Announcement of By-Laws Amendments by the Harvard Glee Club, The Radcliffe Choral Society, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum

Cambridge, MA – This spring, we, the members of the Harvard Glee Club, the Radcliffe Choral Society, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, each a part of the Harvard Choruses, voted to ratify several amendments to our bylaws to reflect the current reality of our operations. Historically, we used gendered terminology to define our repertoire, with the Glee Club singing men’s music, the Choral Society singing women’s music, and Collegium singing music for men and women together. While the musical nature of our traditions will remain unchanged, we now invite singers of all gender identities to participate in each of our groups.

We have emphasized our desire to preserve our legacy and history while embracing inclusivity and rejecting discrimination. Our choruses are primarily musical organizations committed to welcoming any student who wants to sing at Harvard. Our groups are also social organizations where singers form lifelong bonds with each other through music. We reject any claim that the substance of our community and artistic work relies on the gender of our members.

Lastly, we would like to affirm that external factors were not the primary driver in the decision to change our bylaws. This decision was a result of a multitude of discussions over a lengthy period of time within the chorus membership and leadership.

We would like to thank our alumni Foundations for their ongoing support. We are grateful for the assistance of Harvard staff and officers, including the Office for the Arts, Music Department, and the Office of Student Life. These issues are important to us, and we welcome continued conversation moving forward.

Signed,
The Student Leadership and Executive Committees of the Harvard Glee Club, the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, and the Radcliffe Choral Society