Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008 - (Page 37)

had only received their music a few weeks prior and had little, if any, time to practice.” Alumni weren’t the only ones experiencing some anxiety over the trip. “I really didn’t quite know what to expect because we never had alumni come back before,” says Jennifer Bibbs ’08. “We were just told alumni would double the size of the group. It ended up being really cool.” The initial apprehension began to melt away and the bonding began in earnest while Air China Flight 757 from JFK was in the air for more than 13 hours. The transition was hardly surprising, given the deep and lasting bond that Lehigh Choral Arts students and alumni share. They often describe Choral Arts not just as a club they sing with, but as a well-rounded family they hang out with on weekends, meet with for lunch, and cheer with at football games—rain or shine—until the very of one of the Terracotta Warriors they had seen earlier that day while sightseeing at the Tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huan. “We knew how much that meant to them and how expensive it was,” Bibbs says. “People got on the mic to thank us. People came to meet us backstage. We felt like celebrities.” After the concerts was a time for the singers to relax, let loose, and of course erupt into old Lehigh fight songs in the dressing rooms. “The end of every concert was punctuated by the alumni passing on stories and songs to the current students,” Van Dugteren says. “It was wonderful to hear the old ﬁght songs being sung again.” Combining music with an eye-opening educational and cultural experience that included climbing the Great Wall and visiting such landmarks as Tiananmen Square and the famous Shanghai Museum of Art and His- “We felt like rock stars, with all the cheering audiences, but we also felt like a family.” last play. For the alumni, it was a chance to relive these memories. “Musically, it was incredibly energizing,” Sametz says. “When you take people halfway around the world, they make friendships for life. The students really welcomed alumni, Choral Union, and parents.” It wasn’t uncommon for the group to take the hotel lobbies by storm—dancing, singing, and clearly having fun together. Delving into the Chinese night life and comparing Lehigh experiences over dinner tables ﬁlled with rice and jasmine tea also provided the group with a way to really get to know each other, creating bonds that will entice them to return for similar tours in future years. “During the meals, everyone mixed up and talked to alumni,” Bibbs recalls. “We all wanted to know about their choral experiences and what Lehigh was like when they were here. If I’m able to, I’ll deﬁnitely come back for future tours.” The group’s reception from Chinese audiences was as enthusiastic and welcoming as their reception of each other. Throughout the country, the group was hailed and showered with gifts. After the Xi’an Eurasia University concert, the group was presented with a statue tory, the tour succeeded in bringing together different generations of Lehigh singers. “Those who were already friends became closer. We got to meet a lot of people we otherwise wouldn’t have met,” says Ryan Leichtweisz ’10. “The tour was a lot of sightseeing, a lot about singing, and all the stuff that goes along with Choral Arts. The main thing we got out of it, though, was the bonding that everyone did.” While many of their fondest memories from the trip occurred during meals or silly behind-the-scenes mini-concerts, the last night turned into something very special, a memory they will cherish for years to come. It happened backstage at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the night before the group went home, when many of the men broke into an impromptu version of the gospel classic “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.” “We had traveled to the other side of the world to share the music of Stephen Foster, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Elvis Presley, and our own Steven Sametz,” recalls Bob Bausmith ’81. “We had been greeted enthusiastically by sold-out audiences everywhere we performed. But now, it was time to go: ‘Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.’” LU From top: The group at the Great Wall of China; Gina Guzzon ’09, left, Joanna Fanizza ’07, and Peter Lanctot ’08 rehearse; the Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an; a performance of Tan Dynasty dances in Xi’an. winter 2008 37

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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