A Choral Recording for the Ages

It has been nearly five decades since the Smith College Glee Club gathered at Amherst College in January 1977, on a cold Saturday morning, to record selections for College Choirs at Christmas. Smith was one of several colleges invited to participate in the project. 

Our beloved conductor, Iva Dee Hiatt, told us to prepare to stay at the recording session all day and into the night. We recorded at Amherst College because the school had state-of-the-art recording equipment. The sound engineers, who came from New York City, guided us as we recorded specific passages over and over, trying to achieve a certain level of perfection. Over the course of eight hours, we recorded two French carols, one English carol, and Nicola Porpora’s “Magnificat.” 

This amazing choral experience lives on in my heart as one of the greatest musical highlights of my life. It was a privilege to work with such talented vocalists and our outstanding string quartet, under the expert direction of Hiatt. The recording session made me even more grateful to Smith because of the strength I showed that day by completing a difficult assignment within a strict time frame. I think I speak for everyone when I say having survived Smith’s rigorous academic environment imparted in us a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence, which no one can ever take away.

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