1910
1918
ORPHEUS IN WORLD WAR I
These men from the Orpheus Club served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I:
- H. S. Ball
- J. G. Crowley
- D. R. Dusenberry
- Donald D. Leonard
- Alexander Mackenzie
Below is the concert program from the January 30, 1918, Orpheus Club concert held at the Ridgewood Playhouse. The concert had a distinctly martial and patriotic focus, as one might expect.
On Washington's Birthday 1918, men of the Orpheus Club served as singing waiters at a Red Cross Benefit Luncheon in Ridgewood.
On May 6, 1918, the Orpheus Club sang to 2,000 soldiers at Camp Merritt in Cresskill, NJ, just before embarkation to France. The following week, the Orpheus Club traveled to Brooklyn, NY, to sing at a Red Cross Benefit Concert.
At its September 16, 1918, meeting, the Orpheus Club dedicated all its efforts to war service. Foregoing semi-annual concerts, Orpheus rehearsed more popular music to entertain the soldiers at Camp Merritt, to perform at Liberty Bond rallies, and to support morale at home with a series of community sing-alongs.
