The Singing Irish – A History of the Notre Dame Glee Club

In The Singing Irish, Michael Alan Anderson brings to life the rich history and traditions of the Notre Dame Glee Club. Replete with nearly three hundred images, the stunning large-format book examines the early history of the ensemble before 1915, its robust membership, rehearsal and concert customs, and the contributions of its conductors through the decades. Anderson interviewed dozens of Glee Club alumni going back to the early 1940s to narrate the vibrant story of the group, while assembling a wealth of documents that detail the activities undertaken—and impressions made—by this extraordinary musical ensemble. The group’s famous appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in the early 1950s marked the height of the Glee Club’s visibility; however, the ensemble continues to sell out concerts on national and international tours, having traveled to nearly every state in the United States and numerous countries in Europe, Asia, and Central America. Through its eclectic repertoire and polished singing, the Glee Club has achieved a lofty status among collegiate choral ensembles in the United States, beloved by students, members of the Notre Dame family, and friends and supporters of the university around the world. Combining the meaningful culture of Notre Dame with the highest standards of artistic excellence, The Singing Irish makes a wonderful keepsake for fans and alumni of the Notre Dame Glee Club as it enters its centennial year.

"We, the alumni of Our Lady's University, have been blessed by being able to listen to and enjoy the beautiful voices coming from the Notre Dame Glee Club. This book is a 'must read' for all Notre Dame alums and friends of the university. You will feel the spirit of The Singing Irish because it reflects the soul of the Notre Dame Glee Club throughout the group's first one hundred years. Michael Alan Anderson has captured the essence of what makes this group so memorable for its members and for its audiences around the world. Let the music flow as you turn the pages." —Charles "Chuck" Lennon ('61, '62MA, DL H'11)

“Glee Club alumnus Michael Alan Anderson has bravely and lovingly taken on the job of recording the history of this special group in The Singing Irish. In the first place, it is thoroughly researched and scrupulously verified from archives, articles, letters, yearbooks, newsletters, and reports. But more than that, its real goal has been to uncover the spirit underlying the facts of the story. The Notre Dame Glee Club is not just a trained and well-practiced group of university level students working in the field of music. It is a fellowship, a fraternity, of more or less ordinary young men who have been guided and shepherded as much as academically taught, accompanied on their way to maturity.” —Dorothy A. Pedtke, daughter of longtime Glee Club director Daniel H. Pedtke