College of Fine Arts

Healing through art and community, a choral concert that made a difference

Posted by Brandi Engel on May 10, 2019

Austin McWilliams in front of the AIDS Memorial Quilt

Recent grad Austin McWilliams brings a passion for choral conducting that is palpable when you meet him. His excitement for his work juxtaposes the heavy, emotional experience of his recital which took place days before.

“I still can’t believe it happened and there were that many people in attendance!" McWilliams almost squealed, “It’s crazy for my graduate recital, I can’t believe it. It still feels like a dream.”

His bubbly personality belies a strong work ethic that McWilliams harnessed to program a powerful choral recital around the theme of HIV/AIDS. An event that partnered with the Kalamazoo community to create a truly cathartic experience to those in attendance, covering the epidemic from its beginnings in the early 80s through today.

It was a year ago when a colleague showed McWilliams “Of Rage and Remembrance”, the title song of the recital, for the first time. He fell in love with the piece, which led him to research other choral music from that time period where he found a body of work that tackled the subject of HIV and AIDS.

Austin McWilliams conducting the Collegiate Singers.

The choral recital required an incredible amount of coordination: three choirs, musicians, speakers, audio transitions, set transitions, all things that needed to synchronize perfectly. The music selections were much harder to sing than much of the choirs’ current repertoire. “But I knew that regardless, if all of that stuff went wrong, it was still going to make a difference in at least a few lives,” McWilliams said.

One of the reasons Austin McWilliams’ recital was able to make a difference in so many lives was through collaborating with CARES, a Southwest Michigan organization dedicated to HIV prevention. He was referred to Dave Watt, prevention director at CARES, who was more than willing to listen to a Western student’s project. CARES has partnered with WMU on events in the past and they have testing and prevention campaigns with Sindecuse Health Center. “It’s just a special connection between that college campus and CARES, on many levels,” Watt said. "So, when I get an email from a western student, I’m going to read it, I’m going to do my best."

Prevention director for CARES, Dave Watt, speaking during the performance.

When he read the email from McWilliams, it was an easy and enthusiastic “yes!” The unique nature of using music to tell this story really spoke to Watt, who was a music minor in college himself. He was also impressed by a man so young taking on material that was written in a time when HIV/AIDS was so devastating to the gay community. For McWilliams to want to tell that story now, when some of the cultural memory of the agony during that time in history is waning, was a surprise. "Some of the music that you are talking about really helps get the feeling and emotion of what it was like in the 80s and 90s," Watt explained. The pain of that period was still sharp on the faces of those who were affected by the AIDS epidemic in attendance.

Watt knew this was an import event for the community, but he also knew he could help. He was able to assist receiving pieces of the AIDS Memorial Quilt for the Dalton lobby as well as promote the event through social media. Watt also came to McWilliams’ class to teach the choirs about HIV prevention. “[CARES] added an element that wouldn’t have been there if it had just been my recital and not a collaboration with anyone else,” McWilliams said. An element that helped the choir members connect with the music on a deeper level than they would have before receiving that education.

"I just can’t stand things being mediocre. I just couldn’t live with myself for the rest of my life knowing that I had 50 people at my graduate recital." If the goal was over 50, McWilliams blew past that with over 300 in attendance. He wanted to make something that would excite the audience and also make classical music accessible. It was important to him to re-contextualize the music so it was significant and impactful in a contemporary way. He couldn’t stand the idea of only programming the work of dead white men, McWilliams wanted to include interesting and important music of today as well.

The audience remained in the Dalton lobby long after the performance, talking and interacting with the sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt that were on display.

The result of McWilliams' careful planning and music selection was a graduate recital that not only engaged the community but brought them to tears, made them laugh and created a space to talk about an issue that has affected many lives. “I hope they took away an understanding of history and an understanding of hope for the future,” McWilliams said. While the AIDS epidemic has been devastating, medical advancements over the last 20 years have made an HIV diagnosis no longer a death sentence. People can live long, happy lives and McWilliams wanted that to be the ultimate focus of the recital. “Knowing that there is hope and there is help here in Kalamazoo.”

Dave Watt knew that music would be the perfect way to get that message to the community. “When things are at the worst, you can turn to music to help you get through. So much good music, so much art, so much creativity came because of this HIV epidemic and I think that comes through.”