University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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I n New York City in the Lincoldn Center, the Compulsive Lyres performed in the Internationa! Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Finals. Jesse Nager sang Hard to Say I ' m Sorry. which won him the Best Soloist award in the quarterfi- nals, semifinals, and finals. photo courtesy the Compulsive Lyres After singing on the Today Show, the Compul- sive Lyres beam over their victory. Kevin Morgan proudly held the trophy. photo courtesy the Compulsive Lyres Compulsive 230 MIC :HIL;ANENSIAN

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Members of the Men ' s Glee Club put their heart arid soul into a spiritual piece during the fall concert performance. Due to the renovation of the accoustically perfect Hill Auditorium, the concert was held in Rackham Auditorium. S. Thomas pKoto N TUNE WITH TRADITION By Randielle Humphries In its 142nd season, the Men ' s Glee Club united in an effort to ursue musical excellence in the chorus tradition. The chorus consisted f about 100 male vocalists ranging from freshmen to doctoral students, ogether, the group provided its members with the opportunity to develop sadership skills, progress in educational goals, and support the community, 11 while working to improve themselves and the organization as a whole. -SA freshman Andrew Pickens commented, I am proud to be a member of ne Men ' s Glee Club because it has its traditions and gives me the chance o be a part of an unique experience. It also gives me a place here at the Jniversity. While stressing tradition, camaraderie, and musical excellence, ne club performed in several presentations of musical talent. Standing tall n black tuxedo tails, the men put on two annual concerts in Ann Arbor, ne in the fall and another in the spring. They also gathered small groups ogether to sing to tailgaters before football games in the Crisler parking at and at the University golf course. Occasionally, the club performed for arious radio stations and toured outside of the University. Their unique ound and excellent performances stemmed from their amazing work effort. The chorus rehearsed twice a week as a whole and held several sectional meetings each semester. Providing the group with his own personal desire and gift of talent, each singer embraced unique qualities distributed amongst the chorus members. Ideally, each singer suited to the Men ' s Glee Club will possess a voice of good quality and adaptable to ensemble work, an ear for tuning and intonation, an openness to try to sing all types of male choir music, and a personality suited to withstand the enthusiasm of 100 fellow students, stated senior political science major Clinton Canady. Further adding to the club ' s persistence and superiority was the addition of the new music director, Professor Stephen Lusmann. Lusmann performed in leading roles with a variety of major opera houses, including the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Boston Lyric Opera, Stadttheater Luzern, Opera de Monte Carlo, and many others. He also performed in such places as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Alice Tully Hall. As director of the Men ' s Glee Club, Lusmann presented the club with a strong example to follow, which facilitated the Men ' s Glee Club ' s excellence in musical performance. ORGANIZATIONS 229

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CONTEMPORARY A CAPPELLA By Randielle Humphries As a co-ed a cappella vocal ensemble, the Compulsive Lyres dedicated themselves to the performance and enjoyment of popular music. With its fifteen members, the Lyres perfonned at a multitude of events on the University ' s campus and across the country. This past fall, the group hosted the Michigan A Cappella Festival, a two-show production that featured nearly every one of the University ' s a cappella organizations. They also held a spring concert in conjunction with various a cappella ensembles from universities around the country. The Lyres performed at several events in the Ann Arbor community and opened for numerous a cappella concerts across the nation. During spring break, the vocal group traveled to other universi- ties for performances. Unlike other groups, the Compulsive Lyres were entirely student-run. The members took responsibility for arranging music; planning and financing tours, concerts, and CD production; and publi- cizing merchandise and shows. The group was also set apart based on its member composition. Compulsive Lyre Nathan Suh, an LSA student, stated, We are a mix of music and non-music majors who love to per- form contemporary music. After the Compulsive Lyres won the International Champion- ship of Collegiate A Cappella, the Regents passed a resolution in the fall of 2002 in the honor of the group ' s accomplishment. The ensemble also had a song selected for the 2002 Best of Collegiate A Cappella Album. On April 29, 2002, the Compulsive Lyres per- form on the Today Show. Kevin Morgan led the ensemble in U2 ' s I Still Haven ' t Found What I ' m Looking For, photo oourlesy the Compulsii ' t ' Lyres ORGANIZATIONS 23 1