Glee Club
About
The NAVAL ACADEMY GLEE CLUB has achieved national prominence as one of America’s premier choral ensembles. Appearances on network television include The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS), The Today Show (NBC), The Early Show (CBS), Christmas in Washington (NBC and TNT), Good Morning, America (ABC), and countless regional and local television stations. The Glee Club often performs masterpieces of choral-orchestral literature combining with the nation’s leading orchestras. In addition to the Academy’s annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah, the Glee Club is featured each year on the Naval Academy’s Distinguished Artist Series. Recent performances have included Jenkins’ The Armed Man, “A Night at the Opera,” Orff’s Carmina Burana, Requiems by Brahms, Duruflé, Dvorak, Faure, Mozart and Verdi, Haydn’s Creation, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Vaughan-Williams’ A Sea Symphony, Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and Britten’s WAR REQUIEM, among many others. Recent orchestral collaborations away from USNA include performances with the Dallas Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Portland Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra.
The Glee Club has performed extensively throughout the US and abroad including Japan, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and several European Tours with performances at St. Peter’s in the Vatican, cathedrals in Brussels, Wells, Winchester, Salisbury, and St. Paul’s in London. Recent domestic tours have taken them to Arizona, California, D.C., Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
Ensembles have been seen performing in San Diego’s Copley Symphony Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center, and Dallas’ Morton Meyerson Symphony Center and many more of the nation’s great concert halls. Additional notable appearances include the dedication ceremony and anniversary of the Pentagon Memorial (9/11), the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, the Commissioning Ceremony and Gala for the George H. W. Bush Aircraft Carrier (CVN-77), the Inaugural Concert “We Are One” performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a live audience of over half a million and an internationally televised audience, the nationally televised JFK 50th Commemorations in Dallas and Boston, participation in the Kennedy Center Honors, the State Funeral of President Carter, the 2025 Presidential Inauguration, a performance with Chanticleer, a feature as the definitive National Anthem on a P.B.S. documentary, a highly acclaimed concert at Carnegie Hall, and numerous concerts at the Academy.
The ability to perform in such a variety of public venues undoubtedly assists in the recruitment of potential candidates who otherwise would not be exposed to the incredible opportunities offered by attending the Naval Academy and presents our midshipmen to the public at the highest level of professionalism to audiences around the globe as ambassadors for the United States and its Armed Forces.
It is with honor, pride, and distinction that the Glee Clubs represent the United States, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the United States Naval Academy.
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:
Celebrate America's 250th!
April 10-12, 2026
DALLAS SYMPHONY!
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:
Friday, April 10, 2026
7:30 PM, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
2301 Flora Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Saturday, April 11, 2026
7:30 PM, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
2301 Flora Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Sunday, April 12, 2026
2:00 PM, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
2301 Flora Street
Dallas, TX 75201
For additional information, please visit the Dallas Symphony website at: www.dallassymphony.org
Spring Oratorio
April 18, 2026
at STRATHMORE MUSIC CENTER!
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:
Saturday, April 26, 2026
8:00 PM, Strathmore Music Center
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852
For additional information, please visit the Strathmore website at: www.strathmore.org
Spring Symphony Collaboration
April 26, 2026
BALTIMORE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA!
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:
Sunday, April 26, 2026
3:00 PM, Notre Dame of Maryland
LeClerc Hall, 4701 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210
For additional information, please visit the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra website at: www.thebco.org
Fall Concert Tour
November 13-14, 2025
NASHVILLE SYMPHONY!
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:
Thursday, November 13, 2024
7:30 PM, Schermerhorn Symphony Center
One Symphony Place
Nashville, TN 37201
Friday, November 14, 2024
7:30 PM, Schermerhorn Symphony Center
One Symphony Place
Nashville, TN 37201
For additional information, please visit the Nashville Symphony website at: www.nashvillesymphony.org
Spring Break Concert Tour
March 7-14, 2026
The Glee Club will travel through the 'COLONIES' to perform public concerts in order to highlight the talents of the Brigade of Midshipmen and to introduce prospective candidates to the opportunities available to them by attending the US Naval Academy. Coinciding with our nation's 250th Anniversary, It is with honor, pride, and distinction that the Glee Club represents the United States, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the United States Naval Academy.
