Well I’m sure if you had the chance to read my good friend and fellow blogger– Sel’s page then you are already aware of the huge event that took place this past weekend at Walsh University. Yes! The 50^th Anniversary Gala! One of the biggest event of the year and perhaps Walsh history—especially for the special guests such as the Brothers of Christian Instruction, as well as many of the Brother’s from Montreal, Canada, and Maine. Yes, people came from near and far to participate in one of the most spectacular events I’ve seen at Walsh since my time here. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to participate directly in the evening as the Walsh University Chorale, directed by Dr. Britt Cooper, debut the new Alma Mater for the university. As well as joined the Brother’s of Christian Instruction to sing the original Alma Mater.

Before I go any further let me tell you about the hard work and dedication that Dr. Cooper put into this piece as well as the time and dedication the entire choir put towards this piece to ensure that the debut would be perfect. We began practicing this piece from the very first day of choir, slowly memorizing each section, and taking extra time to pronounce each word correctly for the original piece. Once Dr. Cooper believed we had mastered it for the most part, we went over to the chapel and recorded our first piece which can be found at: http://www.walsh.edu/cooperbritt Hope you enjoy it!

As days grew near we had to be sure to practice in the Barrette Center where this huge event would be taking place. We knew that this building would be at max capacity so we planned on spreading out throughout the crowd to sing the Alma Mater—as 60 of us would not comfortably fit up on stage. We practiced Animes de l’amour (the original Alma mater) as we would be back up singing (although they didn’t need any help—powerful voices!!), if you will, for the Brothers at our performance. Then we went on to practice the new Alma Mater. It was truly amazing to see how our voices could fill such a large room, and I could only hope and pray at that time that we performed just as well as we did during our practice routine.

Saturday came quickly and before I knew it I was rushing around to get ready for my first official Walsh University Choir performance. There was a lot to do before I could get there, as I was on my way back from a wedding that afternoon. Arrived back to find that I needed to have my tuxedo pants altered, not to mention, trying to figure out all the extra pieces that go with a tux. Luckily I had my great friends Emily and Bethany to fix me all up—as my pants no longer needed suspenders looked as if they were professionally tailored by the time they were done. As soon as I was all fixed up ready to sing my heart out I headed out the door to meet up with Damir and several others as we headed to the Barette Center to sing.

Damir, Rose, Katie, and myself before our performance Saturday night!!

As we entered I noticed that this event was unlike any other that Walsh has had in the past. In fact, it had to be one of the best! Perhaps the 50^th Anniversary Ice Sculpture won be over as I noticed it walking up to the building, or maybe it was the way everyone was dressed to the nines, the perfect presentation of the food and desserts, and who could forget those center pieces. The nerves hit a bit when I noticed just how many important people were in our presence—individuals from all over North Canton, the state of Ohio, and even out of our country. It was a true tribute in itself to have such wonderful people back at the university to simply have a great time. I noticed how much fun the all the faculty and staff were having—as this was an evening that you could simply relax, not have a care in the world, as you were part of celebrating something truly spectacular.

The time came and we sang our 2 songs—to which we received unbelievable praise. It was so reassuring to see the Brother’s faces after we sang with them, and then again after they heard the new Alma Mater. You could definitely tell that they appreciated our efforts and I felt honored to be in the presence of such great individuals.

I feel as if I am still recovering from a weekend full of events—good thing Fall Break is coming up this weekend as I will be able to rest for a day or two before heading to Boston on Monday—Wednesday. You know I’ll keep you posted on this exciting trip coming up!

Hope all is well with everyone! Best of luck with midterms!! (Hard to believe were taking midterms already—but nevertheless—good luck!!

Stay tuned for another blog coming at you really soon about my first time experience at E & J Thomas Concert Hall – as we just went on a field trip with the Walsh University Chorale this past evening!

Chris Burr