Men, young and old, find camaraderie in Eugene Gleemen singing group

Kenny Eilers was a Springfield high school student in the 1950s and remembers watching the Eugene Gleemen sing the national anthem when KVAL ended its broadcast for the day.

“Here is a whole bunch of guys looking like starched penguins, standing there in their tuxedos,” Eilers, 84, told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. “And I remember thinking many times, gosh, it sure would be fun to sing like that when I grow up.”

In the late 1980s, when he was in his 40s, Eilers auditioned for the group at Sheldon High School.

“I showed up, and with my knees knocking, the director had me run through a few scales and sight-read a couple of songs,” Eilers said. “And he says, ‘Congratulations, you’re a first tenor.’”

Eilers sang with the Gleemen for 35 years, stepping away after the 2025 season for health reasons. But that didn’t stop him from sitting in the front row at the Gleemen’s 100-anniversary concert Saturday, May 30, at McArthur Court, the University of Oregon’s historic basketball arena. Dressed in a green polo, with the words “Eugene Gleemen” embroidered in yellow, he joined the tux-clad choral members to sing their closing songs.

One of those songs was Greg Gilpin’s ballad “Why We Sing,” which the Eugene Gleemen first performed in 2021 after rehearsing remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. The song speaks to the unifying power of music.

“To me, that’s what the Gleemen are all about,” Eilers said. 

“When you’re in a group that size, with 40-some guys trying to learn the songs, you develop a very close kinship,” he said. 

The Eugene Gleemen is an all-male choir consisting of about 50 men ranging in age from their 20s to 90s. The group formed in 1926 by members of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs and has persisted for 100 years through hardships including World War II, which saw a decline in membership as men were away in the military, and the recent pandemic, said Steve Somnitz, president of the Gleeman Board of Directors. 

The Gleemen rehearse Tuesday evenings at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and welcome any male 18 or older to join the choir, which no longer requires auditions.

The chorus puts on local concerts, sings for the Oregon House of Representatives, carols at senior centers and performs in the Harrisburg 4th of July parade. The Gleemen have also performed internationally. 

For Michael Beery, who has been with the group for more than 50 years, one of his most memorable performances was in a historic cathedral in Germany in 1993, where he sang the solo in “No Man Is An Island.”

“When I joined Eugene Gleeman, I was 27 years old, and I was the youngest one in the group at that time,” said the 82-year-old, who just wrapped up his 65th season with the Gleemen. “I am not the oldest one in the group now, but probably the one with the most longevity.”

What’s it like to be part of the same group for that long? 

“Gleemen members have always been family members to me,” Beery said.

The same goes for new members. Antonio Ochoa, who is from the Caribbean and has a background in Latin music, joined the group a few months ago. Saturday was his first concert. 

“I feel like family,” Ochoa, 52, said. “English is my second language, and they really stretch their hand to include me, so that means a lot.”

Chris Binnings, who joined the Gleemen in 2021, is a former professional singer with Stompy Jones, a San Francisco-based swing dance band named after a Duke Ellington song. Binnings discovered the choir after a stroke left him unable to sing.

“It’s been rebuilding my voice so I can sing silly songs with my five-year-old,” said Binnings, 55.

“We all love music,” he said. “It’s camaraderie, and everybody there is there for the joy of singing.”

Binnings called Saturday’s concert a full-circle moment. McArthur Court is also celebrating its centennial this year and while the Gleemen’s first concert was at the since demolished Eugene Methodist Auditorium downtown, the choir started performing at McArthur Court in 1933, said Mark Hunter, board vice president. 

Saturday’s concert included songs popular during each decade of the choir’s existence, including “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, “Oh! Susanna” and “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” which were chosen through patron and member surveys, Hunter said.

The concert marked the last for John Jantzi as director, who is stepping down after 24 years.

“I’m just going to take a little break, and then I’ll be back singing with my buddies up there in the baritone section,” Jantzi said.