Willamette Stories

Many Come Together to Support Choir

“Come sing for my people; come sing for the people of South Africa,” said Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, after he heard the Willamette University Chamber Choir sing.

Soon, 49 Willamette students will travel more than 10,000 miles to South Africa, to sing for hope, for under-standing, for peace.

In the spring of 2003, as part of the University’s Atkinson Lecture Series, Willamette University was honored with a visit from Archbishop Desmond Tutu. During the event, the Chamber Choir sang a powerful piece of music, “Hope for Resolution,” which combines a traditional South African anthem, “Thula Sizwe,” sung in Zulu, with the English hymn, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” The choir’s performance moved the Archbishop to tears and led to his unprecedented invitation.

On May 18, choir Director Wallace Long Jr. and his singers will leave for South Africa. This won’t be just a tour-ist visit. The group plans at least six concerts, some in conjunction with South African choirs. Many concerts will be performed in poverty-stricken areas for people who might otherwise never hear such music.

To pay for the trip, Willamette students, parents, alumni, staff, faculty and friends have raised $120,000. They still need another $20,000. The group has received two large donations of more than $51,000 from two donors. Most donations, however, have averaged $50 to $100 and have come from individual donors. These smaller gifts, says Long, have made the difference.

“Without the significant number of small donations, this trip would simply not be possible,” he says.

To date, 186 individuals have opened their hearts and wallets to support the choir’s South African tour. Many, like Joelfrey Grant ’95, MAT’96 an early childhood education teacher from Ronan, Mont., were inspired by the Archbishop’s invitation. “I regularly give to the Annual Fund, but this is the first time I’ve given to a specialty event,” he says. “The fact that Desmond Tutu invited the choir really motivated me to support them.”

Donor Julie Adams ’64 of Portland says her own experience with Willamette’s choir led her to a lifelong love affair with music. “Music has allowed me to achieve a work-life balance,” says Adams, who has sung for more than 30 years with the volunteer Portland Symphonic Choir. “It’s given me some fantastic opportunities to travel and that opens your mind.”

Woodridge, Ill., resident and choir supporter Janet Ahren ’64 sang for four years with Willamette’s choir. While the choir traveled mainly throughout the West while she was at Willamette, she says the experience was “spectacular. It enriches your whole life.”

To help defray costs, each choir member must contribute $500 toward trip expenses. Some students are struggling to come up with the money, so the group is raising funds for scholarships.

Many of the choir’s donors are Willamette parents like Mary Kahl and her husband, Robert, of Oregon City, Ore. Their daughter, Abby ’04, is going to South Africa. “It’s a fabulous opportunity for the whole choir,” says Mary Kahl.

Ian Lindsay’s parents, Kathleen and Robert, of Salt Lake City, Utah, call the trip a “phenomenal opportunity for the kids.” Lindsay, a senior member of the Men’s Choir and the Chamber Choir, is the second of three Lindsays to attend Willamette. “We chose Willamette for our children because it’s small and provides so many opportuni-ties outside the classroom. This South African tour is another wonderful Willamette experience.”

To support the Chamber Choir’s South African Tour, please send your contribution to: University Relations, Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, OR 97301. Please note that the gift is for the Chamber Choir’s South African Tour.

– Bobbie Hasselbring