Lamplighters to hold reunion and concert
Fifty-seven years ago, James (Fuzzy) Randolph asked a small group of students at what was then Waynesburg College to sing along with him. This humble and sincere beginning gave birth to the Lamplighters: a musical, Christian engagement and fun legacy that has lasted nearly 60 years.
To celebrate the continuity of Waynesburg University’s choir, the Roberts Chapel will host a reunion concert of almost 100 singers made up of current students and Lamplighter alumni at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3. The concert is free of charge and the public is invited to attend.
As far as Melanie Catana, the Lamplighters current director, can recall, there has not been a reunion concert during her ten year tenure.
“As I have been in conversation with many alumni over the past three months, I have heard countless recollections that point to the positive impact this group has had on so many lives,” she said.
To date, Dave Floyd, manager of alumni relations said that 55 Lamplighters alumni have signed up to attend the day-long reunion.
The event will include get togethers to share stories, photos, videos and recordings, two rehearsals, a dress rehearsal, mingling with current students and Lamplighters, a lunch and dinner and the concert.
“We used our database to contact alumni via email,” Floyd said. “Word of mouth and personal phone calls and text messages from staff in the Fine Arts Department also got alumni to sign up.”
Among the alumni who will participate in the concert are former director, Anne Phipps, who will conduct three selections from her years at the helm (2001-09) and piano accompanists, Ferdinand Dolfi and Nelson Fox, who will both sing and accompany the Lamplighters at the concert.
The concert will include a tribute to the late Fuzzy Randolph by one of his close friends, Courtney Dennis, who took over as the university’s museum director following Randolph’s retirement.
For the concert nearly 55 Lamplighter alumni will join the current 45 member choir to swell the Roberts Chapel with sound and selections from the past. The evening’s program will include favorite songs suggested by former choir members.
Roughly 50 percent of the student contingent is made up of those who participate in the choir for university credit. The Lamplighters are actually made up of two choirs. One is a concert component with 40 members; the other is a touring component with 21 members who must audition to join. Lamplighter rehearsals are held in the late afternoon on both Tuesday and Thursday.
The concert choir performs twice a year, during the Christmas season and in the spring. The touring choir performs three or four times each year in the community at places like churches and other organizations. In May, the touring choir will visit Romania, where they will perform at an orphanage as part of their community service project.
“So far we’ve had a pretty good response for the reunion and concert, and we’re looking forward to having the alumni on campus once again,” Floyd said. “It should be a really great event.”
For more information, phone 724-852-3256.