About Men's Glee

The University of Washington Men's Glee Club is a non-auditioned choir that rehearses twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-6:20pm. We sing a variety of repertoire from classical, doo-wop, barbershop, and traditional collegiate glee club literature. We usually perform one larger concert each quarter as well as performances at sporting events and other campus and community activities.

About the Directors

Geoggrey Boers

Geoffrey Boers is Director of Choral Activities at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he is the Mary K. Shepman Endowed Professor of Music. Under his direction, the choral program at the University of Washington has grown to include nearly twenty graduate choral conductors each year, as well as nine ensembles conducted by five faculty and many graduate students, with nearly 600 singers participating.

Geoffrey maintains an active conducting, teaching, workshop and clinic schedule. Recent engagements have taken him to Australia, mainland China, Thailand, Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, and Kennedy Center, where he serves as Artistic Director for the Washington D.C. Choral Festival. He especially enjoys working with conductors and their choirs with focus on building communication through gesture and expressivity, and building community within the ensemble. Geoffrey is also exploring the idea spirare, or the connection between breath and spirit, in disciplines as far reaching as Yoga, Tai Chi and world faith systems. This study is leading to evolving thoughts of gesture as it relates to breath, evocation of sound, and touching the heart.

In addition to his position at the UW, Boers is the conductor of the Tacoma Symphony Chorus and will conduct the Tacoma Symphony in numerous performances this season.

Stephen O'Bent

Stephen O'Bent (Assistant Conductor, Accompanist) is a Seattle-based conductor, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He holds a B.A. in Music from Occidental College, where he graduated magna cum laude and ​Phi Beta Kappa with Departmental Honors. Classically trained on trombone, piano, and voice [tenor], Stephen has extensive experience in a variety of styles and ensembles, from Mahler-sized symphonies to samba bands, from Early Music choral ensembles to ska.

As a full-time performing member and musical director of critically-acclaimed vaudeville troupe The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Stephen has had the opportunity to perform in major commercial theaters in London, Madrid, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and elsewhere. He has performed on five continents and appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman (twice), Good Morning America, and the BBC.

Stephen is also half of the music duo PepperJill & Jack, where he acts as primary songwriter and performs on guitar, ukulele, piano, trombone, vocals, and percussion.

Jeffrey Larkin

Jeffrey Larkin, an Oregon native, is currently a doctoral student in choral conducting at the University of Washington. Prior to doctoral studies, Larkin conducted middle and high school choral music; his ensembles have performed regionally and at the National NAfME conventions. Currently the Director of Music at Steel Lake Presbyterian Church, Larkin maintains an active role as a church musician throughout Washington and Oregon. As a tenor soloist, Larkin has performed with multiple associations: Oregon State University Symphony, Astoria Music Festival, Portland Opera and the Henan Opera in China. Larkin also holds an undergraduate and Masters degree in Choral Music Education and Vocal Performance from Oregon State University.

History of Men's Glee

The University of Washington Men's Glee Club has been in existence since 1895 and was officially founded around 1900. Below is a list of the group's known conductors throughout its history.