Andrew Bauer directs the Singers during Lessons and Carols.
@MANHATTANEDU / INSTAGRAM
Barbara Vasquez, Editor-in-Chief
The Manhattan University (MU) Singers have elected a new e-board for the 2026-27 academic year and spotlighted a new low-stakes, one-credit course for people interested in singing or conducting ensembles.
Singers are MU’s ensemble choir, consisting of students, staff and faculty across the university. In the fall semester, the group hosts performances during their annual winter Lessons and Carols show and open house – they are one of the first organizations prospective students are exposed to at MU.
Singers’ e-board work together with director Andrew Bauer, performing arts director at MU, to put together their repertoire for the semester. Each recommended song is critiqued on a number of different factors: does it match the season? How will the audience react? Is it technically possible?
“One of the most important things that we do in the fall semester is the open house performance,” Bauer said. “Our reasoning is, of course, to welcome them [incoming students] with music, and to show them that we have this great music program that you can get involved with, but also the choice of repertoire is very positive. We want to have stuff that really invites them into our community and has a message like ‘you’re going to be a part of us.’”
The Singers board members are elected and voted on by their peers. Dean Corvino, senior mechanical engineering major, served as treasurer of the board last year. This year, Corvino was chosen as the new president of the Singers. The Quadrangle spoke to Corvino about what initially pushed him to run for this position.
“This whole club is just my college experience,” Corvino said. “I’ve been singing since well before middle school, and once I joined this club, I met all my friends here. This is where I hang out with my closest friends. I just want the best for the club, and if I’m in this position, that’s what I can do.”
Corvino has been a part of Singers since his freshman year, when he was inducted by his student leader at orientation. He told The Quadrangle that since joining, the group has changed his experience on campus.
“Personally, I was a very different person freshman year, so I had not-a-lot of connections in there at first,” Corvino said. “… But like I said, all the people who I’ve grown close to today, I met the majority in there.”
Sophia Whitmore, sophomore adolescent education major, is the head of public relations for Singers. She joined the group last year, where she “found her people,” much like Corvino.
After returning to Manhattan University following a gap year, Whitmore felt out of place; she was older than her class, and she commuted to school, causing her to feel she was missing out on campus life. For her, the community Singers provided, and continues to provide, is her favorite aspect of the group.
“I was kind of feeling a little bit more on the outside, especially because I didn’t have as much time on campus as everyone else did to get to know people,” Whitmore said. “When I joined Singers, it was really nice because it was a big group of people, and everyone was willing to talk to me and willing to hang out with me.”
Singers is an opportunity open to the entire campus population, regardless of field or skill level.
“I think Singers is unique because you don’t need to be good,” Corvino said. “As long as you have the passion to want to be good, or to want to improve, and you go to Singers, you’re going to improve. You have all these people surrounded by you who have the same exact idea, and they’re very willing to help you.”
In fact, the group encourages beginners. Students who are interested in developing their skills have the option to enroll in private vocal lessons with their soprano section vocal coach Rachel Coloff, or even learn repertoire and conducting with Bauer. Students can register for these one-credit classes by enrolling in MUSC 131 sections.
“There are many schools that have the ability to do choir for academic credit, but I don’t think there are many that have our program where they get private vocal lessons in addition to that,” Bauer said. “With the private vocal lessons, you can do so many things. … We work with the students and see what their needs are.”
With the beginning of the fall semester in full swing, Singers is busy narrowing down songs for their setlists and recruiting new members to the group. To get more information on joining, students can sit in a weekly rehearsal on Wednesdays, from 7-9 p.m., or keep up to date by following @singerssmu on Instagram.
“If you feel lost, like you don’t have a community on campus yet, I would 1,000% recommend [joining] it because everyone loves music,” Whitmore said. “Singing is not hard. It’s such a great, easy skill to learn and an easy community to build. And then from there, you can branch out and do other things. But I think it’s a good way to build confidence.”