Warm Echoes Across a Snowy Campus: Norwich University Chorus, 1968

A small New England college nestled in the Green Mountains during snowfall, ambience. It’s the holidays, 1968; the chorus of Norwich University and Vermont College readies for their performance of Winter Songs. And you are invited.

Well somewhat invited — obviously the 60’s are long gone, man. And the perspective for this performance will play outside of Plumley Armory pattering with falling snow.Passing traffic on snowy South Main — yes I’m being an ****** on purpose it’s Christmas — into charming (blue collar AF and I say that with admiration) Northfield, Vermont.

I hope everyone enjoys the holidays this year, whether you celebrate or not. Seriously, enjoy the holidays; now go away.

I don’t want to give up too much on how the sausage is made for the folks who just read a few lines and bounce. Just a couple more sentences and those people will disappear. What did y’all think of the Steam cube?

OK, I feel like we’ve shaken off the normies — I found an obscure vinyl recording of a 1968 choral performance (no background sounds those were added) by Norwich University and Vermont College.

I’m not entirely sure what part of the year this recording coincided. With several invocations of the Devine I assumed the original recording must be Christmas. And I definitely wanted to imagine there was snow coming down for this performance (which could have been Spring, it snows like hell some Springs up there).

I’m positive divinity and salvation were pretty evergreen in 1968 for military college students on the precipice of graduation and probably the Vietnam War soon after.

I have to think more than one voice in this recording will be silenced by that war. Not to dampen spirits, I think we could hold on to that in a world ravaged by basic human instincts. There’s a lot of “that” to hold on to this holiday season.

Maybe that’s why we sing?