As students returned back from break last weekend, one group of students did not look rested, though perhaps some of them looked rejuvenated. College Choir spent this past spring break riding in a tour bus and performing in churches from Pennsylvania to Virginia and back. From gospel music flash-mobs in King of Prussia Mall to Carnegie Hall, the College Choir generally was described as a rewarding experience by participants.
“Overall I felt that this tour was one where the choir connected the most with both each other and the music,” said senior Heather Todd, afterward, this being her third tour with College Choir. “Our group devotional times became incredibly personal and through sharing of our connections to the text it brought us closer as a group.” The sense of community by working and sharing together was not limited to music and spiritual growth, however.
According to graduate assistant Kelly Van Kirk, “Choir members stepped up, above and way beyond the call of duty all throughout tour.” One particular situation arose in Philadelphia, PA where the choir was singing at 10th Presbyterian Church. After some an afternoon of free time in the city, the choir went to the church to unload the trailer with equipment and risers and rest. “Dr. Johnson had mentioned a mandatory nap time and we were super excited!” said Todd. But the van with the trailer broke down a mile from the church, stranded with all of the equipment. Van Kirk described the experience, “I had to ask people who were short on sleep, had been wandering the city and were expecting a time of rest to skip that rest and carry hundreds of pounds of robes and risers a mile to the church. I felt terrible, but right away a group jumped up and said, ‘We’ll go.’ I was shocked.” A member of the group added, “A couple people would trade off every couple of blocks and we managed to get everything back in time for the concert.” “No one complained for the rest of tour,” said Todd. “We met the worst it could be and we got through it together!”
The climax of the tour was the performance on Sunday afternoon at Carnegie Hall strengthened by the National Sacred Honor Choir. There were rehearsals for several days before the performance with the group of Christian college students, community members, and students at private Christian schools from the greater New York City area. Beyond the weekend of preparation and fellowship, the performance itself was agreed to be a memorable experience. “The hall was amazing!” said graduate student Elizabeth Martindale. “You could say something, hear it bounce off the wall behind you, go out over the audience and come back from the balconies.” Despite being a Sunday afternoon, the hall was fairly full, according to Van Kirk. “I was worried because of the time and day, but there were almost 2,000 people in the audience.” … “I received really meaningful comments, from the high school students especially,” said Van Kirk who was in charge of most of the New York weekend. “I think we accomplished our goal of showing the younger singers what a joy it can be to make music for God in this kind of way.”
The College Choir’s home concert is Friday at 7:30 PM in the Wesley Chapel.