SARAH GROSS
Paired With: Nicole Elise Boulanger
Everytime We Say Goodbye
Nicole Elise Boulanger was a Musical Theatre major at Syracuse when she boarded the Pan Am 103 flight on December 21st, 1988. The world lost so many beautiful souls that day, but what we also lost was an undoubtedly talented performer. From the video I watched of Nicole perform, I was blown away. She was thrilling. Not only could she sing, but she had the kind of stage presence and confidence no amount of training could teach you. She just had “it”. I was so moved by a letter written by a friend of hers that talked about how Nicole captivated the audience with her role in Syracuse’s production of “Cole”, a musical featuring songs about Cole Porter. I am a jazz student at Syracuse, so I am very familiar with Porter’s work. One of his most stunningly heartbreaking songs is “Everytime We Say Goodbye”, which was one of the closing numbers in this musical. I chose this song because it touches on the dichotomy between cherishing the moments you had with someone, even though it is fleeting. There is something to be said about grieving someone you love; it is special because you loved them so much that you could grieve for them. That’s how this song makes me feel, and I can only imagine that is how anyone who was lucky enough to have Nicole in their life feels as well.