September 23, 2024
Professors J.D. Burnett and Suzanne Pence hosted the 2024 Big Sing, the largest event of its kind to date. Nearly 400 high school students attended, accompanied by their teachers. The students came eager to have fun but also to work hard. Each participant received two pieces of music in advance, allowing them to focus on mastering their performance rather than just learning the notes.
Hook'Em playing Chopsticks
The day began with a celebrity performance at the piano. The crowd went wild as possibly the most famous entity on campus entered the stage. This celebrity was none other than Hook’Em, who not only welcomed the students, took selfies, but also performed a version of "Chopsticks" on the grand piano in Bates.
Suzanne Pence conducting Two Strings, One Voice by Randell Stroope
After the introduction, the high school students split into two groups: Sopranos and Altos stayed in Bates to rehearse Two Strings, One Voice by Randell Stroope with Suzanne Pence, while J.D. Burnett took the nearly 200 tenors and basses to rehearse Sing Out My Soul by Marques L.A. Garrett.
Suzanne Pence conducted a choir so large they took up much of Bates hall
After these rehearsals and lunch, the students switched places. Instead of performing, they listened to some of Butler’s students give a concert. The concert concluded with the high school students performing Two Strings, One Voice and Sing Out My Soul. The grand finale featured almost 400 students coming together to perform Holding the Light by B.E. Boykin. There were so many people in Bates that not everyone could fit; the tenors and basses occupied the entire stage, while the sopranos and altos filled most of the audience seating. The result was a magical moment, with Burnett conducting sideways in an attempt to ensure all the singers could see him—an impossible task with that many participants.
J.D. Burnett conducting Holding the Light by B.E. Boykin
After the concert, J.D. Burnett led the entire group, nearly 400 high school students, their teachers as well as many Butler students in a gigantic Big Sing Hook'Em sign. Burnett said that he was so impressed by not only the musical level of the students but also by their maturity, he then went on to invite them all back for the 2025 Big Sing.
Nearly 400 students in Bates Hall showing the Hook'Em sign