Gettysburg’s very own starlet, Caitlin Boyle (’18) effortlessly performs a dizzying balancing act with her involvement in theatre arts, the Gettysburg College Choir, the Women’s choir, the Upscale acapella group, Improv Comedy, and SMuT (relax, it stands for Student Musical Theatre). She recently dazzled the college community with her rendition of Florence and the Machine’s” Lover to Lover” at the SMuT Fall Revue, a performance that left everyone speechless. Her voice isn’t the only thing that captures your attention, as her heart plays just as crucial of a role in her life. She enjoys exploring the intersection between music and philanthropy; as an anthropology major and music minor, she’s in a unique position to do just that. In fact, both the Fall Revue and YAWDAORB, last year’s production, raised money for AIDS research. Boyle said she enjoys performing “because you can be a completely different person, and you can change people’s lives.”
Her supportive family travels down from her hometown of Wilson, NY (close to Niagara Falls) to see every one of her shows. Her music always has her singing as she crosses campus— enjoying classic rock and roll, “and definitely psychedelic folk. Folk bands that draw their inspiration from the Grateful Dead!”
It wasn’t this genre that drove her passion for music though: “I started to sing because of Aretha Franklin. I actually learned to sing by listening to Aretha Franklin.” Now, between her collection of records and playbills, she enjoys thinking about the finer things— “Feminism is really important to me,” she’s quick to mention. When asked what her inspirations are, she ponders for a bit, and then answers confidently: “Probably Jesus, but also Satan…. Well, I’m actually Buddhist.”
(Based on an interview by Shelby Reese)