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What The Student missed about Miami's choirs

TO THE EDITOR:

On the morning of Dec. 6, I was pleasantly surprised to read Kaitlin Peffer's article "Glee Club, Collegiate Chorale host Winter Concert." As a member of Collegiate Chorale, it was nice to see the two choirs' musical efforts recognized in print.

While I enjoyed the article's play-by-play recap of Glee Club's performance, along with its oddly top-heavy rundown of the choir's history and fame, I was disappointed by the omission of several details that made this particular winter concert, for lack of a better word, unique.

The article does not mention how Dr. Jeremy Jones struggled to bring an organ to Hall Auditorium. The organ he acquired was handcrafted by Miami alumnus Michael Rathke and was played by Bruce Murray, the chair of the music department.

The article does not mention that Jones shared the stage with seniors Tommy Wessendarp, Alex French and Colleen Hickey, who conducted their respective choirs on select pieces. This honor served as a final sendoff to their Miami choral careers, as they will each be student teaching next semester.

The article does not mention the breathtaking arias performed by Colleen Hickey, Andrea Davies, CarolineGrace Williams, Abbey Keith, Malory Owen and Kayla Kramer throughout Vivaldi's "Gloria" and Handel's "Messiah."

The article does not mention Collegiate Chorale's history or national reputation, nor the group's plans to tour Philadelphia and Washington D.C. over spring break.

Finally, the article does not mention that Chorale and Glee Club competed to collect the most donations for the Oxford Community Choice Pantry. The annual food drive, organized by Sarah Mattina, broke its donation record thanks to generous concert-goers bringing plastic bags full of canned goods.

The friendly rivalry between the two choirs meant competition was tight. Collegiate Chorale won by just over 100 cans.

After knocking on apartment doors and collecting cans outside of Walmart, the choirs raised over $800 and 600 lbs of food. When Mattina dropped off all seven tubs of cans, she said the volunteers "could not believe their eyes."

It is my hope going forward that President Crawford and other members of the Miami community will continue to enjoy the performances of Miami's four choirs and that future coverage of concerts will extend beyond what is printed on the program.

Kevin Vestal

vestalkc@miamioh.edu