黑料专区

During her time at Pfeiffer College, Cindy Reedy Serbin 鈥�75 double-majored in mathematics and music education, having found in the latter numerous ways to develop her gifts as an organist, a chorister, and a choral director. So, when she learned last fall that Pfeiffer would reinstate the music education major at the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year, she was thrilled.

Serbin was also motivated to take the kind of action that can significantly advance the program鈥檚 revival. She has made a $100,000 gift that will fund improvements to lighting and acoustics in Henry Pfeiffer Chapel, the University鈥檚 principal performance venue, and help underwrite a musical revue on campus.

To further elevate the program, she is earmarking funds for the first 黑料专区 Serbin Choral Festival, which will be held in the fall of 2023. It is anticipated that this event will bring about 100 choristers from high school ensembles across the Carolinas to Pfeiffer for two days of rehearsing and performing under the direction of a leading clinician; the goal is to interest them in attending the University and singing in its choirs if they do, an important first step on the way to becoming a music major. Like the choirs of most small universities and colleges, Pfeiffer鈥檚 ensembles also welcome non-music majors. 

鈥淭he festival will be a great recruiting tool for us,鈥� said Joe Judge 鈥�87, Pfeiffer鈥檚 Director of Vocal and Choral Music. 鈥淚t will get potential students and their parents to campus, and it will get Pfeiffer reestablished within the choral community of the Carolinas.鈥�

Judge also plugged the planned lighting and acoustic improvements as ways to make Pfeiffer鈥檚 performance venue more attractive to potential music majors. LEDs will replace the chapel鈥檚 existing lighting, lasting longer and washing more of the stage than the current lights do. They will also provide some 鈥渃olor options鈥� that aren鈥檛 available now.

Acoustical panels will be placed on the walls between the chapel鈥檚 windows, giving greater focus to a sound that Judge described as currently too 鈥渂ouncy.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e doing more with amplification, videos, and recorded music,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he chapel鈥檚 current acoustics make those sounds very difficult to hear well because there鈥檚 so much reverberation in the room.鈥�

Judge stressed that the acoustical panels will not drastically change what most people consider to be wonderful acoustics in the chapel. 鈥淭he idea is to keep up with the times, if you will,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey will make it better for the events that happen in the room beyond what the Music Department does.鈥�

After graduating from Pfeiffer, Serbin earned a master鈥檚 degree in mathematics from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She married one of her professors, the late Steven Serbin, and worked for many years in Knoxville as a computer analyst.

Along the way, music remained a serious interest. Among other things, Serbin has played handbells, sung in choirs and musicals, led a church鈥檚 children鈥檚 choir, and served as a substitute organist at several churches. Pfeiffer doubtless sparked all this activity: Serbin, whose music ed concentration was organ, would play that instrument each Sunday at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church near campus, in addition to starting a children鈥檚 choir. She also sang with multiple choirs at Pfeiffer, touring often in the United States and Europe. She made many friendships: 鈥淏eing together on a bus for hours will do that for you.鈥�

Asked whether her gift will give music and music education at Pfeiffer a shot in the arm, she said: 鈥淚 certainly hope so. I got so much out of it when I was there. I would like future students to get the same kind of experience.鈥