By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Members of the Otsego High School choir recently played host to some special guests.
The Central Michigan University Chamber Singers choir visited OHS to perform and interact with the Otsego choir students.
According to OHS choir director Meredith Lincoln, the experience made quite the impression.
“My students were truly blown away by the singing that they heard that afternoon,” she said. “You could see it in their faces after each song. They were blown away by how loud the 26 CMU students could sing, and that they were singing in eight different parts with only three people on a part.
“I think it showed my students that you can continue to sing and be a part of choir, even after high school. I truly believe they learned a lot by hearing them, and by the questions that (CMU director of choral activities) Dr. (Amon) Eady and students answered in between songs.”
The CMU Chamber Singers performed 10 songs, including some from their fall concert, their Juletide (winter) concert and new music they began learning this semester.
A special duet featured Colin Wesseldyk, a 2023 OHS graduate who is currently pursuing a commercial music degree from CMU. Wesseldyk and Ryan Linton sang “Agony” from CMU’s upcoming production of “Into the Woods.”
Wesseldyk is playing Rapunzel’s Prince, while Linton is playing Cinderella’s Prince.
“Seeing Colin perform with Chamber Singers as a sophomore is such a fun experience for me,” Lincoln said. “It makes me so proud to see him doing so well in his college studies and continuing his education in music.
“I can hear how much he has grown as a singer in just a year and a half, and it truly makes me prouder that I could ever put into words. I hope he enjoys singing that difficult repertoire as much as I enjoy hearing him sing it.”
The afternoon also included the CMU students singing with the OHS students.
“It was really amazing to see OHS students and CMU students sharing music and singing together at the end,” Lincoln said. “Watching my students be a part of something bigger was such an amazing experience for me. They were shocked by the abilities of the college students around them, and you could see them enjoying themselves.”
The visit from the CMU Chamber Singers was an impromptu one.
The choir was originally scheduled to perform at Jenison High School and Rockford High School as part of a day-long trip to the Grand Rapids area. But both of those schools had snow days, leading Eady to reach out to Lincoln.
Lincoln graduated from CMU and performed in Chamber Singers during her time in Mt. Pleasant.
“Dr. Eady reached out to me about 6 a.m. and asked if I could figure out a way for them to come to Otsego instead,” Lincoln said. “When I heard of this opportunity, I jumped on it and talked to administration as soon as I got to school.
“It all worked out really nicely because there was already an assembly for wrestling going on that day, so choir students just came to the choir room instead of going to the wrestling meet.”
Seeing Eady with his current students brought back plenty of memories for Lincoln related to her time at CMU.
“I am very proud to have gone to CMU and been part of Chamber Singers during my undergrad years,” she said. “It was really fun to see Dr. Eady with his current students in my classroom singing such a hard repertoire. I was very envious of the CMU students, as I greatly miss singing in a choir with that level of musicality.”
Lincoln hopes this year’s visit from the CMU choir is the start of a new tradition for her program.
“I hope to continue to have CMU and other colleges come in and sing for and with OHS students,” she said. “I truly believe it is a life-changing experience for these students to hear collegiate level choirs.”
