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FAMU Concert Ends After Two Choir Members Pass Out

By Brent Hatchett
Black College Wire

Tauheedah Shukriyyah Asad/the Famuan Members of the Florida A&M University Concert Choir won the audience's approval despite the show's early cancellation.

A performance at Florida A&M University by the university's concert choir ended early when two students passed out on stage.

As the choir sang, a member of the choir blacked out, hit a microphone and fell to the floor. After being examined by the FAMU Police Department, the student was carried offstage.

The choir took a five-minute break, and the show continued.

Two minutes into the next song, another member fainted in the choir stand, thus ending the show.

As paramedics examined the two students, identified as Brittaney Sylvester and Cristen Watson, members of the choir gathered outside Lee Hall, the setting for the Oct. 11 concert, to pray for their fellow members.

Several factors could have caused the students to pass out, said Brandy Bias, 24, a member of the stage crew and former member of the choir.

"If you stand and you lock your knees, you lose oxygen flowing to your brain," Bias said.

Other factors might have been the velvet dresses choir members wore under the heavy lights. Also, there was no intermission, which usually gives the performers a time to cool down due to the hot lights on stage.

The students seemed fine after receiving some fresh air and a drink of water.

Despite the incident, audience members said the show was still a success.

"I thought it was very nice," said Elisa Allen, 18, a sophomore pharmacy student from Miami. "They did a good job incorporating different cultures." The choir performed songs ranging from classical to spirituals.

Charlie Toomer, director of choir activities, said he could not have been more satisfied.

"Our students worked diligently each and everyday for at least two hours a day," Toomer said. "I received the outcome I expected to receive, which was the students giving me their best and they did."

No plans have been announced to investigate the incidents.

Brent Hatchett, a student at Florida A&M University, writes for the Famuan.

Posted Oct. 16, 2006