Devin VanLue, Syracuse native and Wawasee High School graduate is shown third from the left in the front row, during one of the song performed by the Ball State Singers.

Text and Photos
By Mark Knecht
Guest Writer

SYRACUSE — Snow didn’t deter the large crowd that came to be entertained by the Ball State Singers from Muncie who provided an exciting and highly energetic program at the Wawasee High School auditorium Sunday afternoon, Feb. 16.

The program is part of the Chautauqua-Wawasee annual college music series that brought BSU Singers here in 2023 and the Purdue Varsity Glee Club last year.

North Webster’s Phil Metcalf introduced the event, which started off with the high tempo song “Let the Sunshine In” from the Broadway show Aquarius.

Shown are Shawna, left and Jeremy VanLue, right, with their son Devin, who is a part of the Ball State University Singers.

The event’s theme was “A Night on Broadway” so many familiar show tunes followed including “Don’t Rain On My Parade (Funny Girl),” “One Day More (Les Misérables),” “Seasons of Love (RENT),” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him (Jesus Christ Superstar),” “Think of Me (Phantom of the Opera)” and many others … 40 songs in all … and five costume changes.

Many songs featured soloists, several from Fort Wayne, Auburn and Syracuse’s own Devin VanLue.

Clearly the audience’s favorite was Wawasee High School grad VanLue. This performance held special meaning for VanLue, since this will be his final performance on the WHS stage.

Reflecting on the performance, VanLue said “Performing here, where my love for music began, is a full-circle moment I’ll treasure. It reminds me of how far I’ve come and the powerful impact that music, community and leadership have had on me.”

Over this past year, in addition to being one of the singing team, VanLue has served as company manager whose job it is to work closely with the team, making sure everything from rehearsals to performances are executed flawlessly.

After the program ended, the singers convened in the lobby to share time with family and friends and receive compliments from those who attended.

Two attendees were Mike and Wanda Wyrick of North Webster. When asked about the event, Mike Wyrick commented “we come to all of Chautauqua’s events, particularly the music ones. We brought friends from Anderson and Elkhart.”

Kip Schumm, Chautauqua’s program leader for the event quipped “It wore me out just watching all the dancing and choreography done by the performers.”

The BSU Singers and equipment were packed up by 5:45 p.m., ready for the two-hour bus ride home, but planned a quick stop at Pizza Hut before leaving Syracuse for the snowy trip back to Muncie.

Chautauqua-Wawasee is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help make Syracuse and the region a great place to visit, live, work and raise a family by providing life-enriching experiences based on the four Chautauqua pillars: Arts, Education, Faith and Recreation. Contact Chautauqua Wawasee at [email protected] or visit its website.