Raise Your Voice benefit unites Lehigh with the arts

Dedicated to uplifting voices through song and rooted in tradition, Dolce, Lehigh’s treble ensemble, has been celebrating women’s choral arts on campus since its founding in 2007. 

On Thursday, the organization brought singing, dancing, artistry and gender empowerment to Lamberton Hall for its sixth annual Raise Your Voice benefit concert. 

The benefit featured song and dance performances from several Lehigh organizations, including Dolce, the Echoes, the Polynesian Student Alliance, Tumbao, Mu Sigma Upsilon and the Silver Flute Ensemble. Artwork by Linda Ganus and poetry from the Angry Girl Poetry Club, read by Kendalin Flores, ‘26, were also featured. 

From long weekly rehearsals to reaching out to student-led campus organizations to support the benefit, Dolce members dedicated their time to showcase a diverse group of talent while bringing Lehigh students together through the arts.

Liz Olson, associate director of choral activities at Lehigh, took on the role of the director of Dolce this year. She said her goal in this position is to get students exposed to the various groups available to them on campus. 

“There are so many clubs on campus that (students) could get involved in, and I want them to be exposed to all the different groups on campus,” Olson said. “I think that we can highlight them and we still highlight them more, and this was a way to be able to do that.”

Olson directed Dolce’s set at the benefit. She said she centered it on the theme of resilience, which she found particularly relevant to the chosen organization to raise money for, Women’s Way. 

Women’s Way promotes gender equity by addressing issues and helping those impacted by oppressive systems at the policy level, according to its website. All funds raised at the benefit were donated directly to the nonprofit. 

In the past, Dolce has been a women-centered choir group. But this year, it has expanded its range to include female-identifying voices as well, Mia Miranda, ‘25, the assistant manager of the organization, said.

Miranda said she wanted to refocus the event to be more representative of Lehigh’s entire student body. In order to achieve that, she took advantage of the connections she’s made on campus as an involved member of the Pride Center and a returning fourth-year executive board member of Dolce. 

Miranda also said she wanted all students to feel welcomed at the Raise Your Voice benefit, looking to change the way the event was advertised compared to previous years.

“In the past, Raise Your Voice has been just geared towards a specific demographic, so it was not really catering to the full audience of Lehigh,” Miranda said. “I kind of wanted to expand on that, because I felt like we could have been reaching out to communities of color, the Cultural Greek Council, and even incorporated more stuff with the queer community.” 

As the production manager of Dolce, Rose Falletta, ‘25, spearheaded the concert’s planning process.

She said one of her key goals for the benefit was to leave attendees feeling a sense of community while appreciating the talent brought to the stage. She also hoped the impact would last beyond the end of the evening. 

“I just hope people leave the event feeling reassured that there is a community for them and that there is always a safe space,” Falletta said. “Also, just having an appreciation that we can express these things through music, dance and art”

Dolce incorporated tabling before and after the performances to involve more members of the community. The Pride Center, the Gender Leadership Center, Kappa Delta, Lambda Theta Alpha and Mu Sigma Upsilon all had tables to represent their organizations. 

Ariana Bond, ‘28, an equity representative for the Gender Leadership Center, said this event was important to her and emphasized the need for listening to those who are oppressed or unheard. 

“It’s really important to empower voices, especially those that are usually not empowered or not able to ‘raise their voice,’ as the event’s called,” Bond said. 

Mariah Alvarado, ‘25, vice president of the Yemaya Chapter of Mu Sigma Upsilon, said it’s important to collaborate with other Lehigh organizations and spread the message of Mu Sigma Upsilon to those who may be unfamiliar with it. 

“I always appreciate the opportunity to participate in these kinds of events to step outside of the Greek community, because it’s a wonderful opportunity for Lehigh to understand a little bit about multicultural organizations,” Alvarado said. 

From the opening number to the closing set, students from diverse backgrounds were able to come together to celebrate the core values of Women’s Way — love, dignity and liberation.