Written By Vivian Disalvo (Class of 2026)
“If you’re in Knoxville, and you’re wearing the color orange, we’re friends,” says Emma Poppert. “When you’re a Vol, you’re a Vol for life.”
Poppert (Class of 2026) has personally felt the impact of alumni involvement, which has enriched her experience as a student through real-world advice and the connectedness of the Volunteer community—one like no other.
Starting her sophomore year, Poppert sang in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Chamber Singers, a highly selective choir and tight-knit community that has become Poppert’s home away from home. She’s now in her third year with the choir and had the opportunity to perform abroad with the community over the summer. The Chamber Singers had a 17-day residency in southern England and Wales and performed in London’s Westminster Abbey and in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Chamber Singers in London
“The trip was an invaluable means of personal growth, historical perspective, and cultural understanding,” says Angie Batey, associate dean of the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music and director of UT’s Chamber Singers. “Through these opportunities, we seek to gain a worldview that recognizes, understands, and celebrates the difference of the cultures and people of the United Kingdom.”
What really made the trip special for Poppert was support from alumni. UT’s music cohort is a family, especially the Chamber Singers.
“Alumni serve as mentors to current Chamber Singers, providing insight and giving advice,” explains Poppert.
Several alumni, including Ashley Williams (’19), joined Poppert and the choir on the recent trip. As a UT and choir alumna, Williams was invited to join the choir’s international tour to Scotland and England in 2022 and has stayed involved since, supporting current singers and their trips with her time and her resources.
Several alumni, including Ashley Williams (’19), joined Poppert and the choir on the recent trip. As a UT and choir alumna, Williams was invited to join the choir’s international tour to Scotland and England in 2022 and has stayed involved since, supporting current singers and their trips with her time and her resources.
“I loved how alumni involvement made my choir experience multigenerational, and I wanted to contribute to creating that experience for current students,” says Williams.
On the trip, Williams learned that her kindergarten choir teacher was a student’s aunt and got to know the student over the time they spent abroad.
Emma Poppert and a friend abroad
“It’s connections like those that make the relationship between alumni and students so positive,” says Williams. “We can give students a new perspective and help bolster their futures.”
While abroad, the choir also enjoyed support from the newly established London UT Alumni Chapter. Jeanie Costa Torchio (’95), president of the chapter, joined other London Vols to watch the choir perform at Westminster Abbey.
“I really enjoyed hearing the Chamber Singers’ beautiful voices in such a magnificent setting,” says Torchio.
In addition to her time abroad in the UK, Poppert has also studied in Italy. In Bologna, she studied music theory and Italian cultures for five weeks, even performing at a concert in the city center at the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica.
Aside from her time abroad, Poppert is also involved in Sigma Alpha Iota, the International Music Fraternity for women on campus. She currently serves as the president of the organization, which aims to support and encourage women musicians. She also serves as an ambassador for the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music, and she hopes to stay involved with Chamber Singers as alumni like Williams have.
“Once a chamber singer, always a chamber singer,” says Poppert. “It helps me remember why I love what I’m doing, to see alumni come back and support this community time after time.”
