenly the whole field selves. But it turns out erupts in cheers. Glee that wasn’t needed. Club has scored again! There was a wonderful What, you may ask, reason for that apis this description doplause and while our ing in the newsletter of singing was part of the such a historic musievent, at that particucal institution as the lar moment it wasn’t Rutgers University Glee the main event. For as Club? The Glee Club the last chords of King takes pride in musical David were building excellence, not athletic to double forte, recent prowess—or does it? alumnus and long time The description you El Supremo John CifeJust moments after its second consecutive Soup just read was just a lli had turned to his Bowl victory, the RUGC lets the celebration begin “Soup Bowl” continued on Page 2 Mason Gross School of the Arts RUGC & KC MARRIAGES “Marriages” continued on Page 4 The Rutgers University Glee Club is a performance ensemble of the Mason Gross School of the Arts Soup Bowl Continued from Page 1 Ever Changing Yet Eternally the Same 2009–2010 Junior Officers Executive Secreatary Peter Fabian SAS ‘12 Technology Coordinator Christopher Glass SAS ‘12 Public Relations Manager Jawray Yu SAS ‘12 Tour Manager Justin Sweeten SAS ‘12 Music Manager Cesar Rainho MGSA ‘12 Uniform Manager Geoff Ming RC ‘10 Historian Peter Weinmann SAS ‘12 Mason Gross School of the Arts brief glimpse of the annual event that we like to call “Soup Bowl.” You may have an idea about Soup (i.e., F. Austin “Soup” Walter), but I’m here to tell you that there’s much more to Soup than music. Enter Soup Bowl. The year 1971 marked the first time that the Rutgers University Glee Club and the Marching Scarlet Knights (otherwise known as the Marching Band) met within the hallowed confines of the gridiron. Under the common direction of the one and only Soup Walter, these two musical institutions were beginning to experience something of a rivalry. This rivalry came to a head at the annual homecoming football game which featured both football and a musical performance. The only problem was that Soup was the director for both groups and only one could perform at the game. So, as a way to remedy this situation, it was decided that there was nothing better than a friendly football game to sort out the differences; what higher stakes could there be than performing for the entire university in front of a homecoming crowd? The game has evolved considerably in the thirty-eight years since that historic event. We now play what could be called an altered form of flag football. Each team is allowed to have eight men (not eleven) on the regulation college-size field at a time and all players are required to wear flag belts. There are no pads worn and all NCAA rules apply to govern play, as enforced by up to four collegiate referees. While it may seem odd and out of character to play football with such different parameters, adjustments have been made and both sides have made the best of the situation. Out of the historic past, new traditions have sprung up. One annual fixture in the Soup Bowl season is the team Pasta Party. Members of the team (and any number of “fans”) gather together and cook a high-carb meal of pasta and bread, washed down with electrolyte-rich Gatorade, and begin the pre-game preparations. The previous year’s game film is always playing on the television and, following the meal, the graduating seniors are encouraged to address the team with their final thoughts. The following day the pregame meeting takes place in McKinney Hall, the very same place where we attend Club Rehearsal and related events. We play loud music, get dressed, get hyped up, and listen to the final The Glee Gab speeches from the coaches before we head over to the field in a motorcade with the Glee Club flag displayed out of the head car for all to see. When our preparation has paid off and we end the day with a victory over our muchscorned rivals, continue our newly extended traditions in our celebration. The central event of the post-game party is the pouring of the champagne and the passing of the “cup” (the game’s trophy) from which members may drink the sweet nectar of victory. Finally, following a brief time of reflection and deliberation by the coaching staff, the proverbial “Big Stick,” used to display the names of the players with the most impact in the year’s victory, is unveiled and members of Glee Club are able to congratulate their teammates once again for the great work done. The Rutgers University Glee Club is full of traditions dating as far back as its creation in 1872. No other student organization at the great Rutgers University can lay such a claim, yet this tradition of Soup Bowl may be one which you have never heard about. If you are intrigued by the idea of a men’s choir playing full contact, full intensity football against a marching band, please feel free to drop by next Fall and experience your very own piece of Glee Club history as we seek for a three-peat against our arch-rivals known simply as The Band. Call or email any of the Glee Club’s contact numbers and we will