Alumni Choir Reunion
May 28-30, 2009

Ward and Vicki Jamison hope all Choir Alumni will join them for this wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old Choir friends and make a lot of new ones.  Join us for an exhilarating weekend of song, remembrance, and discovery as we gather to continue what was such an important part of your college years.  Singing meant being with friends, working hard while loving every minute of it, and yes, living within the attendance requirements, all in pursuit of the elusive, tantalizing goal of getting it “just right.”

Morten J. Luvaas formed the Allegheny Singers in 1930 and led our choral program for 35 years before his retirement in 1965.  W.S. Wright North joined the Allegheny faculty in 1949 and taught here for thirty years, making 2009 the 60th anniversary of his hiring and the 30th anniversary of his death.  In tribute to the leadership of these two men we will give a concert taken from the repertoire of Wright North featuring some of Morten Luvaas’s best-loved works.  In addition, James Niblock ’97 will reprise his enthusiastically received presentation on “The Legacy of Morten Luvaas” from Reunion Weekend 2008.  (Niblock’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Connecticut focused on the preparation of modern editions of Luvaas’s music.)

Your music and a learning CD will be sent to you when you register for the Choir Reunion.  Past reunions have demonstrated that, by using the music and the Learning CD in advance, alumni arrive on campus ready to start rehearsing as if they had already been working together.  Reunion Choirs have given outstanding performances, surprising their audiences and sometimes even themselves with how polished they have become in just a few hours together.

Practices

In order to sing in the Reunion Concert, alumni (or interested family and friends who are experienced choral singers) need to attend:* 

1. the three Concert Rehearsals on  Friday from 2:30-5:30pm and 7:30-10:00pm, and Saturday from 9:30am-Noon,
2. the Concert Warm-Up at 2:30pm Saturday
3. and the Concert itself, 3:15-4:15pm Saturday

For everyone whose travel schedule allows, Ward has planned two Bonus Rehearsals: Thursday 8:00-10:00pm and Friday 10:00am-Noon.  Choir members are urged to attend one or both of these if at all possible.  As an incentive, Choir members receive Thursday on-campus lodging free if also registering for Friday and Saturday nights.

*The Choir Reunion brings together alumni of Allegheny’s choirs for a full-fledged ensemble experience:  challenging and engaging repertoire, energetic rehearsals, and an inspiring concert as singers rejoin the quest for choral excellence they enjoyed as students.  Choir alumni who do not feel well suited to the physical or vocal demands of the rigorous rehearsal schedule or who have time conflicts due to other Reunion Weekend commitments are welcome to observe any or all rehearsals and visit with the singers during breaks.

Choir members are also welcome to perform excerpts from the concert at the Service of Worship and Remembrance on Sunday morning.

For more information contact Jodi Mihailoff in the Office of Alumni Affairs jodi.mihailoff@allegheny.edu or Ward Jamison in the Music Department wjamison@allegheny.edu.

Click here to visit the Choir Reunion Web page on GatorLocator.org.