Seventy Years of the RED BLAZER MEN'S CHORUS

 

September 1948

Edward Menz, President of the Amherst School Board encourages Carl Minich, Adult Education Program Director, to include a class for Men's singing in the 1948 classes, sponsored by the Amherst Adult School, a young Walter E. Reitz was given the assignment, and starts the Amherst Male Glee Club beginning a series of "Annual Musical Review" programs.

• March 16th, 1968

AMGC's 20th Anniversary Show

• March 20th-21st, 1970

AMGC performs first two night "Annual Musical Review"

• March 30th-31st, 1973

AMGC celebrates 25th year Silver Anniversary

• March 1975

New logo first used in programs, nicknamed by the members "The Peckerheads", it was used each year through the 2013 show.

• March 1980

AMGC becomes wholly independent entity, since its inception, it was sponsored by the Amherst Adult School

• March 20th, 21st, 22nd 1980

AMGC starts a "Three-shows-in-three-nights" format Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights, a format that would continue through the 2009 season.

• March 15th-17th, 1984

First "Red Blazer Varieties of '84" presented, name changed from "Annual Musical Review"

• April 30th, 1988

AMGC travels to Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA for the AMCA "1000 Male Voices in Harmony" International Big Sing

• May 22nd, 1993

AMGC travels to Marquette, MI for the " Sing 100"  1993 International Big Sing.

• May 31st-June 2nd, 1996

AMGC Performs a second version of the Red Blazer Musical Review at the Lancaster Opera House in Lancaster, NY.

• 1998

AMGC celebrates 50 year with a special edition of the Red Blazer Varieties

• May 1st-2nd 1998

AMGC hosts the Associated Male Choruses of America (AMCA) International Big Sing

• November 4th, 2004

AMGC participates in the NY-Penn District, Inc., Big Sing in Wellsboro, PA  

• April 30th, 2005

AMGC performs with ten other choruses in the Great Lakes Male Chorus Association district sing.

• September 2008

AMGC hires Brett Ransom as music director.

• March 19th, 20th &21st 2009

Last three night Red Blazer Varieties format

• April 16th-17th, 2010

AMGC introduces a new three-shows-in-two-days performance format, eliminating the Thursday night show, but introducing the widely popular Saturday Matinee Show

• May 14, 2011

AMGC perform with the Brant Men of Song and the AMCO in Brant, ON, Canada • April 12th-13th, 2013, AMGC announces at its spring show this following the close of the spring season they will change their name to Red Blazer Men's Chorus (RBMC) • November 10th 2013, RBMC begins a series of annual concerts honoring veterans.

• April 4th-5th, 2014

First Red Blazer Varieties under the new name RBMC • January 31st, 2015, RBMC joins The Towne Players in a Broadway Style production in the Town of Tonawanda, NY.

• May 23rd, 2015

RBMC participates in the Associated Male Choruses of Ontario (AMCO) in "Ontario Sings 2015" show in Brantford, ON CANADA

• September 20th, 2015

RBMC participates in "International Men of Song"

• April 23rd, 2016

RBMC joins the Lock City Glee Club in their "Spring Sing '16" show in Lockport, NY

• December 18th, 2016

AMCG founding director Walter E. Reitz dies at the age of 95 from colon cancer.  Mr. Reitz directed our group from its inception until its 60th anniversary show in 2008.

• March 24th-25th, 2017

For the first time, RBMC moves the annual Red Blazer varieties to new venue at the Sweet Home Middle School • May 13, 2017 RBMC performs with the Niagara Men's Chorus and AMCO in St. Catharines, ON CANADA

• 2018

70th Anniversary of the AMGC/RBMC