Lindsey Wilson University

Lindsey Wilson University Singers Welcome New Members into their Musical Family

At candlelit Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony in John B. Begley Chapel, 16 new members join university's select choral group.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (09/16/2026) — One of Lindsey Wilson University's biggest families welcomed 16 new members into it on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The Lindsey Wilson Singers held their annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony on Tuesday night in the historic John B. Begley Chapel, and 16 new members officially joined the university's choral group during the candlelit ritual.

New members heard from five of the 16 returning Singers, and they also signed the group's "Standards of Excellence," in which they pledged to strive for excellence musically and personally during their Lindsey Wilson careers.

"This is a joyous and significant moment in the life of a Lindsey Wilson Singer," said Director of Choral Activities Jennifer Bersaglia.

Bersaglia reminded the Singers that a commitment to excellence is as much a gift as it is a goal.

"The pursuit of excellence is not an end to itself, but a means to glimpse the Creator in all his beauty and in time reflect that beauty back into the world," she said. "That's what you have the opportunity to do as a Singer each year."

Although Bersaglia spoke to the students and directed them in a couple of songs, the evening was driven by the Singers' veteran members.

"They take ownership of the event because they feel so passionate about making it a special night for the new members," said Bersaglia.

'Something that will last forever'

Three of the Singers' leaders told the new members that the choral group's high standards are based on three longstanding foundational concepts -- energy, intensity and passion.

"Every time we lift our voices, we converge our energy into something that will last forever," said Josephine Posey '27, a human services and counseling major from Greensburg, Kentucky. "You have to draw energy from each other."

The 32 members of the 2026-27 Singers include students from more than a dozen majors and career goals, but Natalie Stearns '28 said "the one thing we all have in common is our drive for success in Singers."

To achieve that success, Stearns, a human services and counseling and psychology double major from Columbia, urged new members "not to see Singers as just a class but as a home."

In addition to the Singers, Tuesday night's ceremony also included several family members and alumni. The strong presence that alumni have in the program, along with strong familial-like bonds that is often forged between fellow Singers, caused Madeline Hardwick '27 to realize she had joined a special group when she was a freshman.

"I learned very quickly in my first year that this group will be something very fundamental, not only in my college experience but also in my life," said Hardwick, an education major from Columbia.

Family traditions

Newcomer Spencer Mitchell '30 had heard of the close friendships that blossom among Singers from his mother, Rachel, a 2001 Lindsey Wilson alumna who sang in the group.

"I'd heard about it and what it is, but I did not appreciate the full essence of it," said Mitchell, a media studies major from Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Unlike Mitchell, fellow newcomer Kieran Anderson '30 said she was unsure what Tuesday night's ceremony would entail.

"I really didn't know what to expect, but I liked it," said Anderson, a theatre major from Franklin, Kentucky.

Liberty Lindsey '29, who is beginning her second year in the group, said she could relate to Anderson.

"In my first year, I had to learn what it meant to be a Singer," said Lindsey, a nursing major from Columbia. "I learned it means to be part of a family."

And business graduate student Zoe Boatright of Columbia said that family spirit will help sustain and carry the new members over the course of their Singers' careers.

"In your third year it's more like you know what it means, what it means to welcome the new people into the family and show them what it means to be part of Singers and to worship God," said Boatright.

As Lindsey said, those family ties will only grow stronger over time.

"It genuinely means something to people's hearts," she said. "It's something you'll carry with you long after Lindsey."

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 30 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 Standards 01

Lindsey Wilson University Director of Choral Activities Jennifer Bersaglia directs the Lindsey Wilson Singers during their annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the historic John B. Begley Chapel.

LWU Singers Standards 02

Lindsey Wilson University student Spencer Mitchell '30 of Bowling Green, Kentucky, signs "The Lindsey Wilson University Singers Standards of Excellence" during their annual signing ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the historic John B. Begley Chapel. Mitchell's mother, Rachel '01, was also a member of the choral group when she was a Lindsey Wilson student.

LWU Singers Standards 03

LWU Singers Standards 03 Lindsey Wilson University student Kieran Anderson '30 of Franklin, Kentucky, lights a candle during the Lindsey Wilson Singers' Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony, held Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the historic John B. Begley Chapel.

LWU Singers Standards 04

Lindsey Wilson University student Natalie Stearns '28 of Columbia lights one of the candles that represent the Singers' principles -- energy, intensity and passion. Stearns, who is one of the ensemble's student leaders, spoke about intensity. The Lindsey Wilson Singers held their annual Standards of Excellence Signing Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the historic John B. Begley Chapel.

Zoe

Boatright