be sure to give you the details as times and dates can often be very flexible and only solidify at the last minute. If, however, you do dare to experience the greatness that is Soup Bowl, you will soon understand why we proudly sing “Falls as the Band does fall, so early in November!” The Soup Bowl Cup is a symbol of the victor’s year-long bragging rights Rutgers University Glee Club Page 2 LET THE HUNT BEGIN RICHARD WELLS, RC ’10 PRESIDENT 2009–2010 T he end of the Spring semester brings a great deal of celebration—graduation, summer break, new jobs, and trips to the shore. For the Glee Club, though, these things get put on hold for an extra week. In order for all the pomp and circumstance of graduation to have an effect, someone needs to ensure that the University’s Alma Mater is flawlessly showcased. In order to do this for the many ceremonies that occur during the week after final exams end, the Glee Club stays on campus to perform at a number of different graduations and other university events. You may be wondering: “What takes up the rest of their time?” or, “Surely they can’t be constantly performing at events all day for that whole time?” To shed some light on those inquiries, we’re giving you a look into one particular event that has become a highlight of the Glee Club’s extra week on the Banks. Although the performances are for the most part evenly distributed throughout the week, there is a period of about two and a half days in the middle of this week when nothing is scheduled. To pass the time, members of the Glee Club have the option to participate in an epic 24-hour scavenger hunt that challenges the mental and physical abilities of those who choose to embark on the quest to victory. This event, affectionately known as “Mike’s Hunt,” is an event that amid all the competition, brings friends closer together, creates new friendships, and stands out strongly in the memories of many alumni. Before detailing what makes Mike’s Hunt so much fun, one question must first be addressed: who is Mike? Despite the excitement with which members participate in the Hunt, no one seemed to be able to answer that question! Fortunately, at this year’s Homecoming an alumnus attended who enabled one of the greatest opportunities in Hunt history. Michael Costalas (RC ’91), the creator of Mike’s Hunt, modestly admitted his involvement with the event to a group of undergraduates at this year’s Homecoming gathering. Needless to say, Michael quickly made some new friends! After chatting with Michael for a while over winter break, I was given a look into the origins of his scavenger hunt. During his sophomore year at Rutgers, Michael and a few other members were looking for ways to create some teambuilding exercises. Michael decided to head a scavenger hunt that would encompass Rutgers trivia, leading participants on a wild goose chase throughout the Rutgers New Brunswick campus. This seven to eight hour scavenger hunt, first executed during the Spring semester of 1989, has evolved into a 24hour, inter-state, multifaceted competition. Despite the evolution of the present day Mike’s Hunt, the first few years of the hunt still proved to be a great challenge. Michael reflected on some of his favorite clues: “We managed to arrange the order of clues so that all the teams arrived at Passion Puddle at around the same time. Each team was assigned a color, and we attached clues to colored balloons that were floated into the lake. When the teams all showed up and saw the balloons, it was a mad dash into the puddle!” I asked if any teams were unfortunate enough to have their balloon end up in the middle, and Michael laughed as he remembered, “Well, one balloon caught a gust of wind and ended up about halfway to the middle, but thankfully no one had to really take a swim.” As we were discussing the various forms of clues, one that Michael encountered during his tenure as “hunt master” stuck out: a stereogram specifically for Mike’s Hunt! As I explained what the Hunt has progressed to, Michael was happy to hear that others in charge of the scavenger hunt had incorporated aspects that he and others who were there for the first few years had hoped to include. “We didn’t have an easy way to make videos at the time, and we were always Ever Changing Yet Eternally the Same To receive regular e-mail updates and concert announcements for the Glee Club, go to gleeclub. rutgers.edu and join the Alumni E-mailing List Participants in Mike’s Hunt 2009 listen intently to instructions for the upcoming round throwing around ideas but couldn’t figure out how to make it happen easily. Since we didn’t have cell phones either, we were limited in ways that we could contact teams in the middle of the hunt. They had to find payphones and call landlines if they had questions.” Michael is happy that although the intensity of the Hunt has increased to include complex plots, “Hunt” continued on Page 5 The Glee Gab Rutgers University Glee Club Page 3 Mason Gross School of the Arts Marriages Continued from Page 1 Ever Changing Yet Eternally the Same girlfriend, former