From September 16th to September 18th, Catawba College celebrated Family Weekend, a time for students to invite their family to come and see all that Catawba has to offer. Among the events of this weekend was a worship service held at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 18th in the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel, a service that was led in part by Catawba College’s largest choir.

On Sunday, September 18th, the Catawba Singers began this semester’s first performance with Moses Hogan’s acapella arrangement of the traditional African-American spiritual “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord.”

The choir also performed the service’s anthem – “Draw the Circle Wide” by Gordon Light and Mark A. Miller – and the benediction – “Go Now in Peace” by Robert Lau. And not only did the choir demonstrate their vocal ability, but Destiny Stone, a sophomore music student and a member of the Catawba Singers, also demonstrated her instrumental ability, as she was the accompanist for the anthem.

This was not a concert, but a worship service, and it would not have been possible without Blake Brewer, Emily Hoffler, Emory McNeely, and President Brien Lewis, who were the lectors for the service, or without Dr. Kenneth Clapp, who delivered a homily about “Forging a New Relationship” with our loved ones through trust, through humility, through listening, and through making time for one another.

When speaking to Dr. Burgess after the service, I asked him if he had any comments he wanted me to include in this article. He mentioned one thing: diversity. He stressed how important it was to him that the Catawba Singers are a diverse group of Catawba students in every way imaginable.

The Catawba Singers include students from every academic year and several majors both related and unrelated to music, such as theatre, religion, English, and education. Most racial and ethnic backgrounds are reflected within the choir and there are a number of LGBT+ individuals within the choir, as well. Also, though many of the songs that the Catawba Singers perform are rooted in the Christian faith, there is a substantial amount of religious diversity within the choir. Nevertheless, despite the many differences among the members of the Catawba Singers, when this group performs, it is with one voice and one purpose: to create something beautiful.

In fact, many choir members (myself included) might argue that is because of these differences, not in spite of them, that the Catawba Singers are able to create something so beautiful.

If you missed the Catawba Singers this past Sunday, you missed an excellent performance and an excellent worship service. However, there are five on-campus performances remaining this semester:

October 2nd at 4:00 p.m. in the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel

October 29th at 12:00 noon at the Catawba Homecoming football game

November 28th & 29th and December 1st in the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel for Lessons and Carols (times to be determined)

There will also be a Men’s Ensemble Concert in the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on October 5th at 3:00, where the men of the Catawba Singers will be performing a number of musical selections. Additionally, campus worship is held every Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. in the Chapel.