What a year it has been. I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. First and foremost, I’d like to offer the undergraduates’ thanks for your support as we continue to navigate extremely challenging times in the face of the pandemic and social disruption. As of now, the current ensemble comprises nine active members and two members on gap years that will rejoin us in the fall. Due to the disparity amongst technological access and inability to effectively evaluate a prospective member’s candidacy, the Nassoons, along with the other major a cappella groups on campus, decided to refrain from hosting auditions during the 2020-2021 academic year.
While our time as a virtual ensemble has limited our ability to create new materials for the public, we have spent the past semester diving deep into our core values and traditions to make sure the group is equitable and inclusive for all students and members. In fact, the undergraduate executive board has been participating in an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Circuit with the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students and developed an action plan to continuously analyze and address barriers to auditions, membership, and belonging. The Nassoons are a vital part of our Princeton experience and personal development and we are striving to make it as accessible as possible without compromising our mission of musical excellence.
For the spring semester, eight of the nine members are living on or near campus which will facilitate group discussions and allow us to undertake more musical projects. The University remains steadfast in its dedication to public health and has prohibited group singing on campus, but we will not allow this to prevent us from producing new materials within the guidelines. For example, we created a recording and slideshow of “Going Back” to welcome students back to campus. We are also in the process of recording a few new arrangements to be released in the spring. Additionally, in collaboration with the Princeton Nassoon Alumni Association, we will begin releasing all Nassoon albums onto Spotify and other digital platforms for posterity.
Lastly, we are very excited to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Nassoons in whatever form it may take and honor this event with a few special projects in the near future, so please be on the lookout for more information soon!
Thank you again for your support and please do not hesitate to reach out to us at nassoons@princeton.edu or me at scrites@princeton.edu if you have any questions!
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