Hanora Chapman ‘23
Hi! My name is Hanora Chapman, and I am a freshman in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, majoring in Biological Sciences. I am from Northern New Jersey, and music has been an important part of my life all throughout high school. I participated in my high school choir for four years and I loved making music there. That is why I knew I wanted to make music at Cornell. I was at the Chorus showcase and I remember hearing the Chorus sing so many interesting songs, and I was mesmerized with every chord and melody. From that concert I knew that this was a group of talented and dedicated group of singers who wanted to bring people the joy of music.
So the day of the audition I nervously walked up to Lincoln Hall, not quite sure what to expect. I have done auditions before, but I was especially nervous because I knew that this was such an amazing chorus. I remember walking into Lincoln Hall and immediately being greeted by chorus members, and talking to them about the chorus. They helped calm my nerves, and they all were telling me about the amazing time that they had in chorus. I immediately noticed the supportive community that was the Cornell Chorus from the minute I walked into the door. Before I knew it, it was my time to walk in. I nervously walked into the audition room and was greeted by Robert and Steve.
The audition was like something I have never experienced before. Robert asked me to sing a few scales, and I did, and then we had a genuine conversation about my voice, and we worked on different vocal techniques and talked about the positives in my audition, and on the other hand what I could improve on. It really felt like Robert and Steve wanted me to succeed, and they really helped me feel more confident in my voice as a singer. Then I got the email at the end of the week saying that I got a callback, and I was over the moon! The callback rehearsal was so fun, and I had a great time singing wonderful music with this wonderful group.
I was still very nervous about the callback audition. The callback audition was also unique because I sang with three other members of the choir in a quartet. The song we sang was Natus Est Nobis. When the quartet started singing, my nerves immediately went away and I felt myself becoming immersed in the music. After the song Robert gave me some notes, and had us sing it one more time. I remember nervously waiting at night for the call about audition results. When I got the call I was so excited and so happy to become a member of this group! I am so grateful for this opportunity so far.