BY KRISTIN BURNELL
Staff Reporter
On Saturday, Nov. 4, Sacred Heart University’s 4 Heart Harmony and Blended Hearts choral groups hosted their annual “Sing Out! A Concert Against Bullying” in the University Commons Auditorium.
4 Heart Harmony is Sacred Heart’s smaller chamber choir, which consists of a select group of men and women who have a high caliber of background and experience with choral music. Blended Hearts is an all-female a cappella singing group.
The concert featured several musical pieces that focused on the subject of bullying.
The choral groups opened with “Stand Together,” composed by Jim Papoulis. In the refrain, choir members sang: “If we stand together, we will sing forever of the dreams growing in our hearts.”
4 Heart Harmony and Blended Hearts’ main goal of the event was to spread awareness about bullying.
“The message I want the audience members to take away from this concert is that bullying is just not okay,” said freshman 4 Heart Harmony member Mark Bosse. “That is why we have this concert. We want people to know their resources and that there are people out there for you.”
Before some of the pieces were performed, choir members spoke about their own personal experiences with bullying.
Senior Cory Robinson opened his testimonial by asking audience members to close their eyes and raise their hand if they had been affected by bullying. When opening their eyes, nearly half the audience had their hands raised.
“It is something that is everywhere,” said Robinson. “I, myself, was bullied in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Everything changed when I stepped on this campus.”
Bullying continues to be an ongoing issue in schools and campuses all over the world, as well as occurring places throughout society. 4 Heart Harmony and Blended Hearts used their voices to stand up to the cause and give advice to those who suffer with bullying.
“For anyone who has been bullied, this too shall pass,” said junior Connor Sivacek.
Other songs that were performed included “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten, Mac Huff’s arrangement of Alessia Cara’s “Scars to your Beautiful,” “Invisible” by Hunter Hayes, “Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan, and “Try” by Colbie Caillat.
The anti-bullying concert is performed every year on campus. Many students attended the event as part of their Catholic Intellectual Tradition and academic music classes.
“I thought the concert was very inspiring and my favorite part had to be the sense of unity among the people singing and people watching,” said sophomore audience member Nicole Longo.
The concert’s different variations of songs made many of the audience members aware of how big of an issue bullying is.
“I was so happy to attend this event,” said sophomore audience member Julia McLaughlin. “It was full of emotional, yet inspiring, stories and songs that showed how compassionate the Sacred Heart community is.”
The concert concluded with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s “You Will be Found” from the Tony Award winning musical, “Dear Evan Hansen.”
Director of Choral Programs Dr. John Michniewicz spoke about bullying and how important it is to make a change.
“One of the things I have learned over the years is just how widespread the issue is,” said Michniewicz. “If we stand together and stand up against this problem, we can make an impact and have a positive change. We can never be reminded too much about bullying.”
