What a weekend. Another opportunity to perform the Rutter Requiem in New York City, this time at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, on a sparkling Memorial Day, conducted by our old friend Sean Boulware. The participating choirs are very well-prepared, the orchestra is well-credentialed and in fine tune, and everyone is in high spirits and hoping for the best. And here's a nice surprise—the audience is large, vocal, and enthusiastic right from the very moment we take the stage. Now, everyone in the assembled choirs resides on the left coast, and couldn't possibly have any sort of a following clear on the other side of the continent. Could it be the venue? The work? The holiday? Or could it be—maybe just a little bit—the phenomenon that is Glee?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Glee, Fox Television's serialized celebration of a fictional high school show choir, is a runaway hit. What started out as more or less an appendage to American Idol has spawned a vibrant new choral industry—over two million Glee cast single releases purchased via iTunes, 25 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (the most since The Beatles charted 31 in 1964), a certified gold record ("Don't Stop Believin'"), and a Golden Globe Award for best musical or comedy on television, beating out perennial favorites 30 Rock and The Office. It's also reported that Glee has the highest index of upscale viewers of any show on television ("upscale," in this case, meaning people with household incomes above $100,000 per year). And, oh yes, legions of Glee fans coast to coast, who refer to themselves as "Gleeks."

Quirky, off-beat characters finding social acceptance in the friendly confines of a high school glee club is a gestalt that many of us who weren't Mister or Miss Popularity in high school can relate to.

Mercy. What could cause such a phenomenon? Television critics cite High School Musical, Disney's pop-fest franchise, for helping to lay the rails for the Glee express. Quirky, off-beat characters finding social acceptance in the friendly confines of a high school glee club is a gestalt that many of us who weren't Mister or Miss Popularity in high school can relate to. Edgy, topical story arcs certainly don't hurt, and players who can both act and sing well-produced covers of popular tunes create a compelling enticement for viewers to return week after week.

But let's not overlook the glue that holds the whole thing together—the high school show choir. We think we're having fun bunched up shoulder-to-shoulder harvesting Mr. Rutter's graceful lines and shimmering harmonies (and, of course, we are). But right across town, at Radio City Music Hall, the cast of Glee is performing, live, to an equally enthusiastic crowd, with costumes, lights, sets, and choreography. Now that's fun.

Psssst. Here's a little secret. You don't have to visit Radio City Music Hall to see a high school show choir perform. And you don't have to interrupt your regularly scheduled program to watch one on TV either. There are hundreds and hundreds of middle and high school show choirs performing throughout the school year all over the country: 75 in the state of Illinois, 30 in Virginia, a dozen or so in Georgia. Nearly a hundred in California. [Watch videos of school show choir performances.]

And you don't have to dig very deep in your pocket for a ticket either. A few weeks ago, we attended Burbank High School's annual show choir festival, and it was an absolute Wow. For $15 we were treated to performances by all five of the schools show choirs (consistently ranked among the highest in the nation). Made me want to turn the clock back 40 years and have another run at those angst-ridden high school years.

Related Links

Like this article? Check out more of Michael Shaughnessy's SingerBuzzzz columns.