Campus THEN and NOW Series - Part 19: Beall Hall

Caitlin H.

December 6, 2009 - 8:34 PM

The Beall Concert Hall is the primary concert venue for the School of Music and Dance. I am blessed to have two very talented friends participating in the UO Gospel Ensemble whom I was thrilled to see perform tonight in the fall term performance.

The Gospel Ensembles are so talented; the evening was a pure joy to be a part of even as a member of the audience. The director of the ensembles, Andiel Brown, was so engaging I felt as though we were sharing a conversation, rather than an anonymous being in the crowd. As we responded to the performance, Andiel directed the choir to respond to us - complete with an unplanned and unprepared performance of the National Anthem by the Gospel Singers.

As a student I was able to attend an event like this at such a low cost, and it was the sort of uplifting experience that set me in the right spirits as I push through the last bit of studying for my 8am final tomorrow. A solo project by Katrina Morehouse and Neil Thurston actually gave me goose bumps and had tears in my eyes it was so inspiring.

While it isn't exactly what I would call traditional ‘gospel' music, this term's program had some Michael Jackson numbers mixed in, which as I'm sure you can imagine, were quite delightful. My dear friend Kassia Galick had a solo in the piece "We are the World" which I was pleased I could be in attendance to support her.

So many students at the UO are talented in so many different ways. Events like tonight where students are able to engage in activities different from their usual coursework is so vital to a well-rounded education. By the end of the evening I was ready to rise from my own seat and join a choir. Tonight was a wonderful reminder that as I prepare one class at a time for final examinations, the value of my education comes from much more than individual tests at the conclusion of the term. The value of my education is a holistic experience, and something that makes me proud to be a duck.