page_title: Amherst College Glee Club
section_title: Founding
hierarchical_section_title: Amherst College Glee Club / History / Founding
caption_attribution_description: English: A photo of the Amherst College Glee Club, circa 1880
context_page_description: The Amherst College Glee Club, founded in 1865, is a 40-voice Tenor/Base vocal ensemble, and one of the oldest continuous student organizations at Amherst College. It is part of the Amherst College Choral Society, along with the Women's Chorus, the Concert Choir, and the Madrigal Singers. The club has a history of extensive international touring, having to date performed in over 55 countries. It is currently directed by Dr. Arianne Abela.
context_section_description: The club was founded as a student-directed double quartet in the spring semester of 1865 by Amherst senior Thomas E. Babb, in the spirit of Amherst's recently dissolved Donizetti Glee Club, founded in 1862.  Though the group nearly disbanded two years later when all but one of its members graduated, it was revived in 1868 after one lone year of inactivity.  It continued to flirt with dissolution — some years being quite active and successful and others less so — until the fall of 1876 when it came under the professional direction and training of "Professor" Friedrich Zuchtmann, a vocal instructor from Springfield, Massachusetts. Under his leadership the club found more firm footing and soon became a permanent fixture of Amherst College life.
caption: The club, circa 1880
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