The Singing Quakers of Friends University celebrated their 100th anniversary last month with a reunion and pair of concerts.
“It was a great occasion and certainly a unique occasion,” said Cecil Riney, who directed the group from 1960 to 2005. “We had over 300 former Singing Quakers back for that.”
The concerts featured performances by the current choir and alumni choir, finishing with a rousing version of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” that former members in the audience joined in.
The Singing Quakers formed when the school’s men’s and women’s glee clubs were combined. According to the Friends website, highlights from its early years included the group raising money for Friends through performances during the Great Depression. In the 1940s it staged several operas complete with costumes and sets. During World War II, it became almost an all-female outfit as men joined the war effort. In 1958, it performed at a campaign rally in Wichita for Vice President Richard Nixon, a devout Quaker who later invited the group to perform at the White House. The choir has toured Australia, Canada and Europe.
