Founded as a Lutheran institution, Wagner College has a powerful choral tradition of more than 80 years.
A new book published by Wagner College Communications tells the full history for the first time.
We Found Our Voice: A History of the Wagner College Choir traces Wagner choir history from the 1930s to the present. Besides the historical narrative, it features 18 reflections by choir alumni of all generations, who describe in their own words what the Wagner College Choir meant to them.
Readers of Wagner Magazine received a generous taste of this material in the fall 2016 issue feature story, “We Found Our Voice.”
If you enjoyed that story but wanted to read more, here’s your chance.
Rich in photographs and archival materials, this book brings the Wagner College Choir story to life. It showcases selections of choir programs, many yearbook photos, mementoes saved by choir members, and photos from the Wagner archives.
The book was written by Wagner Magazine Editor Laura Barlament and designed by Natalie Nguyen of Wagner’s Office of Communications and Marketing.
One essential advisor to the project was Richard Steen, the son of legendary Wagner choir director Sigvart Steen, who also served as Wagner choir director from 1979 to 1981.
“Anyone closely associated with the Wagner College Choir (former members, Wagner College educators, and lovers of the choral art) will find this a very interesting read from start to finish,” Steen says. “The story line … [shows] how successive generations of students continued to collaborate towards the greater good and an other-centered communication through many traditions of songs.
“In Laura Barlament’s capable hands, what might have become as mundane as a travelogue on singing reads more like the Meistersingers’ journey,” Steen concludes.
‘We Found Our Voice’ Is Available Online
Hardcover copies of the book are available for purchase at the Wagner College History bookstore. A pdf of the entire book is available for free online as well.
