September's Buzz

The Choirbee newsletter for September is here! So many incredible things have happened in the past month. Not only do we have our Friends and Family Weekend Concert this Saturday at 3 PM, but in September, the choir had a wonderful retreat; performed at Convocation and Flower Sunday; celebrated quite a few birthdays; and made many massage trains in the interim. Now, we will recap all of it!

Convocation

Dr. Graham and our 2015 choirbees

Although the mid-afternoon was sweltering and oppressively humid, veterans of the choir marched to the Hay Amphitheater in sundresses and sunblock to honor the Class of 2015. In her full academic regalia, Dr. Graham conducted the group through the Alma Mater and “America the Beautiful.” Admittedly, the choir has performed these pieces numerous times over the decades; however, because we do have a great deal of singers graduating from Wellesley College and the Choir this year, it was a moving experience to have our senior choirbees perform at their own Convocation.

Choir Retreat

Gabriel!

At nine in the morning, more than seventy (count ‘em) groggy members of the choir made the treck to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church for our annual Choir Retreat. Even though it was early in the morning, everyone—from first years to seniors—cheerfully chatted and joked along the half-mile walk. Upon arrival, the Choir made use of every second, learning music and all of each other’s names. The only time the group ever stopped was to share a meal together and to pet Gabriel, the cat who rules the church. As he wound among the maze of chair legs, everyone reached down to stroke that lucky cat.

Flower Sunday

Our Seniors' last Flower Sunday

The choir has an affinity for setting meetings at 9:00 AM. More than a week after our retreat, on September 13, members of the choir convened in the Houghton Memorial Chapel to take part in a centuries-old, Wellesley tradition: Flower Sunday. For those who are unaware of this event, on Flower Sunday, a first-year Little is given a sophomore, junior, or senior as a Big in order to reinforce enduring community bonds; there are many flowers involved as well. Although members of the community have already been matched in Big-Little pairs, thanks to our MOOCA, Keertana, returning members of the choir were

Performance ready!

 given choir Littles in order to cement our musical community. The rush when Choir Bigs with flowers in hand find their Choir Littles at call time is so exciting! After a productive warm-up and run-through, the Flower Sunday ritual, organized by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, commenced. It seemed as if the entire student body were stuffed into every nook and cranny of the Chapel to observe this Wellesley ceremony; Yanvalou, student speakers, ascenDance, the religious and spiritual leaders on campus, and your favorite choir all had a part in the celebration.

Happy birthday, Marina!

Birthdays!

So far in September, three of our choirbees have turned one year older and wiser! For the record, very happy birthdays to Marina Lopez, Lori Rash, and Kathleen Strahan! Check out our Instagram and Twitter to get a sneak peek into how we sing "Happy Birthday" the right way to Lori and Kathleen.