A cat duet, short skits and a booming bassoon will soon swirl in the air of the Dingeldine Music Center.
On Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m., the Bradley University Chorale students will host its annual talent show.
This year, the event will help raise money for the performing arts department at the McDonogh School in New Orleans.
Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the McDonogh School in 2005. Today, they are still recovering from the storm.
“I want to give the faculty and students at that school hope,” junior and BU Chorale vice president Brandon Johnson said. “I want to let them know that people are thinking about them and supporting them from far away.”
According to Director of Chorale Activities John Jost, fine arts are one of the first activities to get cut from the budget when schools are suffering financially.
For five dollars, students, faculty and the community can attend the talent show to help support the school’s needs.
The students in BU Chorale have had a relationship with the performing arts department at McDonogh School for several years.
They first met in 2011 when BU Chorale stopped in New Orleans during the annual spring tour.
This year, they want to continue helping the performing arts department by donating the money they raise from the talent show to them.
“The goal is to raise $500,” Jost said.
According to Johnson, donating this money to the performing arts department will give students who like to act the chance to participate in school performances and students that like to sing the chance to join the school choir.
“I want people to be able to participate in what they love to do,” Johnson said.
Jost said the BU Chorale students are encouraged to perform acts in the talent show that are different from what they are accustomed to doing on stage.
“The best part of the talent show is watching people come out of their shells and show a hidden talent that nobody new they had,” Johnson said.
