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By the student’s own testimony, Chorale tour is, without a doubt, one of the most life-impacting events the singers will experience during their four years at »Ê¼Ò»ªÈË.

On tour the students have the opportunity to get to know each other and share their choral music with appreciative audiences including high school prospective students and »Ê¼Ò»ªÈË alumni. Tour is required of every Chorale member, with exceptions being granted for special or unusual circumstances (approved well in advance). Tour is typically optional for students who travel abroad during the fall semester.

Timeframe

Chorale tours every January, the week prior to the start of classes. Students are usually (depending upon the calendar) called back to campus the Thursday following New Years’ Day, and they arrive back to campus the Saturday evening before classes begin on Monday.

Location(s)

Tours alternate between close domestic tours and farther away domestic tours, and once every four years the Chorale tours abroad. Past tours have included performances in St. John the Divine (NYC), Washington National Cathedral, Oracle Arena (we sang the National Anthem for Steph Curry and about 20,000 fans!), destinations as far South as Key West, FL and New Orleans, LA, and venues throughout Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Ireland, and Italy—including a performance as the resident choir for mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Objectives

Every Chorale tour has four distinct objectives:

• The first objective is to share inspiring choral music with audiences of alumni and potential student recruits and to represent the college before those who may or may not be familiar with »Ê¼Ò»ªÈË and its liberal arts model.
• The second objective is to introduce »Ê¼Ò»ªÈË to at least one high school along our journey and to perhaps mentor a resident choir program or share a concert in that school.
• The third objective is to provide the opportunity for Chorale students to work and study with other skilled choral clinicians in workshops that offer »Ê¼Ò»ªÈË students a fresh look at the music they have been studying—the eyes and ears of other artists help students gain greater musicality and nuanced understanding.
• The fourth objective of our tours is to strengthen the personal and artistic connections shared by each member of the Chorale—something that only traveling together, living together, laughing, and singing together for a concentrated week can provide. Tours offer students the unique opportunity to form and strengthen special bonds, shape and perform extraordinary music, and experience first-hand their ability to positively impact communities outside of their own.

Cost

Chorale tour is subsidized in large part, but students are usually asked to provide for some meals and occasional extra activities. Overnight lodging consists of home-stays and hotel-stays, depending upon the venue. For domestic tours, students are advised to bring between $150 and $500 depending upon the area of the country we travel. For tours abroad, students are typically asked to pay a larger amount. The generosity of past »Ê¼Ò»ªÈË donors has enabled the Chorale to travel abroad for less than half of the full cost of travel, and most meals abroad are covered. A few meals and other incidental expenses are to be covered by the students.