Darden’s longstanding tradition, First Coffee, is a time for community, conversation and, occasionally, special events. Last week, the Cold Call Chorus (CCC) performed a selection of songs during First Coffee, and we caught up with with Director of Music, Sarah Dalton, to chat about the performance. Check out Sarah’s answers below!
What songs did you perform?
We performed a Justin Timberlake medley, arranged by Brad Stephenson, with parody lyrics by our very own First Year (FY) Spencer Small, “Ubi Caritas” arranged by Maurice Duruflé and “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” written by Paul Simon, arranged by Kirby Shaw. Our accompanist was Second Year (SY) Allyn Zhu.
How did you choose the songs?
We accept nominations from members of the group, and then Director of Operations, Sam Victor, and I decide what to sing. We try to do one modern pop acapella-style song that is a parody, another well-known song that might be a little less contemporary and one song that is in a different language and is more obscure. We love it when we can feature a traditional cultural song from an international student’s home country, as we did last spring.
What do you enjoy about being in the Cold Call Chorus? How does it add to your Darden experience?
What I enjoy most about the Cold Call Chorus is the de-stressing effect of music. Darden can be a hectic place, and it is great to have an hour a week set aside for music. We try to provide a low-key activity for students to get together and rehearse. Things amp up before the concert but generally speaking we like to keep things fun. I also love the connection that we have to the larger community through music – it is amazing to see how many people show up for our concerts!
Any additional performances you would like to highlight?
On Monday, 3 December we sang the National Anthem at the men’s basketball game. We will have another concert at the end of the Spring semester, and we are in talks with Dean Beardsley to have him sing with us and do a solo during that concert.
Interested in learning more about Darden’s student clubs and organizations? Be sure to check out the Student Clubs page for a full listing of Darden’s 50+ clubs!
