“I am a lady, a lady with a song.” These were the lyrics of the Peace College Singers final song of their spring concert.
The group of 16 women, led by Julie Ricciardi and accompanied by Julie Bradley, performed an outstanding show of songs from a wide range of genres at their March 28 show in Kenan Auditorium.
Jennifer Baker, a sophomore, began the night with a knockout solo from the Broadway musical Dream Girls title song. First year Ginny Taylor took the lead on the next song, “Can’t Take That Away.”
During the second portion of the show, the audience enjoyed numbers from decades gone by performed by specialty groups. Hannah Owens, a First Year student and opera singer, received a standing ovation for her rendition of “Juliet” from famed opera, Roméo et Juliette.
Christiane Newell, a first-year student, was in a great deal of the specialty group performances and remarked on her many costume changes. “I had four costume changes and the adrenaline from running around and getting into place quickly made the evening exciting.”
The show ended with the choir providing soulful back-up vocals to Amber Oliver’s soaring performance of “Lady with a Song.” The finale was met with an exceptionally warm welcome and the Peace Singers performed an encore of “Total Praise,” an uplifting spiritual that truly exemplified the talents of the group.
The concert concluded with a reception in the lobby. Friends, family, faculty, and staff greeted the performers and each other while supporters of the Peace Singers were serenaded with 1940s love ballads as a way of expressing gratitude.
First-year student Kandyce Jones summed up the concert nicely by saying, “The Peace Singers were amazing and put on a performance that was both heartwarming and uplifting.” The women of the Peace Singers are most certainly ladies with a song.
