From Baylor Music to the Navy Band Sea Chanters

Music has long added elements of pageantry and aura for the U.S. Armed Forces. For the U.S. Navy, the Navy Band Sea Chanters is the musical voice of the aquatic branch. And now, a Baylor alumna stands among their ranks.

Alissa Ruth Suver (MM ’25), a conductor and soprano vocalist who graduated from Baylor in May, earned a highly coveted and highly competitive spot among the Sea Chanters — and then further demonstrated her commitment to the role and the cause it supports by completing Navy boot camp.

If music and boot camp aren’t topics you automatically combine, it goes to show the unique path Suver (pictured above left) is taking. At Baylor, she earned her master’s degree in choral conducting. Prior to BU, she spent nearly a decade both teaching and pursuing music professionally — teaching students at the middle and high school level while continuing to conduct and perform with chorales and ensembles across the country. (You can hear her on this piece by the Skylark Vocal Ensemble). Along the way, she was a part of four Grammy-nominated albums. Those experiences (and her musical talent) guided her to this next step.

When the Navy Sea Chanters had a soprano opening for the first time in eight years, it was Suver who earned the spot. The Sea Chanters are based in Washington, D.C., and perform at a variety of important ceremonies and events, ranging from Presidential inaugurations to Congressional ceremonies, funerals and more. The position requires more than just musical talent; military musicians are fully a part of the branch for which they perform. Knowing she had earned the role last September, Suver spent the intervening months preparing herself for the demands of training, and then earned her spot with 10 weeks of basic training this summer.

And yes, sea shanties are a part of what she’ll perform, but the versatile choir delivers an array of musical styles, from pop to classical and more. As she begins her time there, Suver says her initial enlistment lasts four years, but as many military members know, it’s an opportunity that can lead to a meaningful career far beyond the initial commitment.

Sic ’em, Alissa Ruth Suver!