Correspondent photo / John Patrick Gatta
The Youngstown Connection’s Alumni Ensemble performed “Impossible Dream” during Saturday’s concert. It is the Connection’s signature gesture, according to show emcee Daniel Colvin.

Nearly 50 former members of the vocal ensemble got together to pay tribute to an experience that influenced their lives and to honor its founder and creative force, Dr. Carol Baird, whose commitment to the group made it an enduring part of Youngstown’s high schools for more than 35 years.

With Alumni Ensemble and solo vocal performances highlighting R&B, Broadway and classical, a dance segment and memorial tribute to Marquese Davis, a beloved member who passed away, the concert ran nearly two hours and 45 minutes. For those affected by the Connection onstage and in the audience, time flew by amid the joyous emotions the evening evoked.

The concert included the Connection’s signature gesture at the conclusion, “Impossible Dream.”

As emcee Daniel Colvin explained, “They are pointing and reaching to the unreachable star.”

During reflection segments on what Baird and the group meant to them, words such as “second family,” “standard of excellence” and “service” stood out.

After singing classical pieces, renowned international operatic tenor and Connection alumnus Laurence Brownlee spoke as emcees Colvin and Leon Smith gave Baird gifts of roses and a digital frame for Connection members to upload their memories of the group and feelings for her. Brownlee summed up her special presence in their lives.

“Our mentor, our teacher, our disciplinarian, our chauffeur, our second mom, even when we didn’t know we needed a second mom. The wind beneath our wings. You’ve also been an angel that has watched over us,” Brownlee said.

Some of the performers on Saturday hailed from Northeast Ohio. Others traveled to the area from their post-graduation hometowns, including Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, Lancaster, Pa., and China.

“Sissi Lieu was an exchange student while in the group and has come back to perform with us one last time,” said Colvin, a 2003 Woodrow Wilson High School graduate who joined the group in 2001.

While supervisor of creative and performing arts for the five Youngstown high schools in the late 1980s, Baird envisioned a citywide high school performing group as a means to lessen the hostilities that existed among students from different schools. And with that idea, she made The Youngstown Connection an influential reality.

In hindsight, 2003 Chaney High graduate Ashley Persinger has a deeper understanding of how the group affected its members.

“Arts in education is a crucial part of building the foundation of teamwork, creativity and togetherness for young people. The Youngstown Connection took this one step further and brought students from all over the city together who may not have had these incredible opportunities otherwise.

“Dr. Baird ensured we committed fully to the group with dedication and passion. This had such an impact on my life that truly changed the trajectory of my path, and I hope the arts are always a priority in our school systems,” Persinger said.

“Dr. Baird had a prominent role in making sure students were tapping into our artistic potential while learning all the other subjects,” Colvin said.

“Her high standards for excellence pushed us to expect the most out of ourselves and to deliver quality shows, artwork and anything else we set our minds and hands to. This group and programs like it were the catalysts that shaped many of our careers, including my aspirations to write and perform.”

Colvin graduated from the film school at Columbia College Chicago in 2008. Years later, he started Breath of Life Creations for screenwriting and producing creative projects.

“The greatest accomplishment with that has been the musical stage play that I produced in Youngstown in 2015, titled “It’s Midnight.” Several Connection alumni were featured in that production.”

“The Connection absolutely gave me the skills of professionalism and passion that have gotten me to where I am today,” Persinger said. “The experiences alone that an inner-city student would not typically be able to have has been an incredible learning tool in shaping who I’ve become.”

After graduating with a BFA from Point Park University, she went on to perform in regional theatre companies, theme parks and Carnival Cruise Lines.

“I still perform as lead singer in local music projects in North Carolina as well as do voiceover work and other creative opportunities in my current career as a marketing and leasing manager for Pennrose Property Management Company.”

Being a part of the vocal group became highly influential for Benjamin Burney’s creative path.

“The group helped me to choose my academic / career path. Before the group, I was not 100% certain what I wanted to go into, like many young high school students. It wasn’t until I encountered The Youngstown Connection that I even realized that going into the arts was even a viable option as a career. Dr. Carol Baird insisted that I go to her alma mater Anderson University (in Indiana) to receive the best musical education, in her opinion.

“From then on, I’ve been trying to answer a question Dr. B asked me a long time ago that pushes me forward in my career – ‘If you were in room with nine other people seeking the same role, what makes you stand out?'”

Since graduating from Austintown Fitch High School in 2014, Burney earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music / opera, traveled around the country and to 13 countries performing with various opera companies. He performed at the Kennedy Center two years ago, received music awards and participated in nonprofit community events at public libraries and churches.

While some members have continued to work in the arts, others have had successful careers as doctors, attorneys, hospital administrators, government officials and CEOs.

Throughout its existence, Baird made it a point for the Connection to interact with people and places beyond the Mahoning Valley. The group traveled to perform at the Vatican, during the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany; at the World’s Fair in Spain; during a World War II commemoration in London, Paris and Normandy Beach; at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. by invitation of Sen. John Glenn; and other prestigious events nationally and internationally.

“I was fortunate to travel to Europe to perform when I was 15,” said Persinger. “Getting to experience other cultures has been a monumental part in shaping me into someone who is open-minded and passionate to always learn more about everything I can. The years I got to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and volunteer with the soup kitchen to help those less fortunate will stay with me forever.”

“The lessons learned in the Connection were invaluable, and I am forever grateful to Dr. Baird for her vision and dedication.”

Colvin stated, “The highlight during my time in the group was performing at a fire station at Ground Zero two months after 9/11, just days after performing in the New York Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.”

Burney recalled, “A moment that comes to mind was when we traveled to D.C. to perform in America Sings! This was my first time traveling with the group outside of Youngstown. The event is traditionally held outside and that year it was particularly colder than usual. In between rehearsing musical numbers, we would gather around in a circle like penguins to keep each other warm. While huddling for warmth, we got to know one another to a level equivalent of a family.”

After the final number, Connection members shared laughs, hugs, tears and selfies with Baird in order to capture one last moment with someone who affected so many for so long.

Even with an evening of artistic excellence culminating the group’s performing history, The Youngstown Connection’s legacy of developing high standards will live on beyond the stage.

As it began with her creation, the group let Dr. Baird have the last word.

“Thank you for coming and sharing with us our final concert. Do you have any clue how hard this is for me to give up? I can’t imagine what my life is going to be without preparing music, looking for the next best song, something exciting to do and some exciting place to take them? It opened their eyes to another world. I just felt so compelled.

“Being in Youngstown, where going to school meant, often, walking down streets where half of the houses were boarded up, where poverty was rampant when the steel mills left us and poverty moved in. We had meetings where they told us, ‘It’s not going to make any difference. Other things will take over.’ It never has, all these years later.

“I felt these young people need and deserve more. They need to see the rest of the world. They need to experience the best things in life, see the best places. I wanted their brains to flourish. For most of them, that’s exactly what has happened. So, thank you for being a part of it.”