South alumni, consisting of 90 graduates from the class of 1962 to the class of 2011, performed in the orchestra and Master Singers’ Concert May 8 in honor of South’s 50th anniversary.
Among these alumni was Tim Pittner, a 1986 graduate and uncle of junior Grace Pittner. Tim recognized this experience as a special one.
“This is the first time that my brother Kevin and sister Elizabeth will be singing on stage at the same time,” Tim said. “I [was] just as excited to perform as I was when I was in high school.”
The alumni sang the songs “Try to Remember”, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, the South Alma Mater and Fight Song.
“We wanted the alumni spirit present,” choral director Stevi Marks said. “We chose [music] that speaks to people who are both at GBS now and were there before […] so that we can all relate.”
The Music Department created a survey that asked returning alumni to share their favorite South memory, and some were incorporated into the concert.
“We wanted to celebrate that we are who we are today because of the people before us,” Marks said.
Marks noted that this concert impacted the current students because it gave them a new broadened perspective.
“These alumni did the exact same program here that our Master Singers did,” Marks said. “Granted, our footprint is different now, but they walked the same walk. That’s magical.”
Senior Natalie Holzkopf, a member of Solace, shared her admiration for the alumni.
“Their voices are so much more mature than ours,” Holzkopf said. “Knowing that they’re able to sing now gives me hope that I’ll still be able to sing in the future.”
Marks explained that the sound as a whole was very mature because many of the participating alumni are current musical educators and professional performers. Marks noted the special vibe that was created with these individuals coming together.
“Through this 50th anniversary celebration, we hear so many voices with different perspectives; we’ve seen that all year with all these people who have done great things because of who they were at South,” Marks said. “The more people who know the story, the [deeper the South roots grow].”
