By Ashley Halkett
Accompanied by faculty chaperones, the Chamber singers performed concerts throughout Eastern Canada during their choir trip from June 11 to 20.
The itinerary included performances in churches, cathedrals and castles, along with trips to Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal. Thirty-two of the 37 Chamber Singers went on the tour.
One of their first recitals took place in St. Aidanâs Church Hall in Ontario, where they sang for a crowd of Italian senior citizens.
âTheir favorite song was âO Susanna,â sung by the men,â Noah Daneman â09 said. âI think they enjoyed the concert, even though they probably didnât know what we were singing about.â
Next, the performers sang in the library of the Casa Loma Castle in Toronto. From there, they moved through Quebec, performing and sightseeing along the way.
In their free time, students walked around the cities, tried the local cuisine and shopped.
âWe had a lot of freedom, being able to eat and shop by ourselves,â Zoe Johnson â08 said.
âWhen we were going down the river, there was a middle school from Wisconsin on the boat with us,â Johnson said. âWe ended up dancing and becoming friends with these 13 and 14-year-old kids.â
Though a choral workshop in Ottawa had to be canceled when the instructor failed to show up, everyone was later taught breathing techniques by an energetic soprano.
âShe was jumping up and down, trying to teach us,â Johnson said. âShe was a little crazy.â
Overall the students enjoyed the tripâs mix of work and play.
âIt was a really great opportunity to share our music with another country,â Brandon Levin â09 said. âIt was fun to sing in different places and strengthen our friendships at the same time.â
âWe got to sing in a lot of really beautiful churches,â Michael Kim â08 said. âBut the bus rides were the most fun because Truth or Dare helped us all get a lot closer.â