MU’s University Singers make fundraising look as easy as pie while they prepare for this year’s tours through Kansas City and Inner Mongolia, China.

One walking around Lowry Mall on Oct. 8 might have noticed a small table set up nearby. To the right of the table, people sitting in ponchos were coated head-to-toe with whipped cream. This was the MU audition choir University Singers hosting its “Pie in the Face” fundraiser.

“I’ve seen other groups do it, and the School of Music is a pretty tight-knit group,” Vice President Kate Mosier said. “So, we thought if we could get some professors to volunteer to have pie shoved in their face, people would pay for it. We think it’s a fun way to get people involved and get our names out on campus.”

Mosier said the event raised over $400 in one day, so the singers see themselves hosting another “Pie in the Face” event in the future. Most of the University Singers’ excursions are funded through the School of Music, but raising extra money lifts weight off the shoulders of individual members.

Over winter break, the choir will tour schools and churches throughout Kansas City. This May, it will travel and sing overseas in Inner Mongolia, China.

“Ultimately, we’re trying to facilitate people’s love for music and show that even if you’re not a music major, you can still sing in college,” Social Chair Michelle Peters said.

Director of Choral Activities R. Paul Crabb is reportedly composing pieces about several heartfelt topics, ranging from South African apartheid to World War II bombings. His conducting goes past the musical aspect for his students, particularly striking a chord with president and junior Dayton Job.

“Dr. Crabb programs a lot of really emotional music,” Job said. “He considers it his purpose on this Earth to promote social ideas through emotional programming. The importance of fine arts and classical music is declining in the eye of your everyday person. That’s all fine and well. Popular music is always going to be popular, but the music that we do in University Singers affects you on a really deep, emotional level.”

All 60 members of University Singers come from various academic backgrounds. Though many students in the program are geared towards musical careers, many are also non-music majors.

“It really becomes a family. The unifying factor is that we are all coming together to create something for other people,” Mosier said.
University Singers will next perform Oct. 19 at Campus Lutheran Church. Typically, a concert will consist of eight to nine songs over the course of an hour. The choir is gradually beginning to learn the pieces off-paper.

“When those chords click in, you can’t help but smile and it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Peters said. “Everyone there is super talented and it’s great to be a part of an organization that cares so much about the music they make.”

_Edited by Janae McKenzie | jmckenzie@themaneater.com_