MINOT – Residents at The View Assisted Living watched quite the show Tuesday when Cappella from the University of Mary in Bismarck, sang for them.
Director Doctor Rebecca Raber, described the choir as a special program, using college athletics as a model.
“I travel around, recruiting singers to come and sing sacred music at the University of Mary,” Raber described. “I give them very good scholarships, just like college athletics, to do so.”
Cappella has two Minot members -- Kalen Hill, a freshman in music education, and Kamryn Morrison, a sophomore in psychology with a criminal justice minor. Both sang solos at The View.
Raber provided a break in between songs, giving Cappella students an opportunity to visit with The View residents.
“COVID was really difficult for musicians and choirs and ensembles,” Raber said. “So many things were diminished during COVID. We wanted to follow that up with joyful song.”
Raber said Cappella sings at assisted living and nursing homes because everyone needs music.
“Music is meant to be shared,” said Raber. “Music is a way for people to understand and be touched by beauty. In a world where the news makes you nervous, having a dose of beauty in your day by listening to beautiful music, and more importantly watching a team make music and be committed, that’s something that makes your heart swell and gives you hope.”
“Singing in the choir is probably one of my favorite things in the whole world,” said Morrison. “It’s amazing to be able to connect with everyone in the group and praise God with incense and joy.”
Morrison said singing at the assisted living in Minot makes her feel at home, having sung with other groups including Western Plains Opera and Grace Notes.
Cappella, a two-year-old program, has many plans this year, including trips to festivals in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Phoenix, and Palm Springs. The choir has plans to have concerts outside the country in France and Spain. Cappella typically sings every week for mass on campus.
More information on Cappella can be found here.
