By Miriam Battles, Development Officer
On the evening, February 5, 2019, in the East lobby of the Peters Fine Arts Building, Dr. Pollard, Oakwood University officers, donors, the Office of Advancement, and students gathered to unveil a commemorative hallmark recognizing the Aeolians’ 2018 victory at the 10th World Choir Games (WCG).
The hallmark, designed by university photographer Teymi Townsend, features a photograph of the Aeolians on stage in South Africa where they won two championships and three gold medals. God signally blessed the Aeolians’ “relentless” pursuit of excellence during the WCG as Champions in the Spirituals category with a brilliant score of 97.88. This was the highest score attained by any of the over 300 choirs from over 60 countries.
The Aeolians, under the phenomenal direction of Dr. Jason Ferdinand, have carefully curated an international reputation for their distinct sound and musical prowess. Their God-given talent, skill, commitment, dedication and hard work are evidenced by their excellence.
The university truly has a jewel in this group of students who represent Oakwood on the world stage. Each student was presented with a 8×10 replica of the hallmark photo as an expression of the university’s appreciation of their sacrificial service and a personal memento.
As the Aeolians prepare to travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to take part in the American Choral Directors Association on February 27, as the first HBCU to participate in this 60-year tradition, let us remember them in prayer. This is indeed an honor as they were selected from a blind audition process and will perform before an audience of over 20,000 attendees.