Saturday, March 7, 2026 - PUBLIC CONCERT!
USS CONSTITUTION
1 Constitution Road
Charlestown, MA 02129
11:00 PM
Saturday, March 7, 2026 - PUBLIC CONCERT!
St. Cecilia Parish
18 Belvidere Street
Boston, MA 02115
7:30 PM
Sunday, March 8, 2026 - PUBLIC CONCERT!
St. Mary - St. Catherine of Siena
46 Winthrop Street
Charlestown, MA 02129
3:00 PM
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - (Pre-Approved Access to Base Required)
U.S. Naval War College
Spruance Auditorium, 686 Cushing Road
Newport, RI 02841
6:00 PM
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - PUBLIC CONCERT!
St. Ignatius Loyola
980 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10028
8:00 PM
Saturday, March 14, 2026 - PUBLIC CONCERT!
St. Patrick Church
242 S 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
7:00 PM
Cleanshave
USNA's own Barbershop Quartet!
The history of Cleanshave dates back to the late 1950's. Little did these Midshipmen know that they would begin a tradition that would continue for over half a century.
The tradition of barbershop quartet singing arose in the late 1800's and was immensely popular during the 1910's and 1920's. It is a distinctly American music style in which four male voices sing in harmony, unaccompanied by instruments. Barbershop repertoire encompasses popular songs of the gaslight era and the early twentieth century, including ballads and early jazz. It is music that fits into almost any occasion and is well received by all age groups in both formal and informal settings.
Typical selections performed: Hello Mary Lou, My Old Man's a Sailor, Your Nobody 'till Somebody Loves You, The Chord Busters, Stars and Stripes Forever, etc.
The Riveters
This breakout group of 10 exceptional musicians has entertained audiences everywhere with songs from the forties to today. Favorites include “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, “What a Wonderful World”, and “Unwritten”.
The Skivs
This entertaining group performs the "doo-whop" music of the 1950's and later. Since the early 1970's, The Skivs have performed to the delight and amusement of their audience, often engaging members in the audience while they sing... in leather jackets, sunglasses, slicked-back hair, and blue jeans!
Typical songs include: Roller-skate Kate, Rama-lama Ding-Dong, Silhouettes, etc.
Director
DR. AARON SMITH, Director of Musical Activities, accepted his appointment following a long series of impressive accomplishments as one of the New York City’s most successful choral conductors and now leads one of the most visible music programs in the country.
A nationally acclaimed conductor, he has been seen in a wide variety of performances and performing venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and many other prominent concert halls and churches around the world.
Highlight musical collaborations include performances with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Portland Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Kronos Quartet, Chanticleer, American Boychoir, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Mark Morris Dance Group, Great Performers Series, Mostly Mozart Festival, Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Sir Colin Davis, Zdenek Macal, Joseph Flummerfelt, John Rutter, and soloists such as Renee Fleming, Stephanie Blythe, Gregory Kunde, and Beyoncé.
He has collaborated extensively with nationally-televised broadcast performances such as Kennedy Center Honors, Christmas in Washington, several Emmy Award presentations, and nationally-significant and historic events such as Presidential State Funerals, inaugurations, official observances, dedications, ship commissionings, memorials, and national celebrations.
He received his undergraduate degree in Choral Music from the University of Texas at Austin, a Masters degree with Honors and Distinction in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and his Doctorate in Choral Conducting from SUNY Stony Brook, New York.
Video:
Click HERE to visit our YouTube video page!!!Audio:
America the Beautiful(Additional Video)
Chanticleer
Renee Fleming
Messiah
Super Bowl
JFK 50th Commemoration
Storm Comin'
Contact
Please contact the United States Naval Academy Music Department with any questions or comments you may have.
United States Naval Academy
Musical Activities Department
Mailing Address: Alumni Hall, 675 Decatur Rd. Annapolis, MD 21402-5086
Phone Number: (410) 293-2439
Fax Number: (410) 293-3218
Email: music@usna.edu
