News Concert Choir performs in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium

Birmingham-Southern’s Concert Choir was featured in the first United Methodist Mission Celebration Telethon that was taped in Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Oct. 12. The telethon, “In Mission Together for Christ and the World,” also featured artists such as Willie Nelson, Shirley Jones, Judy Collins, and Kimberley Locke (recently of American Idol), who shared their personal stories and talents. The 40-member student BSC Concert Choir is led by Grammy-nominated composer Dr. Lester Seigel, Joseph Hugh Thomas Professor of Music and chair of the Division of Fine and Performing Arts. Over the years, the choir has received critical acclaim during its national and interna- tional tours from such sources as The New York Times and the London Observer. The choir twice performed at the national biennial convention of the American Choral Directors Association and three times at the Southern regional convention. The telethon, which was televised nationally on Dec. 6 on the Inspiration Network, is sponsored by the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries and benefits mission ministries in Cambodia, Cameroon, Honduras, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Senegal, and Vietnam.

BSC student wins American Idol audition, earns trip to Hawaii

Birmingham-Southern women’s basketball standout Candace Byrd won a spot earlier this fall to audition for — An enchanted evening the next season of the hit TV show American Idol. Bruno Great Hall in Norton Campus Center Byrd won the opportunity to audition by winning the was transformed into an “Enchanted Forest” for Alabama Idol preliminary competition conducted by the the Oct. 22 coronation of Kristian Collins as FOX television affiliate in Huntsville. Her rendition of Miss Southern Diversity 2003-04, shown here Whitney Houston’s Saving All My Love clinched the top with BSC Chancellor and President Dr. Neal prize for Alabama’s hopefuls in preliminary auditions con- R. Berte. She was crowned by Miss Southern ducted by WZDX Fox 54 in Huntsville. Diversity 2002-03 Sonya Thomas. The corona- The Alabama Idol contest featured five regional competi- tion ceremony involved Birmingham-Southern tions whose top five winners were chosen to compete in students as well as students from area high Candace Byrd sings the the finals in Huntsville. Each Fox affiliate across the nation schools and Holy Family Elementary School. As national anthem before a was given the opportunity to conduct a contest to send a Miss Southern Diversity, Collins will serve as Birmingham-Southern contestant to the final round of preliminary competition. the primary student spokesperson for the Office men’s basketball game. As the Alabama winner, Byrd was guaranteed an audition of Multicultural Affairs and will assist in spon- with producers of the hit show American Idol in Honolulu. soring cultural programs, promoting community She advanced through one round of the Hawaii auditions, but was eliminated from building, and facilitating cross-cultural under- the last round of cuts when she sang for the program’s celebrity judges—singer/dancer standing within the Birmingham-Southern Paula Abdul, record executive Simon Cowell, and producer Randy Jackson. College community. She is a junior political sci- ence major from Montgomery.

Celebrating Rush—Members of Kappa Delta and Chi Omega sororities celebrate as their newest sisters are announced during Bid Day 2003 in September. The college’s seven national sororities welcomed their new members during the tradi- tional ceremony. After receiving their bids, the 135 new sorority women rushed up the hill from the Simpson Building to the Sorority Townhouse amphitheater area to join in celebration with their new sorority sisters. The annual event capped off a week of Sorority Rush activities on campus. The annual Fraternity Rush was held the next week and the college’s six national fraternities pledged 80 men.