Most people likely are not thinking about Christmas music until after Halloween or Thanksgiving. If you are a musician, this is usually not the case. As early as August, at any level of experience, you begin rehearsing the holiday hits for upcoming concerts, while the daily temperature can still be above 80 degrees. This expectation is no different for IUK’s Cougar Choir. On Thursday, September 25, everyone gathered for their usual scheduled rehearsal. After mobile and vocal warmups, they practiced two of the many songs they are planning on singing for their Christmas recital, “Fruit Cake”, and “Believe”. Members of the choir might still be settling into this semester, but they’re not the only ones. This year’s director, Matt Garhard, got a late start to the semester himself. “This is my first year with IUK. I actually just started last week. Everything is so far so good,” Garhard said. The group seemed very friendly, relaxed, and passionate about singing.
Halfway through the practice, a new singer joined in, and everyone welcomed her with open arms. Elizabeth Pennington, the Treasurer for Cougar Music and longtime member of the Cougar Choir, wants all participants to feel welcomed in this group, no matter where they’re starting from. “We want to make sure it is a space where everyone feels safe, loved, and free, without all the unnecessary pressure. Especially for college students, the stress is real, man.” This is Lily Peebles’ first year at IUK. She has been singing most of her life, and is thankful to have a space like the Cougar Choir to continue embracing her love of singing. In the future, she’s interested in pursuing voice acting, which can be helpful to prepare for if someone’s routinely singing. Even though she’s new, she already feels like a part of the group. “It’s easier to talk to people here, because we have more in common,” says Peebles.
The Cougar Choir is always ready to welcome new members. If someone is debating joining, Garhard doesn’t want them to be afraid to join this group, whether they’re just getting back into singing with a group, or trying it for the first time. “We don’t have auditions, so you don’t have to sing by yourself. I would say just keep singing, and don’t be afraid,” says Garhard. The Cougar Choir will be performing their Christmas recital December 12 at 7p.m., with other IUK performing art groups, in Havens Auditorium. In the future, members are hoping to have more chances to engage with campus life as a group, and possibly even collaborate with other college choirs. Whatever the future path is for this group, there is a lot of excitement from all participants.
