"We go down to Yale or Princeton and somebodyyells out from the audience, 'Where are thewomen?'" Kreger said.

Marvin remembered a similar event.

"The Princeton Glee Club mocked the fact thatwe are still men," he said. "They're ignorant ofthe fact that we have a mixed choir."

Marvin said when other colleges' glee clubswent coed in the '60s, the Harvard group decidedto remain all-male to provide students with extraoptions. The Radcliffe Choral Society, which datesfrom 1898, also remained single-sex. Instead ofchanging the two groups, Marvin said a new coedgroup, the Collegium Musicum, was founded in 1971.

"We have five choirs at Harvard--it's acompletely different situation [than at Yale]," hesaid.

The all-male atmosphere does promote a sense of"brotherhood" among singers, said Vice PresidentJohn-Paul Giugliano '01.

"It's kind of a fraternity, but with a positivegoal," he said. "We can be crass...It's a malebonding experience, like when you have guys' nightout."

Interacting without women helps produce a morecomfortable environment at times, Chu said.

"It's easier to talk with a bunch of guys," hesaid.

But despite that sense of camaraderie, memberssaid they suspect some students wrongly picturemale singers as beyond the mainstream.

"People may tend to think it's a bunch of geekyguys singing some Latin text," Giugliano said.

Chu said that Glee Club's powerful, deep soundhelps counteract the stereotype that male singersare "more feminine" than other men.

"That sound explains a lot as to how macho weare," he said. "We're real men--we can give thatvolume."

The Bond of Brotherhood

The brotherhood of Glee Club extends beyondHarvard. Many alumni are strongly connected to theorganization--especially Kreger, who has sungregularly with the group for 40 years.

"I find it very refreshing to see what'scooking with undergraduates," he said.

During Glee Club's football concerts or itsnational tours, which take place each spring,alums sporting traditional Glee Club ties, awardedto new members at the group's annual fall retreat,come to the stage to sing "Fair Harvard" and otherCollege anthems.

"The alumni connection is great," Chu said,adding that at senior recruiting sessions, GleeClub graduates have helped him to land importantjob interviews.

But the connection also helps students whilethey're still at the College, establishing a placewithin a specialized group.

As Kreger said, "It's a great way for people tointegrate in a smaller unit than a House.