Lichacz’s lifelong love of music

“Nie jesteś aniołem, mówię Ci, Jesteś szalona.” 

This song by Jesteś szalon blared out of the television as black- and white-clothed figures danced on the screen. A young Hanna Lichacz and her sister stared at the screen, mouthing the words and singing along as they watched their parents’ wedding tape for the umpteenth time.

From childhood, senior Lichacz’s life has been shaped by music, leading her to find joy and passion during her time at Taylor through her experience with Chorale and Sounds.

Looking at her childhood, music shaped many of Lichacz’s core memories. Letting Lichacz and her sister watch the tape and sing the songs was the only way their mother could drop them off at their grandma's house without them throwing temper tantrums. 

By the age of five, she joined the Polish Youth Choir at church. Singing in Polish was a natural activity for Lichacz, as she grew up solely speaking the language at home. She sang in the Polish Youth Choir until it disbanded when she reached high school. 

However, in high school, she still was a leading participant in the yearly spring musical, a capella choir and marching and concert bands where she played the flute.

Coming into Taylor, Lichacz wished to continue singing as part of a choir and auditioned for Chorale. After auditions, she was not selected, leaving her to explore other options.

 “I’ve never been good at sight-reading or solfège,” said Lichacz. 

So, she picked herself up and joined Adoration Chorus (now titled Women’s Chorus). Through this experience, she was able to strengthen her musical skills.

By her sophomore year, the hard work had paid off, and Lichacz joined Chorale. 

Her first semester was a steep learning curve as Lichacz got acclimatized to the rigors of repetitive and intense practices that are required for Chorale, but she was unable to launch into the routine quite yet due to COVID-19 sending the student body home.

Once Lichacz returned to campus, she was determined to make the most of her remaining time with Chorale.

With COVID-19 restricting gatherings and performances during her junior year, Lichacz performed in the limited Chorale events. During her senior year, Lichacz has been able to plunge herself into the countless performances ranging from teaching seven students a Polish song to performing at Mosaic Night to going on the annual Chorale trip to Alaska where she was able to connect deeply with her fellow performers and sing in multiple venues. 

As her time at Taylor University draws to an end, one can see there is more to Lichacz than just her voice.

Fellow Chorale member and Lichacz’s roommate, sophomore Hayley Mordecai, explains that Lichacz brings joy to others’ music experiences.

“Whether it’s with a warm hug, a funny story or a big smile, Hanna’s always ready to brighten someone's day,” said Mordecai. “She brings the Chorale to life with her beautiful voice and a personality twice her size.”

Lichacz wrapped up her music career with Chorale’s final concert on May 14. As she finishes this chapter, Lichacz plans to continue keeping the love of music in her life even though her future career is not in music.

Rooting from her memories of Jesteś szalon on TV,  Lichacz’s journey with music is one she will continue to cherish long after her time at Taylor.