CMAC (UChicago)

CMAC: The University of Chicago Glee Club is a choral ensemble at the University of Chicago, singing music for tenor and bass voices. Formed in 2005 as the sole glee club at the university, the group consists of both undergraduate and graduate singers with a broad range of musical experience. CMAC performs regularly on campus and throughout the broader Hyde Park and Chicago community, and tours annually to cities around the country.

CMAC: The University of Chicago Glee Club
OriginChicago
GenresChoral
Years active2005-present
Websitehttp://www.cmacsings.com/

Founding and History

CMAC was founded as “Chicago Men’s A Cappella” in 2005 by Josh Sauerman and Ben Patterson, two first years in the college. Recognizing a need for an all-male glee chorus at UChicago, they approached Patterson’s vocal instructor, Bruce Tammen.[1] Tammen previously served as choral director at the university and conductor of the University of Virginia Glee Club.[2] The group grew rapidly from its small start, expanding to forty singers by 2008.[3] Many of the group’s long-standing traditions were established during this time, including the practice of quarterly concerts and uniforms.[4] Since then, CMAC has deepened its integral relationship with the community while also expanding onto the national stage. CMAC performs regularly at local events, among them the South Side Pie Challenge and Rockefeller Memorial Chapel’s annual concert of Handel’s Messiah.[5][4][6] 2011 saw a performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in Chicago Symphony Hall and the release of their first CD, “Chicago, Hail!”[7][4] In 2013, the group premiered a setting of the Magnificat at the Monastery of the Holy Cross.[4] CMAC maintains an longstanding artistic relationship with the Chicago Children’s Choir.[4][8] Meanwhile, the group has toured widely, travelling to Rochester, New York, and to Tammen’s previous post at the University of Virginia, among other locations.[4][9] CMAC has continued to evolve as time has passed. The group now employs an accompanist, broadening the repertoire substantially.[10] Together with the shift from being a male-only ensemble to simply requiring a low vocal register, this change led to the name being modified to CMAC: The University of Chicago Glee Club.[1] The ensemble has also established itself as an independent choral voice on campus, as it is the only traditional choir not affiliated with the Performance Program of the university’s Department of Music. Tammen retired as director in the Fall of 2019. He was succeeded in an interim capacity by singer and conductor Michael William Myers, who sang in the group from 2015 - 2018. Myers served concurrently as the assistant director of the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel Choir.[1][11]

Governance and structure

CMAC is a registered student organization (RSO) of the University of Chicago, and receives funding from Student Government, dues, and individual donations. Although it receives funding from the University, it is not a curricular ensemble under the Department of Music, a distinction which sets it apart from many of its peer clubs around the country. Instead, the group is governed by a five member executive board whose members are elected from the ranks of the choir.[12] The board is responsible for setting the direction of the group, maintains relationships with the Hyde Park community and alumni board, and advises the director. As CMAC is not an a cappella group, it is not affiliated with the University of Chicago A Cappella Council, organizing its own auditions instead.[9]

Recordings

CMAC has produced two CD’s in its history: 2011’s Chicago, Hail! And 2018’s Song of the “C.” Chicago, Hail! was produced by Mark Travis, longtime producer for the New York Philharmonic.[13][14] Song of the “C” was produced by Mary Mazurek, Grammy nominee and regular engineer for WFMT Chicago.[15]

References
  1. https://chicago.uchicagoalumni.org/article.html?aid=2107
  2. https://magazine.uchicago.edu/0604/peer/tammen.shtml
  3. https://www.chicagomaroon.com/article/2008/12/2/hark-cmac-delivers-time-worn-tunes-feisty-skits/
  4. http://virginiagleeclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Four-Free-4-1-17-program-web.pdf
  5. https://www.chicagomaroon.com/article/2018/11/9/photo-essay-south-side-pie-challenge-2018/
  6. https://rockefeller.uchicago.edu/events/other-major-events/details/?guid=CAL-ff808081-5e603d80-015e-632f4744-00004c8beventscalendar%40uchicago.edu&calPath=%2Fpublic%2Fcals%2FMainCal
  7. https://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2010/04/suburban-orchestra-to-tackle-mahler%E2%80%99s-epic-symphony-of-a-thousand/
  8. https://ccchoir.org/event/chicago-mens-a-cappella-with-hyde-park-neighborhood-choir-2/
  9. https://www.chicagomaroon.com/article/2013/9/23/o-issue-2013-a-cappella
  10. https://arts.uchicago.edu/event/cmac-university-chicago-glee-club
  11. https://rockefeller.uchicago.edu/the-choral-arts/artists-in-residence
  12. http://www.cmacsings.com/who-we-are/executive-board/
  13. cmacsings.com
  14. https://nyphil.org/about-us/artists/mark-travis-1
  15. https://www.marymazurek.com/
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