They still to this day have significant impacts on the work that I do. I was incredibly well prepared for the world of music education, and we were always held to incredibly high standards.
For many musicians, performing at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime dream. Weymouth High School choral director Colleen McDonough, ’18, has now achieved it twice.
McDonough first graced one of the world’s most iconic stages as a BSU student and member of the university’s Chamber Singers. Inspired by that surreal experience, she recently created the same opportunity for her students.
“It's incredible to think of the people who stood on that stage,” she said. “You could be standing exactly where Judy Garland stood. That’s really powerful.”
While McDonough’s Carnegie experience was a highlight of her BSU journey, it was far from the only thing she gained from college. Arriving on campus as an older student, she thought she would attend classes and then go home. But her mindset completely changed when she experienced the welcoming, supportive atmosphere of BSU’s music department.
“What I found instead was a family,” McDonough said. “Many of the folks I went to college with are now my best friends.”
McDonough appreciated many of the faculty, including Drs. Sarah McQuarrie, Jean Kreiling and Steven Young, who she still considers her mentors eight years after graduating.
“They still to this day have significant impacts on the work that I do,” she said. “I was incredibly well prepared for the world of music education, and we were always held to incredibly high standards.”
As a student, McDonough quickly understood the skills she needed to hone and was unafraid to ask for the resources that would set her up for success, McQuarrie recalled.
"I'm just so proud of her," McQuarrie said. "She's definitely a leader and role model and always trying to do better."
Both of McDonough's Carnegie performances were part of concerts that the nonprofit Distinguished Concerts International New York organized. While BSU students joined singers from other schools, the Weymouth musicians enjoyed having the stage to themselves as McDonough led them through 35 minutes of singing as part of a concert titled “A Legacy of Song.”
Music has shaped McDonough’s career, fueled her passion, and built lasting friendships. She and her fellow Bears who performed at Carnegie keep the memory alive through a special tradition: singing music from their performance at each other’s weddings.
“It proves the power of music and the power of community,” she said. “Bridgewater gave me those things.”
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