Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008 - (Page 35)

Story by Alexandra Valasek Photographs courtesy of Will Mayo China Trip bridges cultures, Generations Standing on the ancient Great Wall of China was pretty amazing. But it was no match for standing on the stage of the newly constructed Xi’an Eurasia University arts center, the voices of generations of Lehigh University Choral Arts students and alumni blending together to make beautiful music. Many in the rapt audience of more than 2,000, which included the university president and the province’s mayor, held cell phones high in the air to capture the event for posterity. They would have been surprised to learn that, just one week earlier, many in the harmonious group of old and young, blond and gray, standing on stage before them had been strangers. The Lehigh contingent of about 100 current students, parents, members of the Choral Union, and alumni represented a cross section of Lehigh history, from the years before the university accepted women undergraduates in the early 1970s to the present. Traveling together halfway around the globe in May 2007, sharing memories and music from their days at Lehigh, strangers were quickly transformed into friends. “You feel connected with the alumni,” says Brad Woodward ’07, who served as tour manager for the trip. “The only thing we shared in common with them is they went to Lehigh, sang, and participated in the choral program. Even though we didn’t know them well, we just got that sense of connection and community when we were there on stage.” As John Van Dugteren ’00 put it, “The only constant for both students and alumni alike is our dedication to the love of music, which not only transcends the generations, but also cultures, as we brought our music to China.” The Xi’an Eurasia University performance was their second stop on a tour of four cities in China—Beijing, Xian, Nanjing, and Shanghai. The smell of fresh paint served as a reminder that the auditorium construction had been expedited especially for the Lehigh Choral Arts concert. Merely days earlier, the same group of students, parents, members of the Choral Union, and alumni convened on Lehigh’s campus for their first rehearsal before voyaging across the globe to share their gift of music with the Chinese. This marked the first time that Choral Arts alumni joined students on tour. Neither was quite sure what to expect. “It was just a big experiment,” Woodward says. “This was the first time we’ve ever undertaken such a large project with such a big and diverse group, age-wise.” Woodward sang with the LU Choir for From top: Rob Guzzon ’06, left, and Clint Botway ’10 climb the Great Wall; a joint performance at Southeast University in Nanjing; Steven Sametz, right, works with his Chinese counterparts at Beijing University; the Glee Club performs at Xi’an Eurasia University. winter 2008 35

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008

Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008 Contents From the President's Desk Mailbox On Campus Research Arts & Culture Sports Ugly is in the Eye of the Beholder Fitch's Law of Motion A Blessing to the Community The Amidonian Acclamation China Trip Bridges Cultures, Generations From the Publisher's Desk Alumni News The Last Word

Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008

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