Turning Point keeps on singing: A look at the choir’s newest members as they waved their graduates goodbye.

While well-known for their beautiful sounds and performances, Turning Point (TP) dives into the world of music with awareness and appreciation towards their fellow members and the pieces in which they work on.

TP differs from the other choirs on Eastern’s campus because of the smaller size, the challenging repertoire, and the tight-knit bonds that are built among all members. Wilson, a returning member, contrasts TP from his high school choir. “You can really focus on the individuals that are making the music and not just the fact that music is being made,” Zack Wilson shares.

As of this year, TP has introduced five new members: Anna Davis, Benjamin McGovern, Amelia
Thomas, Ryan Kratz, and Hailey Ferry. In addition to this, this year’s TP contains several members who will graduate following the 2021 spring semester. Overall, new members and returning members are constantly teaching each other new things relating to music, performance, friendship, and beyond.

Before auditioning for Turning Point, Anna Davis witnessed the group perform at Chapel and was “very
impressed by the sound and the energy,” Davis shares. After auditioning, Davis was excited to become a new member of the group she had previously watched and listened to in admiration. Davis felt as though she fit into TP well because “we all came in having practiced the music a little over the summer. It was very fresh to us,” Davis explained.

Regardless of the fact that returning members may have more experience, Davis shared how she is constantly learning; specifically, members are “very open to critiquing and open to advice,” Davis explains.

As a new member, Davis was surprised about how it was harder to blend with one person as opposed to
an entire choir. However, the ensemble gets together a week before classes start to work on initial difficulties, while also working on bonding and music pieces. “This is a chance for us to welcome the new members, find our specific sound, and reconnect with returning members,” Bobby Fisher shared. From watching this exquisite group perform to becoming a part of this special group, Anna Davis finds excitement and growth within each TP practice.

Among Turning Point’s returning members, Zack Wilson, Christine Carey, and Bobby Fisher shared the impact of this group when they had first joined. While reflecting on his first impression of joining TP, Zack Wilson explains how he felt intimidated but also blessed to be surrounded by so many talented individuals. “I sat there feeling overwhelmed, but in a good way. Like I get to sing with these people. How and why? But I am glad,” Wilson explained.

Christine Carey shared feelings of excitement when she first joined. “You wanted to be a part of it the second you heard them. So I was just really excited” Carney explained. Feeling new to TP may be behind these returning members; however, they are reflective on past feelings of newness to the group.

Bobby Fisher, a senior, has felt the music and relationships formed in TP impact his perception of
music and the unity that it creates. This year, Fisher explained how TP is stripping down the music to “talk more about things like the poetry, why it is that we are singing certain pieces or what they mean to us,” Fisher stated.

He applauds the hard work of both new and returning members. “The new members have come in and worked their tails off and made an effort to connect with the group, and the returners have done such a good job of making the newbies feel like they belong,” Fisher said.

Additionally, Fisher hopes that TP gives all members, especially newbies, the chance to “just escape into the beautiful music and poetry that we are making,” Fisher explained.