Some students attend the University to build their chances of playing professional sports or to become big-shot lawyers. Others come to pursue their dreams of international success through singing in the University’s various choirs.  Students from choral programs have gone on to such heights as singing with The Metropolitan Opera in New York City like alumna Lisette Oropesa or having worldwide opera careers like alumnus Paul Groves.”I really want to travel the world and sing in opera houses all my life,” said Caitlin     Powell, music sophomore. “I started going to musicals when I was 5, and I loved it.”Whether students want to sing professionally like Powell or have been inspired by the new Fox TV show “Glee,” the University’s choirs offer an opportunity for all to express themselves through song.About 350 students make up the University’s choral groups, but the majority of students enrolled in choirs are non-music majors, said Kenneth Fulton, director of choral activities.”Singing has always been a joy,” said Rachel Assaf, psychology senior. “Taking choir is more fun than taking biology. When you take something you enjoy [like choir], it’s not like going to a class because you get to sing.”The choral program is composed of seven choirs varying in music style, difficulty, and talent level.The a capella choir, directed by Fulton, is the University’s most prestigious choral group with several significant performances under its belt. Performances include a European tour in 2003 and an American Choral Directors Association convention closing set in 2005 where the choir followed a performance by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.Besides the a capella choir, three other choirs — Schola Cantorum, Ebony Renaissance and the LSU Chamber Singers — require auditions, while the Women’s Chorus, the all-male Tiger Glee Club and the Gospel Choir are open to all students. “We want to attract a wide range,” Fulton said. “We have students who join who have never sung to those who have sung professionally.” Other choirs also perform at national conventions, community events and international tours. The gospel choir began taking students to France to perform in 2003, giving students a unique chance to travel abroad. A group of French singers will be visiting the University in November to practice with the choir, said Everrett Parker, director of gospel choirs.Rehearsals occur only during the scheduled class times, and there are no out-of-class rehearsals except for a dress rehearsal before a concert, Fulton said. “With class time, we practice about five hours a week,” Powell said. “All [our director] wants us to do is look over our music and come prepared.”The class is fun and laid-back, said Mary Craig, textile, apparel and merchandising and anthropology sophomore.”It’s fun to go to class and sing together,” Craig said. “I just like it and [have] been singing far too long to stop now.”The fall concert schedule for the University choirs begins with the Chamber Singers’ performance Oct. 6 at St. Alban’s Chapel located at the corner of Dalrymple Drive and Highland Road.————Contact Alex White at [email protected]