It's a cool, clear Wednesday night and a few lucky girls are gathered around the steps of the Dome to listen to the sounds of "Vive L'amour" and "Loch Lomond."

The next day the girls praised the show excitedly.

"They sounded really good on Wednesday night," said sophomore Gwen Schmiedebusch. "I was touched at the end when we all put our arms around each other and they sang the alma mater."

And who wouldn't be? What's better than being serenaded under the stars by a group of cute, clean cut and talented Notre Dame boys?

Casual performances like these are fun for the students and the singers, but this only scratches the surface of what the Notre Dame Glee Club is and what they do. Stereotypes aside, the Glee Club is a group of talented and hardworking singers who put a lot of time and effort into making their music sound great.

Over the years the Glee Club has represented every dorm, every major and every part of the country. No matter what their backgrounds, these guys have one important thing in common: they love music, and they love to sing.

Notre Dame Glee Club performances are always exciting. Concerts have been a huge draw for students for years and not just because they're singing guys in immaculate suits. People throughout the Notre Dame community come to hear what never fails to be an excellent show.

The group performs fight songs, spirituals, Beethoven, Gilbert and Sullivan with equal ability and enthusiasm. The music is always diverse and sophisticated, and the shows themselves are simply fun. The Cavalcade of opponents fight songs at Notre Dame in Revue before home games and the bells and Santa hats of the Christmas concerts are all an important part of the Notre Dame experience.

The Glee Club has long been a Notre Dame tradition. Established in 1915 by Samuel Ward Perrott, it is the University's oldest choir. More than 2,000 men have sung with the club in the past 85 years.

The time commitment is demanding, but rewarding. Singing with the Glee Club offers students a lot of exciting opportunities. The group is often seen at university functions ranging from football luncheons to alumni birthday parties. A busy weekend might include five performances in a single day, and while not all are mandatory, the men rarely have to be reminded to attend.

The Glee Club members have been honored to perform not only for University celebrities like Kevin White and Tyrone Willingham but national figures such as Dick Vitale and Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

"Today was an example of how hectic things can get," said senior president Jacob Rodenbiker, between the performance at the football luncheon Friday and a later show for alumni at the Eck Center. "The guys were excited though, we got to hear Coach Willingham's speech."

Performing for so many functions requires the group to have a large repertoire and to know their pieces very well. While the shows in themselves take a lot of time, rehearsals take far more. The group rehearses every day Monday through Thursday with director Dan Stowe, working first on the notes and then on the details that go into making a good performance. The group is constantly expanding its collection, working on new pieces every year, as well as constantly brushing up old favorites like Shenandoah and Franz Biebls Ave Maria.

"I've been really pleased with the increase in musical sophistication in the group," said Stowe, who has directed the Glee Club since 1993.

The Glee Club begins performing early in the year, and new members especially have to work hard to learn the new music and the old favorites. Rehearsals run two hours, and while the first hour is optional, rookies especially are encouraged to attend.

"You really need to come to rehearsal as much as you can," said sophomore rookie Josh Towns. "But it's like a planned study break. It's more like playing basketball than like a chore."

No choir can succeed without a good conductor, and Stowe puts in as much time and effort as any of his singers.

"Dan's a great guy," said Towns. "He always has a sense of humor, and he's obviously knowledgeable about his music."

Though the preparation for so many performances can become intense, Stowe maintains a sense of humor and a friendship with his singers that keep rehearsals from being overwhelming.

"We can't have one voice that's too edgy. It's an all-or-nothing proposition," said Stowe, cultivating a mellow tone in the choir's performance of "Shenandoah" in an open rehearsal Friday. "But don't let that scare you."

The Glee Club's hard work is noticed other places than just around campus.

The club has not only performed at countless local Notre Dame functions, but has represented the University coast to coast and around the world.

The club visits various U.S. cities and towns on its yearly fall and spring break tours, performing in churches and concert halls for Notre Dame alumni and fans. This year alone the Glee Club plans to visit 10 states in the northern Midwest and Great Lakes region and cross the border into Canada.

Since 1960 the group has also toured internationally every other year, visiting Europe multiple times and recently breaking ground in new parts of the world. The Glee Club first performed in Israel in 1997, and recently visited Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and other cities on their first tour of Asia in 2001. The group plans to return to Europe in 2003, and hopes to visit Latin America in 2005.

"We say we're musical ambassadors for Notre Dame, and it's true," said Rodenbiker. "We establish relationships around the world and with alumni."

For many singers, touring is one of the most exciting opportunities the Glee Club offers.

"I've seen the world because of Glee Club," said senior Sean Martin. "It was an amazing experience; the culture was so different. The group spent almost a month in Asia, and had plenty of time to explore and see the sights between performances.

Tours within the United States, though not as exotic, often take singers to their own hometowns. This year's Midwest tour will give many friends and parents the chance to hear the choir perform.

"Tours are more meaningful if you're singing at someone's home," said Rodenbiker.

One of the club's most memorable concerts was on last year's tour of New England. The itinerary took the group to New York less than two months after Sept. 11. The club had been scheduled to perform for the New York alumni before the event, and kept the date on the itinerary as a benefit concert. The Glee Club raised thousands of dollars for charity at Staten Island.

"We met a lot of the police and firefighters, and visited Ground Zero," said Martin. "It was one of the most amazing experiences we've ever had."

While most of the group goes on tours, everyone turns out in full dress for the fall, Christmas and spring concerts. Stowe's musical selections appeal to every taste.

"Dan does an amazing job of setting up a concert," said Martin.

The first half of every concert features difficult classical works, which would impress any music critic. The beginning always ends with the group signature "Ave Maria" by Franz Biebl.

The second half features spirituals, Irish folk songs and other crowd pleasers. At the end of each concert the Glee Club alumni are invited to come on stage and sing the Alma Mater.

The Christmas concert especially is a community event, benefiting the South Bend Center for the Homeless. The group performs in Stepan Center instead of the smaller Washington Hall, and tickets usually sell out. People from South Bend and the area come to hear Christmas favorites.

Notre Dame is famous for its loyal alumni, and Glee Club alums are some of the most enthusiastic. Many not only put up current members on tours but come back to hear the concerts and sing the traditional songs. Every four years the Glee Club has an alumni reunion, with a dinner banquet and concert with the graduates.

"It's great, you can sit down and talk to any guy there and you have something in common," said Martin.

The club periodically puts out alumni news letters as well, to let old members know what's going on, who they have been singing for, where they're going to tour. No matter how long they've been gone alums never lose their Glee Club loyalties.

An open rehearsal and performance at the Eck Center brought many alumni back to see their show. Alumni going back to 1948 attended the rehearsal.

Many universities have glee clubs dating back to the 1800s, and the choirs can often begin to resemble fraternities. While the Notre Dame Glee Club might seem to have a sense of this as well, the glee club guys don't see their choir this way. Members stay close, and friendships formed in the choir often last a long time, but the Glee Club is not any sort of exclusive club.

"Some people might call it fraternity, but it's friendship," said Rodenbiker.

"We sing, and we're all friends. That's pretty much it," said singer Corey Kelly.

In the final analysis, the Glee Club is primarily a group of guys who love to perform and are good at what they do.

"The best moment is when we're singing and we all come together on one note," said Towns. "And all the different guys sound like one voice."

Anyone who wants to hear more of what the Glee Club does can come to the fall concert the Thursday and Friday of Halloween weekend or buy one of their many recordings in the bookstore.

• Musical ambassadors to the world