In 1873, the New York University Men's Glee Club, composed of seventeen young men, sang their first formal concert in New York's Chickering Hall. The Club continued to grow in size and popularity under the direction of Dr. Joseph H. Bryan, founder and conductor of the Men's Glee Club through 1892. The NYU Men's Glee Club served as a model for other universities and performed around the world on some of the biggest stages. In 1934, the Club was the first to establish a training camp held one week prior to the university's opening in September and soon thereafter, the Winter Training Camp was added to the club's intercession schedule. Inspired by the NYU Men's Glee Club's dedication, many college choruses created their own training programs. The Club performed 38 concerts at the then NYU-owned Town Hall and has toured in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and throughout Europe and the United States. The Men's Glee Club was also featured on the Ed Sullivan show and chosen to sing before Pope Paul II at the Vatican, the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and in 1956 performed atop the Pepsi Cola sign in Times Square. The Men's Glee Club was just one of the many choral singing groups at the University. In 1965, the Women's Glee Club was created and four years later, Professor and Conductor E. Jon de Revere consolidated the Men's and Women's clubs with the School of Education Chorus to form the New York University Choral Arts Society. Professor de Revere also started the Goliards, a twelve-man group selected from the Men's Glee Club. In 1962, the Goliards were selected by the U.S. Department of State to do a USO Tour in Germany and France, and the elite group also provided annual Christmas entertainment at the Caneel Bay Plantation in the U.S. Virgin Islands from 1964 to 1970.

The Men's Glee Club was revived in 2012.