Another NEWBEE?! Come meet our CHOIRBEE OF THE WEEK!!!

 

We've got another newbee this week to introduce to you--JILLY O'KELLEY '24!!! Jilly's place in the choirbee of the week hive is long overdue. She is always eager to volunteer her voice in rehearsal, and show her lovely spirit at choir socials. She can do a mean Taylor Swift performance (complete with hair choreography), yet also hit the mark on a choral piece. (Get you someone who can do both!) We are so excited to see where Jilly's wonderful smile and soul will go through the rest of this season and in her choir seasons to come. Jilly's talent and enthusiasm have shone through this unusual year of choir, and the group is better as a result. Choirlove! <3 (PS. Jilly, we LOVE the bee puns!)

What is your name and what are your pronouns?

"Jilly O'Kelley, she/her/hers"

What are your rose (great memory), bud (what you’re looking forward to in T4), and thorn from your first semester of college?

"My rose was walking a three-mile round trip to Whole Foods to get a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, which I shared with my blockmates -- it felt like I was doing a side quest in a video game. Term 4 feels like it's practically over (a girl can dream), so I'm looking to the future for my bud: I can't wait to walk around the beautiful Wellesley campus again this fall and get to sing with all my fellow choirbees in person. A thorn was worrying about COVID. I've never been a fan of germs, so you can imagine that this pandemic has bee-n anxiety-provoking. Those fears buzzing around my head made it hard to make friends and enjoy bee-ing on campus during my first semester. But even though I didn't get out much, virtual choir was a wonderful opportunity to meet so many lovely people, and I can't wait to see everyone in person!"

What has been your favorite part of choir so far?

"I love doing warmups together! It's so fun to see everyone singing and bee-ing playful together, and even though we can't really hear each other over Zoom, it still makes me feel like we're connected."

What is something unique that you’ve learned from singing with the Wellesley College Choir?

"This is a little thing, but in my short time with the Wellesley College Choir so far, I have learned that choir warmups are often strikingly similar no matter where you're from. In my high school choir, we'd do "I love to sing" or "Oh, no, you don't!" (so-do-so-mi-do), and in the WCC we use the same notes to sing "I sigh to sing." Small world."

If you could take me anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

"I've bee-n taking Japanese since middle school but I've never bee-n to Japan, so I would love to fly to Tokyo with you (I love big cities). I'm still not super confident in my speaking skills so it would bee nice to have you with me as an encouraging friend."