It received a substantial rise in profile under the directory of Philip Duey in the 1950s, who organised national, then international tours, and numerous television appearances.

[11] Originally, there were individual Glee Clubs consisting of ten to twenty members, arranged by graduating class.

[12] In the early twentieth century, the club held operas to help raise funds to build the Michigan Union.

[15] In 1908, the club began to be led by the university faculty, although its official history still notes that this was merely an "advisory" role for over a decade later.

[17] The "Banjo" was dropped from the name in 1905,[12] and "Mandolin" in 1923, after which the group concentrated on vocal performances without instrumentation, becoming the University of Michigan Glee Club.

[15] Philip Duey took over conducting duties in 1947[20] and began increasing the Club's profile with radio and television performances.

[21] In 1947, the group started recording numbers, including "The Friar's Song" and "'Tis of Michigan We Sing" to be broadcast on local radio.

In addition to a four-week concert tour, the group competed in the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales,[28] one of the world's most significant choral competitions.

[29] This feat was repeated for a fourth time in 1978 under the direction of Leonard Johnson, marking four separate occasions when the club had won the competition.

[36] Under the direction of Jerry Blackstone, the Michigan Men's Glee Club embarked on four major overseas tours.

In 1989 the Glee Club spent three weeks touring Asia with concerts in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea.

[37] In 1992 the Club embarked on a trip to Eastern Europe, where they were one of the first American groups to visit the new country of Estonia, which had recently declared independence from the defunct Soviet Union.

[39] The highlight of this tour was the inaugural Men of Song Festival hosted by the Brisbane Boys' College in which 140 pupils participated in a workshop and joint concert.

[9] The Club also released six compact discs during this time and was featured on Mannheim Steamroller's 2001 album Christmas Extraordinaire, with Blackstone co-credited as choir director.

"[43] Stephen Lusmann took over leadership until 2005;[44] highlights of his tenure include an appearance at the Intercollegiate Men's Choruses National Convention at Harvard University, a sixteen-day tour of Great Britain and Ireland in 2004 and the club's premiere performance at Carnegie Hall with the Smith College Glee Club in 2005.

[50] Notable achievements during his tenure include an international tour to China in 2012,[51] a major tour of the East Coast of the United States which concluded in a joint concert with the Glee Clubs of Harvard and Yale Universities, and the nationwide extension of the Club's Brothers in Song program which partners with underserved young men's choral programs in public schools.

It was later announced that the club would embark on the South America tour in spring 2024, visiting the countries of Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.