In the center of Northwestern’s busy college campus, a mysterious and captivating event will unfold as several masked singers, who will be our very own college professors, take center stage on Friday, Jan. 26. The chapel is set to buzz with excitement as students will eagerly gather to witness a unique blend of talent and secrecy. Dressed in elaborate costumes and concealed behind intricately designed masks, professors will showcase their vocal abilities, leaving the audience guessing about their true identities. Is that Dr. Leif or is it Dr. Monsma? The masked singer phenomenon brings an air of mystery to the campus, creating a sense of unity as students join together in the thrill of uncovering the hidden talents within their community. The event aired two years ago and is now back and ready to wow its audience. But what does the Masked Singer event entail?
The event, which was done only two years ago, is a showing of faculty and staff of NW’s talented singing voices. Faculty and staff wear costumes and perform a song to an audience of NW students. The audience and the judges then attempt to guess who is singing. Students will also get to vote for their favorite performance and may learn something about someone they previously did not know. Student Activities Council has decided to bring the event back from the past because it was a fan favorite among both staff and students.
Not only has the event been a past fan favorite, it allows students to see faculty and staff in a different setting than normal, which can be rare and hard to come by. Not to mention, this year they are bringing new ideas and new performers to the chapel stage, which will create more of an exciting buzz around campus. Senior Anneka Sterk expressed her excitement towards the event this year saying, “I am excited to see who is involved this year! I want to see who they roped in.” She also expressed what the event was like in later years, explaining, “Me and my friends tried to guess who they were as a competition with each other. It was so fun!”
Ella Van Zee attended the Masked Singer event two years ago, and is excited to attend this year. “I remember there were a lot of people, and we were very excited,” Van Zee said. “I remember how funny it was. I remember thinking ‘Wow, our professors must love us so much to do this.’”
Van Zee enjoyed the humor and mystery of the event. “I enjoyed how funny the acts were and it was fun to listen to everyone try to figure out who it was.”
For this year’s event, Van Zee is “excited to see if any of my professors are in it. I also want to see if I can guess who is under the mask before other people can,” she said. “I would love to see Natalie Wheeler and Dr. Holm because it would be so funny.”
The event not only holds itself in mystery and suspense but also excitement and anticipation. SAC member, Alaina Reinke states, “If you attend, you will be shocked. You will want to experience this firsthand, not hear about it later!” Surely the event has a lot to entail. Between guessing who is who and simply just having fun, the event is set to wow you.