In the spring of 2000, Clyde R. Dengler, Jr. completed his twentieth year as Music Director and Conductor of the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia.
A native of Delaware County, “Bud”, as he is known to Orpheus members, received his music education and choral conducting degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Beginning in 1953, he has served, in turn, on the music faculty of three Pennsylvania school organizations: the Upper Darby School District where, through the years, he taught choral music at all levels, elementary through high school; at West Chester University, he trained and conducted the Freshman Chorus and the Masterworks Chorale in the School of Music; from 1986 to 1995 he chaired the music department of The Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, Pa. While at Irwin’s, the Upper School singing groups appeared three times with the Orpheus Club in the Academy of Music.
His Upper Darby high school choral groups have been featured at state education conferences and on three occasions in performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra. A select choir of his elementary school students was featured each week for one year on the CBS television network.
Mr. Dengler is a member of the Music Educators National Conference and the American Choral Directors Association. Over the years, he has served as a choral competition adjudicator and has guest conducted festival choirs in Carlisle, Bethlehem, Langhorne, Downingtown and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1997 he guest conducted the Delaware All-State Senior High School Chorus festival.
A certified chief school administrator, Mr. Dengler has served as a principal, district supervisor of music and district director of personnel services.
Mr. Dengler has directed various church choirs in Norristown, Lansdowne, Wayne and Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Currently, he directs a church choir in Chestertown, Maryland. In addition, he has developed and directed employee choral groups sponsored by well-known corporations including the Sun Company, Honeywell and Fidelity Bank (now First Union).
Moving recently to Kent County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Mr. Dengler has founded the Chester River Chorale, a 48 voice community chorus of adult men and women.