The text from Myrna Elliott—the widow of beloved CMC government professor Ward Elliott—to Noah Mesel ’83 P’25 was simple.
“Dear Noah, the students want to have a Singing Party at the Ath on the anniversary of Ward’s death. Do you have any interest in being involved in this?”
Mesel’s response: “That’s like saying, ‘Am I interested in American politics?’”
Ward, an inspiring educator, prolific scholar, and tenacious adventurer, loved to sing and play the piano and guitar with his students. He and Myrna (serving her legendary seven-layer dip, which also made an appearance at the Ath dinner) held Singing Parties every semester in his home, drawing crowds of students, faculty, and friends, who all gathered to sing favorite songs.
Mesel, on piano, and Adrian Flynn ’25, an Ath Fellow and guitarist, led the group through classics like “American Pie,” “Hallelujah,” “The Sound of Silence,” a medley of Christmas tunes—and even the Claremont McKenna College school song. Myrna also shared the origins of the Singing Party (the first one was Nov. 9, 1965, to be exact), and how music served as a metaphor for one of Ward’s favorite philosophies in life.
Ward “would be so touched by this group here,” Myrna said. “He would go around campus telling people about the Singing Parties. But he was also telling them to keep their pianos tuned. ‘You need to keep the pianos tuned.’ Because music is communication. Unique music is conveying emotion and feeling on a very deep level. Keep it tuned. Know what you're saying, what you're doing, what you're hearing. And use music to do it. Thank you for continuing that tradition.”
Both Mesel and Brian Davidson ’08, who is serving as interim director of the Ath, said they were thrilled to bring the Singing Party back—and as former Ward Elliott students, honor a beloved mentor.
“For a group of people who didn’t have Elliott as a professor, who know him because of the memorial service last February, this is a tremendous outpouring of enthusiasm—for not just Ward, but the whole idea of music at CMC. What a great event,” Mesel said.
Added Davidson: “The Athenaeum has long been a space of communal gathering at CMC, and we love to have some sort of musical performance for the holidays. That’s why it really is the perfect place to continue this wonderful tradition. As a student of Ward’s, it was an honor to bring Singing Parties to the Ath, and I hope that there will be many more to come!"
See below for some of our favorite photos from the evening.
