By Wynne Williams-Ceci, ‘24
As a current freshman, starting college in the fall of 2020, the words I have heard more than any others in the past 6 months are ones of pity and remorse. Since the pandemic began, people I hardly even know have been reaching out to express their sympathy for the circumstances my cohort has faced: having finished high school in a covid-spring and started college in a covid-fall. As a Cornell student, I feel extremely lucky to have been given the chance to live on campus at all. Many of my friends attending other institutions have not been blessed in this same way. However, despite this great fortune, it is easy as a choral singer to still feel especially discouraged during this time because the very essence of what it means to be a member of a choir directly contradicts necessary safety regulations. As our director, Robert Isaacs, likes to say: “My job is normally to gather people in an indoor space, pack them together, and tell them to all breathe deeply.” While Robert’s task seems virtually impossible during this time, he and the students in the Cornell University Glee Club and Chorus have been working virtually non-stop, and in doing so have managed to still create an incredibly special and memorable experience for new members of the ensembles (both on and off campus).
Since receiving my acceptance letter into the Chorus, my life at Cornell has been enriched in so many ways. Every Monday afternoon, I attend (in person!) my Choral Musicianship class for all new members. We may not be able to sing together and learn the permanent repertoire of the ensembles like most years, but we all still spend these afternoons learning about what it means to be a musician: bettering our technique, honing our ability to read rhythms, and laughing together when inevitably certain exercises go awry. On Wednesday evenings, all of Chorus attends our weekly zoom call, in which we learn new and exciting things pertaining to strengthening our skills as singers (and listening to some great music along the way). Beyond that, Robert made an assortment of additional activities available to all students, with the option to join as few or as many as desired. I participate in a few of these activities: a bi-weekly sight reading mastery class, a project team dedicated to creating virtual choirs this semester, and a small in-person consort group that sings 12 -feet-apart, outdoors, fully masked. Aside from these formal activities, the students of the Chorus and Glee Club have created a multitude of fun virtual activities for members to join, ranging from trivia nights, to movie nights, to Homecoming Celebrations.
My biggest fear coming into the Chorus this year was that I would not be able to experience the same sense of community that its members have in the past. Having grown up in Ithaca and attended Chorus concerts since I was in the womb, I have always had a strong sense of the close-knit friendships that are born out of shared membership in the Chorus. With covid-19 regulations, and no large group in-person singing, achieving this seemed practically impossible, and I had essentially accepted the fact that I likely would not get to make any friends in these ensembles until the pandemic no longer poses such a threat. Thanks to the tireless work of the students and our director, though, I am happy to say that I was proven wrong. On Monday nights, after my class with new members, I go and enjoy a distanced dinner with several of my friends who are also freshmen in the two ensembles. On Tuesday afternoons, I often get walked to my bi-weekly covid test by the girls from my consort group, allowing me to meet older members and learn from their experiences at Cornell in past years. In all of the online activities, I have been greeted by such a warm and friendly group of people each and every time, all of whom I feel connected to, even across a screen.
It’s the unfortunate truth that large group choral singing is simply not a possibility given the current circumstances. But, the Cornell University Chorus has in no way allowed this to hinder its overall goal of bringing people together over a shared love of music. While it is definitely not your typical year, I am incredibly grateful for and satisfied with the experience I have had as a part of the ensemble thus-far. I know that our time apart will make it all the more wonderful when we all come together again.
Pictured: Wynne singing with her consort at the Johnson Museum.