Photos Courtesy of Maplewood Glee Club Above, during a concert, the Maplewood Glee Club performs a doo-wop song with Bob Burkhardt doing a solo.
The Maplewood Glee Club is a diverse group of men from all walks of life with one thing in common; they love to sing.
The group was founded in 1946 as an Auxiliary of the American Legion in Maplewood. It was a group of six local World War II veterans who served together in Europe.
“They passed the time singing on their downtime,” said Josh Adler, president. “They formed the Glee Club. Here we are, now almost 80 years later.”
The Maplewood Glee Club has a presence on Facebook and YouTube, but according to Adler, most people find them via word of mouth.
“They come to hear us sing because they love to hear us sing,” he said.
It’s a club strictly for men. Adler describes it as “a brotherhood of men.” He said, “If someone identifies as male, we will welcome them to the group.”
Auditions for The Maplewood Glee Club are held Mondays in September from 7:45 to 9:45 at DeHart Community Center.
“Just show up,” said Adler. “We’re not about how good a singer you are, but about how well you can sing together as a group. Some guys have no singing training at all but love to sing. There are some people who want to work on becoming a better singer. It’s all about supporting each other in any way we can.”
Adler joined the Glee Club a year after he moved to Maplewood in 2016.
“I was in Hoboken,” he said. “It was time to get out of there and find a place with a yard. This was the community that spoke to my wife and I.”
He became president of the club about five years ago. Every year since, they asked him to stay in the position.
“I’m humbled and touched,” he said. “It’s a great joy for me. It’s not like I have any firm rules. I keep everybody moving forward.”
In addition to Adler as president, there’s co-artistic directors, Steve Adamczyk and Kevin Weist. Gregory Scime is the music director.
What Adler loves about The Maplewood Glee Club is that there is some magic that happens when they get together.
“This commonality brings us all together,” he said. “It’s really uplifting. We don’t really seem to have ego clashes. We’re all just moving in the same direction. It’s a unique group of people.”
The Maplewood Glee Club gives two main concerts a year, one for the holidays and one in the spring. They also were the opening act at Maplewoodstock this year. “I would love for us to have more performances,” Adler said.
Currently there are 65 members of The Maplewood Glee Club who perform a variety of music—everything from Motown to Doo-wop to classical to spirituals to pop music. Songs are chosen via a review process. Using a voting system, they rate the songs. “If you love the song, you give it a 5,” said Adler.
Music has always been a part of Adler’s life.
“I remember singing in summer camp,” Adler said. “I really fell in love with singing when I was in high school. I was a part of a men’s jazz ensemble. When I left college, I stopped singing for a while.”
When Adler and his wife first moved to Maplewood they saw a sign on a restaurant door; “Are you a man who sings?”
“My wife said, ‘Yes you are.’,” said Adler, who then joined the Glee Club.
Since Adler’s joined the Glee Club he’s seen bonds forming within people in the group. “There are people I’ll see outside of rehearsals,” he said.
The members’ love for the club is apparent when they belt out numbers together. They are a charming group out there having a great time as they showcase their talents. “We love what we do so much,” said Adler. “We bring our audience along for the ride. The primary focus is just to love to sing.”
Follow the Maplewood Glee Club at: https://www.facebook.com/MaplewoodGleeClub and https://www.youtube.
com/channel/UCQfbBNlKexnDRdHNbM1JNIw.
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