The Chorus Heads North!

By Meghan Burns '13, Assistant Tour Manager, Canada Tour

During our spring break in March, the Chorus traveled to Canada and Vermont. The tour focused not only on singular Chorus concerts, but also on outreach to local communities through high school workshops and collaboration concerts with other groups.

The tour kicked off in Rochester, New York, where we were able to host a workshop at a local high school and sing at a crowded concert in the evening. From there we traveled to Toronto, where we performed twice. At the beautiful Church of the Ascension we were more warmly received than we could have dreamed; the friendly patrons of the parish provided us with lunch, and our afternoon concert was one of the most memorable of the tour. Singing to a full house, the Chorus rose to the occasion and came together musically, bringing the audience instantly to their feet. 

We moved from Toronto to Ottawa, leading a workshop with the talented students of a high school for the arts. In Ottawa we worked with the staff of Baobab Tree Drum and Dance Community, where we learned traditional African songs and played various percussion instruments. It was an extremely unique experience we all enjoyed. 

The Chorus spent two days in the incredible city of Montreal, singing on the awe-inspiring steps of the famous Notre-Dame Basilica. 

We returned at the end of the week to the United States, performing an extremely well-received concert in Vergennes, Vermont and coordinating with the fun and friendly Bella Voce, a female choir based in Vermont, the next night in Burlington. 

As always, tour was an incredible experience, blending moving musical moments with the unique ability to bond with other Chorus members as we explored new cities. In one whirlwind week we as an ensemble moved from the snowy sidewalks of Ithaca to an Ottawa cathedral to a lunch with high school students who looked up to us. We walked the streets of Montreal in our Chorus dresses, performed for Jerry of Ben &Jerry’s ice cream(and enjoyed an abundance of free samples), and took countless pictures. Still, the remaining overtone of the trip was an incredible expansion of our musicality. There is little comparable to spending a week singing with the amazing women of the Chorus, and over the course of the week we were able to witness a drastic and inspiring improvement in our performances.