The Maplewood Glee Club performs a holiday concert at St. Joseph’s Church in Maplewood on Sunday, Dec. 14.
The Maplewood Glee Club presented “The Merriest!” at St. Joseph Church on Sunday.
Club members performed for two hours with a 15-minute intermission. During intermission, Glee club members came out to converse with audience members, bringing a real sense of community to the event at the church on Hilton Avenue.
Special guests were Kent Place Chamber Singers, and an appearance from Santa Claus.
The show started with “We Wish You the Merriest” and continued with a variety of holiday classics and some other tunes.
Highlights included “The Christmas Can-Can,” “The Twelve Days After Christmas,” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” dedicated to Maplewood Glee Club member Rocky Bilyeu who passed away in October of this year.
Kent Place Chamber Singers are a group of young female singers from Kent Place School, directed by Edel Thomas, director of performing arts at Kent Place School. They performed four songs including “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and later joined the Maplewood Glee Club for the grand finale, “Underneath the Tree.”
Maplewood Glee Club invited the audience to sing along with some Christmas favorites, including “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Feliz Navidad.”
Sue Pettersen of Maplewood said she’s been to a Maplewood Glee Club concert once before. “It’s so festive,” she said. “Fun and full of joy. I’m really excited to be here.” Maplewood Glee Club member Don Hartman is Pettersen’s personal trainer. She said, “He’s 80-years-old. He’s a lovely man.”
Paula Radding, of Maplewood, also has a friend in the club—Alan Levine.
“They’re fun,” Radding said. “The music is wonderful.”
Rhonda Johnson of Maplewood first saw the Maplewood Glee Club at the Maplewoodstock Music and Art Festival.
“Joyful noise,” she said. “Loved the variety of music they presented. My husband is in a book group with them. We came out for good holiday feels.”
The Maplewood Glee Club was founded in 1946 as an auxiliary of Post 80 of the American Legion. Most of the initial members were returning service men.
In time, the club became a private men’s glee club and more men from Maplewood and nearby towns joined the club. In 1968 the Maplewood Recreation Department became their official sponsor.
The Maplewood Glee Club is a diverse group of men from all walks of life, drawn together by the mutual interests of good fellowship and the pleasure of singing good music. They’ve been performing in Maplewood for many years.
The club currently has 80 members. Anyone who loves to sing can join. There is no pressure; and there are no auditions. Just hang out and sing a few songs. They will be having meetings again starting Jan. 12, 2026.
To learn more about The Maplewood Glee Club, visit www.maplewoodgleeclub.com.
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