officer of the Kirkpatrick Choir Jennifer Rapps, pulled out an engagement ring, and proposed right as King David was ending. What a great moment—no wonder those around who could see John as he proposed had applauded! John and Jenn had participated in four years of music making at those Christmas concerts; how appropriate that John would pro- Front: John Cifelli and Jenn Rapps Back: Vinny Caravano and Ali Vidal pose at an event that was a large part of their undergraduate experience. Each of them had helped to build esprit de corps in their respective ensembles and Jenn and John had been instrumental in building the bridges between the two choirs over their years in school. They shared experiences at the Choral Extravaganza, Duke Street parties, Stuff Yer Face (Jenn was a regular and still stops by with John after Wednesday night rehearsals with other alumni), Harvey Street parties, Christmas decorating, RU football games, and many more get togethers, both musical and social. This delightful occurrence has me thinking about how important choral music has been to so many of us, and how close it has brought us in so many ways to those with whom we share this wonderful bond of music–making. And of course right now I am thinking beyond our brotherhood in song. We can look at a great number of friendships that blossomed into “more” and have resulted in marriage. Now I am sure I will miss quite a few couples as I reminisce, so please do email me and let me know if you met your spouse as a result of singing at Rutgers. Whether it was a Glee Club/ Kirkpatrick Choir relationship or the result of a Glee Club friendship with a soprano or alto in Queen’s Chorale, University Choir, or Voorhees Choir, do let me know! Mason Gross School of the Arts The Glee Gab In addition to John and Jenn’s engagement I can report that last year’s KC president Ali Vidal has a date set and a dress all picked out for her upcoming marriage to Vinny Caravano (that should still be on if Vinny behaves himself!). Jenn and Ali roomed together at the “Jones Ave home” on Douglass Campus. Their roommate from a few years prior, Kirkpatrick Choir member Laura Shock, married Glee Club stalwart Andy Lopez a few years ago. It seems that the commute between the Glee Club Harvey Street house and “Jones Ave” was well travelled this past decade. And this summer will also see more RUGC/KC nuptials when former Glee Club President Stephen Cavanaugh (RC ’05) and Diana Winters tie the knot. Now I cannot comment on all Glee Club members who began social duets while singing at Rutgers because I am sure there are some that came about in the 19th century in the early years of Glee Club. But I do know that two of the first singers I met at Rutgers, Jason (RC ’93) and Tracy (RC ’94) Wendroff-Rawnicki met as a result of the social interaction between RUGC and Voorhees Choir when Tracy was president of Voorhees. And since the two of them have come to numerous recent events, from the Christmas concert to the summer Bar-B-Que, it has been fun to keep up with them as a couple. The mid to late ’90s found Glee Club and QC and VC members together at numerous social events and some “choral unions” were founded then. Mike Singer (RC ’97) met his future wife Alexis through Glee Club friends and she was inspired to join the Queen’s Chorale after attending an RUGC concert in which Mike was singing. Mike, now Rabbi Singer, leads his congregation of 400 families in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Completing one circle of friendships developed in Glee Club in that “era,” Mike officiated at the wedding of Jeff Shaman (RC ’97) and his wife Amy, who sang in Voorhees Choir. Duy Nguyen (RC ’98) met and married the President of Voorhees Choir, Jeanne Zanca—another couple often in attendance at Glee Club alumni events. This June, Craig MacDonald (School of Nursing ’04) and Mark D’Angelo (Cook College ’06) will celebrate their 5th anniversary and are preparing to move to Philadelphia where Craig will be entering the Masters program in Nurse Anesthesiology at Penn. Mark is finishing his Masters at TCNJ and is currently student teaching at the International School Moshi, Arusha Campus in Tanzania, Africa. One particularly interesting courtship sprang Rutgers University Glee Club Page 4 up between Glee Club Business Manager Steve Hanna and the Glee Club accompanist Pen Ying Fang. While this isn’t a wedding between members of two different ensembles, their school years at Mason Gross and their intense work with the Glee Club certainly helped build the bond that led to their life together. Pen Ying works as an accompanist at Westminster Choir College and freelances in the metropolitan area and is accompanist for the highly regarded New Amsterdam Singers in New York City. Steve sings with that ensemble and has toured with them throughout the world, when he is not conducting at Upper Freehold Middle School in Allentown. Many of us have met Kieran, their son, who is now two years old and has attended quite a few Rutgers events already! And of course recent members of the Glee Club and