By: Mallory Taylor, Staff Writer 

During VSU’s 2026 Homecoming Week, on Oct. 23, the university’s choral community gathered for a melodic reunion. VSU choral alumni joined current members of Concert Choir, Chamber Singers and Voce Vita for a concert that gratified generations of music and legacy. 

The evening united voices molded by distinct experiences, all tied together through one notable aspect: their passion for music. Each ensemble surrounded the room with rich harmonies, blending their respective voices into a collective sound that was both haunting and compelling. Every voice carried its own character. Despite singing at the same time, you could identify an individual’s voice and passion just through the sound.  

“This concert has been rolling around the back of my mind for at least a year,” the director, Clell Wright said. 

The idea eventually became a reality as former choral directors Paul Neal, David Johnson and Carol Krueger returned to campus, bringing together approximately 40 years of choral history and experience. Their return gave current students the opportunity to learn from the directors who contributed to being a part of the university’s musical tradition while igniting alumni to rekindle a profound part of their life. 

As the songs continued, the evening brought back memories for alumni while giving current students a chance to experience a piece of VSU’s choral history. Although many of the singers had not shared a stage in years, the music gave them a familiar place to meet again, reminding them that leaving the university does not mean leaving those experiences behind. 

One of the evening’s most powerful messages centered on the idea of legacy: how music, knowledge and tradition survive through the people who carry them forward. 

“My music doesn’t die with me or leave with me when I leave this place,” Wright said. 

The statement depicted the deeper surface refinement behind the reunion. Music does not simply vanish with a snap of your fingers into dust when a performance is over or when a director has fulfilled the position. Instead, it continues to flow through the students they mentor, the memories they make, and the traditions those students pass on to others. 

In many aspects, people become storytellers responsible for keeping those experiences alive. Just as stories are passed from one generation to the next, music evolves through the voices, interpretations and experiences of those who perform it. Each generation adds something of its own while preserving the meaning of what came before. 

The alumni concert demonstrated how that process takes place within a university choir. Former directors returned to share music that had shaped their own experiences, while current students became part of a tradition that will continue beyond their time at VSU. 

Ultimately, the reunion celebrated more than the university’s choral history. It honored the people behind the music and the connections that continue to bring them together. Through every harmony and every shared memory, the concert showed that music is not only something people perform; it is something they preserve, pass down and make their own. 

At Valdosta State University, the voices of past and present came together to tell a story that continues long after the final note of a song.