Lindsey Wilson University

Lindsey Wilson University Singers Begin a New Era of Excellence

At the annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony, members of the musical ensemble urged to uphold the pillars of energy, intensity and passion.

by Duane Bonifer

Please Note: Corrects event to Tuesday evening, Sept. 23.

COLUMBIA, Ky. (09/24/2025) — A new eara in the storied history of the Lindsey Wilson Singers got underway Tuesday evening, Sept. 23.

The Singers' annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony was held in the historic John B. Begley Chapel, and it was the first time under the Lindsey Wilson University banner and the first time under Director of Choral Activities Jennifer Bersaglia.

At the ceremony, which is more than two decades old, members pledge to uphold the cocurricular group's "Standards of Excellence," a 191-word document that spells out the ensemble's musical and social expectations. After signing the document, members gathered together in candlelight to welcome newcomers and express their community and solidarity through song.

"When we use the word 'excellence,' we first must ask ourselves who established the very notion of excellence in the arts," Bersaglia told the Singers and guests, which included several alumni and family members. "For this we look to the first artist, the Creator himself. All beauty in the created world bears witness to the excellence of God."

With a nod to scholasticism, Bersaglia also reminded the 33-member choral group that "Western civilization has been built on the triad of virtues coming forth from the Word -- the transcendentals of the good, the true and the beautiful."

"We bear witness to the world around us when we pursue these virtues by the work of our own hands, or voices in our case," she said.

The three pillars

The group's officers addressed the three pillars that underpin the choral ensemble's work -- energy, intensity and passion -- which they said are vital to having a successful school year.

Madeline Hardwick '27 of Columbia said that energy can be found in both everyday work and while performing on tour.

"There is absolutely nothing better to me than when we are on tour and I get to look out into the crowd and see our audience feeding off our energy," she said. "Whether that's joy, laughter or tears, which there's a lot of."

To find the group's maximum potential, Kaleb Humble '26 of Monticello, Kentucky, told fellow members that "you must have intensity."

"And you must have intensity in small things every day in order to hone it," said Humble. "Give everything you can, while you can, because one day you'll wake up and you'll be getting ready to graduate -- or already have."

And by embracing passion, the Lindsey Wilson Singers can be transformed from a musical group into a family.

"We're not here because we have to be, but because something deep inside us wants to be," said Sadie Kemp '26 of Columbia. "That something is passion. Passion isn't just a feeling -- it's a force. It's what pushes us to grow, to challenge ourselves and to support each other. It's what turns a group of singers into a family."

For new member Briana Frey '29 of Breeding, the Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony was an important step for her in building that musical family.

"It was wonderful," she said. "It gave us a sense of community that we're part of something larger and we get to represent something that means so much to us -- this institution."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

LWU Singers 01

Lindsey Wilson University Director of Choral Activities Jennifer Bersaglia is welcomed into the Lindsey Wilson Singers at the group’s annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 23, in the university’s John B. Begley Chapel.

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Lindsey Wilson University Singer Reilly Wells ’26 of Columbia signs the group’s “Standards of Excellence” during the signing ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 23, in the university’s John B. Begley Chapel.

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New Lindsey Wilson University Singer Gracie Thurman ’29 of Owensboro, Kentucky, left, lights a candle while fellow new member Brinkley Todd ’29 of Louisville, Kentucky, signs the group’s “Standards of Excellence” on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in the university’s John B. Begley Chapel.

LWU Singers 04

Lindsey Wilson University Singers officer Sadie Kemp ’26 of Columbia speaks about the pillar passion -- one of the musical ensemble’s three foundational pillars -- at the group’s annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 23, in the university’s John B. Begley Chapel.

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Lindsey Wilson University Singer Yesh Singayao ’27 of Vine Grove, Kentucky, holds a candle while standing against an interior wall of the John B. Begley Chapel during the Singers’ Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 23.

LWU Singers 06

Lindsey Wilson University Singers, from left, Zoe Boatright ’28 of Columbia, Sabrina Ruiz ’26 of Louisville, Kentucky, and Leeshawn Johnson ’26 of Louisville take part in the Singers’ annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 23, in the university’s John B. Begley Chapel.

Kaleb

Humble