the denizens of the house on Harvey Pen Ying, Steve and Kieran in a Hanna Family Photo Street watched as our very own assistant conductor Tom Juneau courted his now wife Lauren Klein, who sang with the University Choir. The dance floor at their wedding last summer was filled with members of the Kirkpatrick Choir, the Glee Club and the University Choir celebrating yet another choral union! This article is by no means comprehensive in its coverage of couples who met through singing at Rutgers, but I hope it shares a bit of the sense of joy and wonder that I feel as the director looking on as these relationships blossomed. What we do as singers is special and the shared bonds of music and friendship that led to courtship are a marvelous part of the Rutgers University Glee Club experience. I know of a few more partnerships developing, and I look forward to further reporting in this area. The Glee Gab Hunt Continued from Page 3 videos, and a great deal of “smoke and mirrors,” the central theme of the event has remained. “It was really meant for guys to get together, work as a team, and accomplish something. We tried to mix up the teams so that different people A short break in between who wouldn’t intense clue rounds normally interact would be working together in a fun but demanding atmosphere ... I’m really glad to hear that this is still accomplished.” Currently, Michael is working as a training manager for corporate retail companies. He was eager to reminisce about his years involved with the Hunt, though due to the audience of prospective participants who will read this article, I cannot comment on whether or not Michael will be involved in this year’s events. Michael, an alumnus who has contributed a great deal to the unique social aspects of Glee Club, summed up his feelings about his creation: “I am in awe of what this has become, and I’m really glad that there are students committed to continuing this event. I’m also kind of surprised that no one changed the name as time went on, but I don’t have any complaints!” Ever Changing Yet Eternally the Same Go to gleeclub. rutgers.edu to find out more about the upcoming events for 2009–2010! Not everybody uses the breaks for rest and relaxation Rutgers University Glee Club Page 5 Mason Gross School of the Arts ALUMNI CORNER PETER STAMBOULIS Ever Changing Yet Eternally the Same “It is difficult to say anything about Soup that hasn’t already been said about him. He had such a passion for the music that he was able to extract from us and made us all feel so special.” –Peter Stamboulis MATTHEW GUNTHER, SAS ’11 VP ALUMNI 2009–2010 A a sheet that had a description of Kirkpatrick Chapel Choir, the University Chorus, and the other singing groups at Rutgers. I decided to ask one of the people helping for his opinion as to what group he recommended. Paul Sears of the Glee Club was there helping and said something like, “Well I am sort of partial to this one” and he pointed to the entry for the Glee Club. So one of the first people I met while at Rutgers pointed me to one of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences of my life. Thanks, Paul! s the Vice President of Alumni Relations for the 2009–2010 academic year I receive a lot of emails from alumni and the family of alumni. Q: Who were your best friends in Glee Club? I love to receive and answer all of these emails, especially the type of email I A: I got to know a fellow received from a Mr. Peter Stamengineering student name boulis some time in September. Joel Schneider my junior year. Over the past few months We became great friends and Peter has been corresponding actually roomed together our with me about how he can senior year. Some of the other help the Glee Club. The most friends that I had were John interesting part about this is Zebrowski, Eddie Bezek, Ross Peter has been geographically Trube, George Ringel, and separated for some time from many others. the Glee Club. Peter is currently living in the Baltimore area Q: Thoughts on the Director/s of Maryland, which is a good when you sang? example of the fact that the commitment to the betterment A: As a member of the class of of the Glee Club does indeed 1983 I was lucky enough to be exist outside of New Jersey. a member of Soup Walter’s last The members of the Glee year conducting the Glee Club. Club Executive Council decided It is difficult to say anything that we wanted ourselves and about Soup that hasn’t already our alumni to get to know been said about him. He had Peter Stamboulis Peter better, so I recently asked such a passion for the music him about his experience as a member of the that he was able to extract from us and made all Rutgers University Glee Club. of us feel so special. Q: How were you attracted to Glee Club? Q: Your most memorable performances? A: When I was a freshman in the Fall of 1979 I went to McKinney Hall to try out for the multiple singing groups that Rutgers had. I was handed A: Some of our most memorable performance were done on tour. During my freshman year we went to Spain, Morocco and Portugal. In my Upcoming Events Mason