The purpose of the Penn State Glee Club is two-fold.

It champions a serious side focused on learning, musicianship and stage presence and also promotes a side that's about enjoyment, audience reaction and fun.

Director Christopher Kiver said he hopes to find a balance between those two objectives at each concert, including the group's upcoming 25th-annual Blue and White concert at 8 p.m. Saturday in Schwab Auditorium.

Kiver said that when glee clubs first began in the United States they were taken from the tradition of English "glees," a specific type of rousing song usually sung by men's choirs in social settings about fraternity and enjoying life.

"In those early years, glee clubs still stuck to those light songs," he said.

Now, songs that challenge singers and teach better musicianship are more prevalent, Kiver said -- something he attributes to the popularity of glee clubs at universities.

The right combination of those two song types appeals to the audience as well as the singers, he said.

"What I think audiences appreciate about the Glee Club is you get to hear serious music, and in the second half of the concert, we lighten it up a little bit," he said.

The concert will also boast a variety of pieces, Kiver said, from a European renaissance piece to the adaptation of a Jamaican folk song, as well as the Penn State spirit songs for which the choir is so well known.

"Primarily, I pick [certain songs] because I think they have integrity or they are musically well-crafted," he said.

Ryan Svoboda (senior-biochemistry), secretary and treasurer of the Glee Club, said the Jamaican folk song, "Hol' You Hand," is one of his favorites the group is performing at this concert.

"It's different than a lot of our other songs," he said. "We move around and clap -- it's a lot of fun."

Shane Putorek (senior-music education), vice president of the choir, said he enjoys "Cantique de Jean Racine" by Gabriel Faure, which the Glee Club will perform on Saturday.

"I really like singing it," he said. "The piano part has a lot of interesting harmonies. It's not what you'd expect."

Glee Club member Peter Gray (sophomore-industrial engineering) said despite the changing repertoire, many of the other members regard the portion of the concert devoted to Penn State songs as their favorite.

"That's always my favorite part of the concert," he said. "It's usually the crowd's favorite, too."

Kiver said he will invite former members of the Glee Club to come up on stage for the songs, a move that has become tradition for each concert.

Svoboda said he enjoys the connection with tradition that he feels

when Glee Club alumni join them on stage.

"It's generations of Glee Club, and that's one thing that makes the Blue and White concert special," he said.