Eugene Gleemen mark 100 years with McArthur Court concert

The Eugene Gleemen will turn McArthur Court into a centennial stage on May 30, marking 100 years of the men’s chorus, 100 years of the arena and the final concert for director Dr. John Jantzi, who is retiring after 24 years leading the group.

The 4:30 p.m. concert will bring together the Gleemen, tenor soloist David Gustafson, accompanist Nathalie Fortin and the University of Oregon Brass and Percussion Ensemble. The program is part of the America 250 Oregon celebrations, giving the event a larger civic frame while keeping its focus on a Lane County tradition that has lasted for generations.

The repertoire will lean patriotic, with selections including The Testament of Freedom and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. That mix of chorus, brass and solo voice is meant to fill a building that has itself become part of local memory, from campus events to community milestones.

Doors will open early for docent-led history exhibits featuring a century of Gleemen archives and artifacts, turning the afternoon into more than a concert. For longtime residents, the combination of music and memorabilia will underscore how much institutional history can live in one room at once: the chorus’s own 100-year run, Jantzi’s long tenure and McArthur Court’s own century on campus.

The organization expects the concert to sell out, and tickets are being sold for adults, seniors and students, with free admission for very young children. The pricing and early start reflect the event’s broad appeal, from families and former singers to UO graduates and neighbors who have watched both the Gleemen and McArthur Court evolve over time.

Jantzi’s retirement gives the concert an added emotional weight. As the group’s longest-serving director, he will close out a chapter that spans nearly a quarter-century, just as the chorus reaches one of its rarest milestones. For Lane County, the evening will stand as a tribute to endurance, music and the kind of local legacy that only comes around once in a lifetime.