Gross School of the Arts Event Date Time Location 138th Annual Spring Concert Saturday, May 1, 2010 8:00 PM Nicholas Music Center Alumni Barbeque Sunday, August 15, 2010 12:00 PM Rutgers Gardens The Log Cabin Alumni Concert Saturday, October 23, 2010 TBA Nicholas Music Center The Glee Gab Rutgers University Glee Club Page 6 sophomore year we went to the US Virgin Islands, and in my junior year we went to Western Europe. Of course this meant that by the time my senior year came around we were broke. During tour it was really special to sing in some of the cathedrals that we sang in like Westminster Abbey in London, England, Notre Dame in Paris, France. Of course, in my opinion, our best performance was at Il Duomo in Florence, Italy. Q: What were your favorite songs and pieces? A: I really enjoyed the spirituals like Every Time I feel the Spirit and solemn pieces like Ave Maria. I also loved the double choir in O Magnum Mysterium. And when I was in the Glee Club we did the Tchesnokov piece Spasyeniye Sodyelal in English as Salvation Belongeth to Our God. I also loved Three Whale Songs from Leonard Kastle. When I was in club the tradition was for Whale Songs to be done every four years. I’d love it if this tradition could be resurrected. Q: What was Soup Bowl like during your time? A: I’ll have to say that during my time in the Glee Club the Soup Bowl was having some rebuilding years. We won as many times as we lost. It was nowhere near as organized as it is currently. Q: Who was El Supremo during your tenure? A: The El Supremos that I remember were Ted Zavales, Ross Trube and Eddie Bezek. I have to admit that our bus songs were quite colorful. with the Dartmouth Community Chorus. After moving to the Washington DC area I sang with the Masterworks Chorus in Potomac for many years. I haven’t sung in a couple of years or so but I am hoping to be able to get back to it soon. Q: What was your favorite Glee Club memory? A: I had a lot of great memories from Glee Club. A lot of them were on tour. One particularly great memory was during our tour to Western Europe in 1982. The club had landed in Florence and then we had four or five days to meet up in Amsterdam. A bunch of us met up at the Hofbrau house in Munich. I cannot divulge all of the details of the night but let’s just say “Brother Peter” had a fun night. Of course there were other great memories, too, like singing for your supper at a country club while on tour in St. Croix, or becoming the impromptu group of backup singers to a street singer while on tour in Amsterdam, or signing autographs for young school children while on tour. Ever Changing Yet Eternally the Same Q: What did you take away from Glee Club? A: It is really important to develop interests outside of your main one. Engaging in activities like the Glee Club serves to enrich your life. Memories of the mundane things you did in college will fade away but the great times and the people you come to know in activities like Glee Club last forever. Q: Favorite Glee Club traditions? A: I enjoyed going over to Soup’s house for his American Chop Suey dinners. They were great ways to get to know Soup and the other members of the club. The tradition of the Rookie Party really let me know what I was in for. I remember us all sitting down after eating dinner at Soup’s house on the couch, and the bags putting up a screen. I asked one of the senior members what the entertainment was. He turned to me and said, “You are.” Then all the rookies were asked to get up and sing their high school alma maters in front of the whole group. Q: Do you still sing? Peter Stamboulis wearing his Rutgers Scarlet and White A: As a graduate student at Dartmouth I sang The Glee Gab Rutgers University Glee Club Page 7 Mason Gross School of the Arts The Rutgers University Glee Club Presents: The All New, Digitally Recorded, 2007 European Tour CD! Featuring: Ave Maria – Franz Biebl Beati Mortui – Felix Mendelssohn Einklang – Hugo Wolf Nachtgesang im Walde – Franz Schubert Ramkali Raga – Arr. Ethan Sperry Voice of the Bard – Jennifer Higdon Plus much more!! To order your copy today, detach the CD order form and mail to the address below, or order online at gleeclub.rutgers.edu Rutgers University Glee Club CD Order Form Name: _____________________________ ____ copies of The Bells Must Ring! @ $15.00 each = ___________ Address: _____________________________ and ____ copies of Let Thy Good Spirit @ $15.00 each = ___________ _____________________________ City: _____________________________ State: ___________ Zip: ______________ and ____ copies of the 1999 Eastern European Tour CD @ $15.00 each = ___________ and ____ copies of the 2003 European Tour CD @ $15.00 each = ___________ and ____copies of the NEW Hear The Voice @ $15.00 each = ___________ Plus $2.50 each for postage + ___________ Amount Enclosed: ___________ Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery The Rutgers University Glee Club Marryott Music Building 81 George Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1568
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