Music is in my blood and it is one of my biggest passions. I come from a family that has performed music, and I have been singing for as long as I can remember. The minute I found out that there was a new choir forming at Albertus for the fall semester of 2011 I immediately said I would join. We had a small and humble beginning my freshman year with only seven women gathering in an unused room in the Hubert Campus Center. After our first few classes we moved to G5 in Aquinas Hall and we started working for our debut concert in December 2011. We have come a long way since our beginning. When we started, we were performing one concert per semester and made history by being the first choir ever to sing at graduation. By the time I graduated in May 2015, we had a well-developed male section, we were performing two concerts per semester and we were invited to sing at multiple events around campus. We also had to move down the hall in Aquinas because we outgrew the size of G5, which we had been using for multiple semesters. Over the years we have made a lot of beautiful music; however, the importance of the choir goes beyond the sound that we make.
Service and community are two of the four pillars of the Dominican Charism that the choir embodies. Our service to Albertus has grown as we have become more recognized around campus. Some of the events we have performed at include Candlelight Ceremonies, Founder’s Day celebrations, President McNamara’s faculty/staff Christmas parties, Experiential Learning Day presentations, liturgies and commencements. While we provide entertainment and enjoyment through our service with music, our goal is to uphold and participate in the traditions of the college. The community pillar is one that we have built both in Albertus as a whole as well as among ourselves. Every time we have a concert or event performance we are fulfilling our position in the Albertus community. The most important sense of community that we have though is the one we have built with each other. The bonds that have formed go beyond ordinary teamwork that you’ll find in other classes. We have become a family unit, consistently supporting each other in our endeavors and watching each other grow personally. I have experienced this feeling the entire time I have been a choir member. I have developed more self-confidence and it has even led me to my current job position of being a cantor at my local church.
You may be wondering what relevance these pillars have to the music we make. Anybody can come together in a group to sing; I’m sure plenty of people do it every day. By singing for service and community like we do, our music has purpose to it. It is that purpose that makes our sound special. It is a college experience that I will never forget, and I hope the choir will sing out for many more years in the Albertus community.
Submitted by Sarah Cantafio