A Fresh take on Fanfare

On September 10 and 11, the Oklahoma Christian University freshman class presented their annual Freshman Fanfare.

The event occurred in Baugh Auditorium with shows on both Friday at 7:00pm and Saturday at 2 p.m.

Since the early ‘90s, Oklahoma Christian has put on a Freshman Fanfare to spotlight the college’s newest students.

Amanda Watson, the student event coordinator said the purpose of Fanfare is also for the freshmen to get to know each other.

“I feel like it’s a very good place for freshmen to get connected and meet new people,” Watson said, “All of the upperclassmen are rushing at the same time, so it gives [freshmen] their own place to be doing something.”

Freshman Fanfare 2021 was directed by sophomores Molly Odell and Delanie Byrnes. The theme was “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home.”

“There’s that phrase that OC is home,” Byrnes said, “I think anyone can find a home here, and we really wanted to emphasize on that point.”

Odell also said that Oklahoma Christian provides a home for alumni as well as current students.

“We hope everyone can find some sense of home here at OC,” Odell said. “We also liked the theme because of how OC continually draws in their alumni for various events such as Homecoming or Spring Sing.”

The 2021 Fanfare consisted of over a hundred freshmen participants, showcasing their talents through song, dance, instrumental and even speed reading.

Cole Klaassen, a freshman cast member, said he loved participating in the show.

“It was really fun when we all got on the stage, and everyone was cheering for us.” Klaassen said. “Whenever we do our dances and the whole audience feeds off of it, it’s so fun.”

The show opened with freshman Olivia Savill who demonstrated her speed-reading talent by reading a scripted journal entry from the perspective of a new Oklahoma Christian student.

The rest of the show had the freshmen class singing popular songs such as “We are the Champions” by Queen, “Home” by Phillip Phillips and “All Star” by Smash Mouth. Most of the songs had changed lyrics to capture a freshman’s point of view.

“We basically thought about our personal experiences as freshmen as well as what a ‘general’ experience as a freshmen would be like,” Odell said regarding the song rewrites.

Byrnes also described the process through which she and Odell chose songs for the program.

“The host songs (“Home,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” etc.) were all chosen based on the theme of ‘home’.” Byrnes said. “The other cast songs, (“We are the Champions,” “All Star,” etc.) were not.”

According to Watson, the 2021 Fanfare stood out to her compared to years past.

“I loved the ‘home’ theme,” Watson said. “No one had ever done that. The year before, it was ‘The Greatest Showman,” they did ‘Friends’ one year. Our hashtag is that OC is home, and I love that they brought that into the Freshman Fanfare.”

Freshman Fanfare 2021 brought in a lively audience for both nights, with students, parents and alumni cheering on the freshmen that have made Oklahoma Christian their home.