After a number of events were held for President Neil D. Theobald’s inauguration, the festivities concluded with Boyer College of Music and Dance’s Inauguration Concert on Friday night, October 18th.
A Mosaic Concert was a unique way to welcome the 10th President to Temple University. Provost Hai-Lung Dai explained, “Our president is a music lover…in fact our first lady, Sheona, if I’m not mistaken, she used to sing opera herself.”
The concert featured Temple University’s Jazz Band, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, choirs, dancers and soloists. They all performed together for Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy”.
Eleven acts were performed in the first half of the show, with no pauses in between. The artists had trained for months to perform the music pieces precisely. “It is such an honor to be chosen out of so many talented singers and other performers we have here to perform for our new President,” said Sarai Johnson, a soprano soloist. Pei-Ju-Yu, another soprano soloist, described the event: “How they put the event together is so great, like so complete, and I think it is such a wonderful night.”
Since there were no rests, the crowd was cautioned to hold their applause until the end. Kay Brewer, mother of Scotland Brewer, one of the University Singers, said, “The hardest part was having to contain and not clap until the very end. I kept wanting to clap after everyone was finished. It was just so fabulous.”
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