Shivick to leave Assumption

After 20 years of being a part of the music program in the chapel at Assumption, Jane Shivick has decided to step down from her position as Director of Chapel Choirs and the Principal Cantor to pursue her professional singing career. "I know that time is marching on for me, and for what realistic musical achievements are attainable for me at this point in my life," says Shivick. "While leaving Assumption has been a painful and tough decision for me, I am also excited about what possibilities will lay ahead for my future."

Shivick is a big part of the Assumption community. She directs the student AC chapel choir that sings at mass every Sunday night. She also directs the adult choir, cantors the Sunday 10 a.m. masses, as well as cantors weddings and special liturgies held in the chapel. Besides directing the student choir for the 7 p.m. masses, she also directed them in the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols, Handel's Messiah, Godspell, and led the group in two tours through New York City and Washington D.C.

At the same time, directing choirs is not the only thing Shivick has done with her career. For the past ten years, she has been a mother, a wife, a voice instructor and also worked on her professional singing career. The workload is intense, and Shivick feels that it is important she devotes more time to her professional singing.

"Running a full-time private voice studio in conjunction with my responsibilities as the college (not to say being a mom and wife) has left me with little time to keep in consistent contact with my coaches in the Boston and New York City area," says Shivick. "And while I have continued to sing professionally over the last ten years, I am not able to pursue performance opportunities beyond that of the New England area."

Singing has always been a part of Shivick's life. She's been singing ever since she can remember, and comes from a very musical family. She sang in church choirs when she was little, and her mother always taught her to raise her hand if someone needed a soloist for a song. When Shivick attended Assumption for her undergraduate degree, she sang in the Chorale and the Chapel Choir. Singing as a profession entered her thoughts when she took lessons with an instructor in the Worcester area.

"I was exposed to the type of singing [my instructor] thought I had the capability for," says Shivick. "When I realized and accepted this about myself, I wanted to be pursuing singing more fervently." Shivick applied to a few music schools, and was accepted to the Hartt School in Connecticut.

Directing choirs was the next step Shivick took in the singing world. She conducted the children's choir at her local parish in Worcester, which eventually expanded to her re-forming the adult choir of the same parish. She became a part of the Assumption community when she started helping out Frank Corbin, the pianist and organist for the chapel choir, about ten years ago.

"I put together a well-attended Advent Service of Lessons and Carols for both choirs," says Shivick. "It became an annual event for the parish."

Ten years later, she has done so much for the choir, and the choir has done so much for her.

"This has been a transforming experience for me," says Shivick. "The chance to help build such a successful chapel music program has been a highlight in my life. To have collaborated with Frank Corbin and developed our program into what you witness today has been a great joy in my life. I am very proud of all the accomplishments everyone involved as achieved in ten years time." Some of her most memorable experiences with the choir include the two productions of Godspell, the two choir tours, and all of the appreciation the choir received from their audiences.

Students also appreciate and love Shivick. She not only directs the choirs, but she teaches them voice techniques to help improve their singing. No auditions were necessary to sing in any of Shivick's choirs. She believed anyone could sing. Students across campus remark on what Shivick has done for them, the choir, and how much she will be missed.

"Jane brings professionalism and a contagious love of music and the art of singing," says senior Holly Engvall. "She also brings a great deal of expertise, which is by and large the reason why the choir has been so successful."

"Jane brings her passion for music to every rehearsal and every mass, says sophomore Allie Orlando. "Her dedication to the choir is what makes every member work hard and keeps everyone coming back each week."

Although Shivick will no longer direct the chapel choirs at Assumption, she assures that she will still be active in the community. She does not plan on moving or relocating for the time being, because right now, her location is convenient for singing in both Boston and New York.

Campus Ministry is searching for a replacement for next year. The audition process includes directing the current choirs now. And although no one can ever replace Shivick or the amount of beauty that she added to the chapel programs, she does hope that the choir here will still continue to thrive.

"My hope is that they all continue on with the same spirit and dedication that I am leaving them with," says Shivick. "Liturgical music plays a significant role on any Catholic campus, and I would hope that Assumption will continue in this tradition.