Forbes Takes Sabbatical; Adams to Head Glee Club

F. John Adams '66, the conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, has been named the now conductor of both the Harvard Glee Club and the Radcliffe Choral Society.

Adams will replace Elliot Forbes '40, Fanny Peabody Professor of Music, who has conducted the two singing groups since 1958.

Forbes is leaving to begin a year-long sabbatical in Great Britain. He plans to return to Harvard to teach full-time.

'Ideal Choice'

"Working with Adams it was clear to me that his musicianship and talent in conducting made him the ideal choice to be my successor," Forbes said last night.

Adams, who, in addition to his new duties, will continue to conduct the chorus, has received an appointment as instructor in Music.

Looking toward Harvard-Radcliffe merger. Adams said, "There will then be a definite need for a mixed choral group." The glee club is currently all-male while the choral society is exclusively female. While the two groups sometimes sing together. "I don't want to eliminate the opportunities for men and women to sing distinctive music," he added.

Adams has studied with Nadia Boulanger, world-renowned French musician, and Frederick Prausnitz, former conductor of the New England Couservatory Orchestra.

Last summer at Tanglewood he was the chief rehearsal accompanist under Michael Thomas, assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

During the 12 years that Fonbes has been conductor, the choral society and glee club have gone on two summer tours-a West Coast and Canadian tour in 1964 and a world tour in 1967.