Alden Voices Sostenuto

More than 1,300 alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends gave generously to WPI on Giving Day 2022, Oct. 6, raising more than $300,000 for WPI in 24 hours. In case you’re wondering why the fuss about Giving Day—what impact it could possibly have—look no further than Alden Voices, WPI’s soprano and alto choir of more than 90 members.

Professor Joshua Rohde, director of choral activities, explains that Alden Voices is both a university course and a student club, led jointly by himself and a board of students. As a result, he says the ensemble is “both a place of important musical curriculum and a social home for students.” The choir performs a variety of traditional and contemporary works, including recently acclaimed concerts that focus on the role of women in science, technology, engineering, and math.

“Alden Voices strives for excellence in musicality while engaging with relevant issues, appreciating multiple cultural backgrounds, and interacting with the larger Worcester community,” he says.

A key differentiator for WPI is its emphasis on humanities and arts in a STEM academic environment. WPI requires students to immerse themselves in the humanities and arts, and provides many opportunities for them to pursue their passions for music, theatre, art, and other creative endeavors. Each year, hundreds of students participate in music courses, labs, and performing ensembles, Rohde notes. Alden Voices is one of 18 music ensembles on campus that include orchestra, bands, African drumming, jazz, and more.

WPI’s oldest student music group, the Glee Club—the tenor and bass choir—has nearly 150 years of history, music, traditions, alumni, and a healthy endowment to support its activities. Though Alden Voices has grown rapidly in recent years while establishing a strong identity of its own, the group lacked the same financial foundation needed to truly advance and thrive.

That changed this Giving Day, when Alden Voices raised just over $7,000 from 120 generous alumni, students, parents, and friends. How can $7,000 make any difference? It was the amount needed to reach the group’s $25,000 goal, earning them a $25,000 matching grant from the WPI Women’s Impact Network. The total combined $50,000 finally established the group’s endowment: Alden Voices Sostenuto, using the Latin musical term “to sustain.”

“This endowment will serve to support the ensemble in perpetuity and create an equality of opportunities for all students,” Rohde says. “The ensemble aims to use funds from this endowment to purchase new music, record its first CD, and engage in special projects both on and off campus.”

Abbey Blauser ’23, a mechanical engineering major and current president of Alden Voices, is excited about the opportunities enabled by the endowment.

“Overall, this endowment will be crucial to furthering the success and continued advancement of Alden Voices,” she says, “and will provide many opportunities for our members for years to come.”

Blauser joined Alden Voices as a first-year student when she saw it offered as a course. She’d always enjoyed singing and theatre when she was younger but didn’t have those opportunities in high school. She jumped at the chance to get back into music at WPI and instantly felt at home in Alden Voices. She’s been moved by the support from the community.

“On behalf of all our members I can say we are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us by both donating and coming to concerts to see us perform,” Blauser says. “I would like to especially thank everyone who supported the final push in creating Sostenuto on Giving Day 2022. Without you all, we would still be pushing for its creation. I would also like to thank the Women’s Impact Network for its contribution in establishing the endowment. Without its matching grant, we would not have the endowment at all.”

Alden Voices is just one program positively impacted by our Giving Day donors. To see more of your impact, visit the Challenges and Matches page.

And if you missed Giving Day—there’s still time to make your impact! Visit wpi.edu/+give to make your gift any time.