Music will soon fill the halls of the Miami University Dolibois European Campus (MUDEC) in Luxembourg through a newly created student choir.
The choir, which is to be made up entirely of students at the Luxembourg campus, is open to any interested student at MUDEC.
"It's basically a forum for anyone who wants to get involved and be part of a group here," said Nicole Cozzi, student activities coordinator at MUDEC. "We'll hopefully have at least 10 singers to start off with, as well as a piano and guitar."
Cozzi said she thinks the group will find opportunities to perform for not only fellow students, but also residents of the surrounding area.
"Hopefully we can perform at MUDEC's talent show and at a church around Christmas," Cozzi said. "We even talked about going to an elderly community in Niederkorn (a nearby Luxembourg town) to get involved."
The choir will be under the direction of Miami graduate student Marc Parrasch, a previous member of Miami's Glee Club, Collegiate Chorale and Chamber Singers.
Parrasch, a former MUDEC student, said he volunteered to direct the choir in addition to his middle school teaching position in Luxembourg.
"I just want it to be an enjoyable musical experience for everyone who participates," Parrasch said. "There have been so many people from choirs (in Oxford) that have come here, and they haven't had a chance to sing. It won't be anything big, but we'll have a good time doing what we like to do."
Parrasch said he hopes the group can remain laid-back but focused at the same time.
"It's going to be the best music we can do in the amount of time we have, but it won't be super-professional," Parrasch said. "I'll make the decisions, but I'll involve everyone and ask their opinion, because it's a small group and I think we all have a say in what's going to happen."
Parrasch said members can expect about 90 minutes of practice every week and agreed that an end of the year performance would be ideal.
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Parrasch also thinks the choir will grow as each semester passes and students spread the idea.
"When students go back, they can pass along the word that this is a fun thing to do," he said. "It's a word-of-mouth thing, and once people know about it, there will be even more attendance."
Kelley Engelbrecht, a junior MUDEC student, recently joined the choir and said it is among her favorite things to do in college.
"I'm involved with choir back in Oxford, and I had sung with Marc (Parrasch) last semester," Engelbrecht said. "I figured this would be like a little something from home to participate in."
Engelbrecht sees this as an opportunity for students, far from home, to have a piece of Miami life in Luxembourg.
"We're in a strange place and we don't all know each other here, so this is a good way for us to hang out, meet other students," Engelbrecht said. "It's a break from everything else that's so new, stressful and different."
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