Music emanated from the Brown Hall auditorium as the East Tennessee State University Department of Music held their second annual charity concert Saturday evening with the proceeds benefiting Dawn of Hope, a local charity.
From the deep rumblings of the tubas to the operatic voices of the East Tennessee Belles Women’s Choir, many genres were represented.
“I loved the variety. We had lots of different styles, which is our goal,” said Dr. Matthew Potterton, Interim Chair of the Department of Music and the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities.
The show began with the ETSU Jazz Ensemble performing “Baby Elephant Walk,” featuring saxophone and trombone solos. Next, the East Tennessee Belles Women’s Choir performed an operatic song about the end of days appropriately titled “Revelation.” Following the Belles, members of the Three-Quarter Tuba Quartet performed a set that showcased the range of the instruments. A student-led male a cappella group, known as the Swashbucklers, performed next; they sang “Cough Syrup” and “Iconic Duo.” After the Swashbucklers, the ETSU Percussion Studio performed “The Feeling of Coming Home.”
Autumn Brockelman, an organizer of and performer in the concert, enjoyed the percussion performance.
“They blew me away. I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Brockelman said.
Next to perform was a barbershop quartet ironically named The Buc Five; they sang Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.” The word to describe the next act would be eclectic. Members of the student-led band, McKenzie, are as diverse as the songs they play. For example, the band’s drummer is also a violinist, and the bassist plays the viola. McKenzie performed “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd. After McKenzie, Harmonium, the student-led female a cappella group, performed Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger.”
Then, the master of ceremonies introduced Lisa Pawley, a representative for Dawn of Hope. She briefly spoke about the services the organization provides.
Following the intermission, Yi-Yang Chen, associate professor of piano and music theory, played Muller’s “Nostalgic Waltz” on the piano. He was later joined by Jerilyn Paolini, and they played the “Tennessee Waltz.” After the delicate sounds of the piano, upbeat gospel music took center stage as the ETSU Chorale sang “Unclouded Day.” The next performance was unexpected. Dr. Matthew Potterton and the ETSU Chorale encouraged the audience to sing along as they dedicated “You Are My Sunshine” to the representatives and recipients of Dawn of Hope’s services that were in attendance. The concert concluded with the East Tennessee State University Alma Mater.
This is the second year the music department has hosted a charity concert. The funds from the inaugural event went to hurricane relief.
“We raised a decent amount of money, and we realized this is something our department needs to do,” said Potterton, “We can help the community, reach out to the community by doing this concert. So, it’s now an annual event.”
Aside from the charity selection, the concert was organized by the ETSU Department of Music Student Council.
“We basically sent out a mass email to people, and we were like, ‘Hey, this concert’s happening. Who wants to be a part of it?’ And so, everyone who performed tonight responded and said they wanted to be a part of it,” council member Autumn Brockelman said.
Dawn of Hope was selected by the music department faculty from a list of local charities to be the beneficiary of the concert this year. This organization has been providing services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for 50 years.
“Dawn of Hope provides person-centered supports to help people pursue a full life they desire and to be integrated into the community,” Lisa Pawley, a representative for Dawn of Hope said.
Currently serving Carter, Unicoi, Washington, Greene and Sullivan counties, the organization provides skills training so that individuals with disabilities can seek and keep employment. At no cost to the employer, individuals are assigned a job coach who accompanies the clients to the job sites and helps them understand the requirements of the job. Dawn of Hope is currently providing employment services to 60 people. In addition, the organization provides supported living services. There are currently 25 supported living homes with a maximum of three people per home throughout the Tri-Cities. While the goal is to promote as much independence as possible, residents always have access to help whenever it is needed in the form of nurses and 24-hour staff.
“That’s kinda the biggest thing,” Pawley said, “We are dedicated to making sure they live the fullest life possible and regardless of any disabilities.”
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