On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Catholic Pro-Life Community of Dallas (CPLC) hosted the 33rd annual Bishop’s Pro-Life Dinner at the Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel. The banquet raises money to fund the CPLC’s numerous ministries and programs, which support vulnerable mothers and children in the Dallas area. The evening featured an address by Bishop Edward Burns, a keynote by Catholic apologist Trent Horn and an exciting live auction.
The first item on auction was a catered dinner for 10 with Bishop Burns, featuring entertainment by the UD Chorale. To accompany the bidding, five members of the chorale were invited to perform a short sample of their repertoire for the banquet attendees.
The UD Chorale representatives who performed at the event were freshman biology/theology major Napoleon Puente Molina, juniors Beatrice Ellison (English/French), Elizabeth Grant (English) and Julia Morris (English/theology), and senior biology major Matthew Petroff. The choristers sang unconducted and a capella, and performed a Kirby Shaw arrangement of Gerschwin’s “Embraceable You.”
Petroff said, “It was a really nerve-racking experience being in an unfamiliar place in front of so many strangers, but also very rewarding being with my friends and being able to put our talents out there.”
The dinner featuring the UD Chorale sold for $9,000, ranking among the highest biddings of the night.
Dr. Kristin Van Cleve, Associate Professor of Music at the University of Dallas, hopes that this event and future public performances will help to promote the UD Chorale and the music department in general. Van Cleve said, “One of my main goals is to try to raise the visibility of the program…[the auction] is another way to show what we are doing at the university […] to showcase what we’re doing here in the music department.”
Dr. Ashton Ellis, Vice President for Development and University Relations at UD, was instrumental in the UD Chorale’s involvement with the event. Besides performing their piece, UD Chorale members attended the banquet as guests at Dr. Ellis’ table.
Dr. Van Cleve said, “Dr. Ellis has really been supportive of the music program […] and he felt like it would be really great for the program to take students to different places in the community to show what we have to offer. And so this event is one of those ideas.”
The UD Chorale has performed at several public events in the last several years, including at the DFW Italian Festival for the last three years and a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Ft. Worth on Oct. 28, 2025. On April 11, 2026, the Chorale will give a sacred music concert at the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth, in conjunction with the museum’s special exhibition entitled “The Holy Sepulcher.”
In addition to public exposure, the CPLC banquet gave the UD Chorale the opportunity to be directly involved in raising money to aid mothers and children in need. Puente Molina said, “It was a blessing to partake in such a large gathering of people excited to support the pro-life movement and to spread the joy of a culture of life.”
Thank you to Dr. Ashton Ellis, Dr. Kristin Van Cleve, Professor Brian Bentley and all who made the UD Chorale’s involvement possible!