Concert Choir launched their summer tour with a masterclass taught by acclaimed children’s choir expert, Dr. Tom Shelton of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Dr. Shelton’s encouraging feedback fueled a musically rich series of five concerts in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The performances engaged audiences, evoking expressions from tears to laughter. In addition to singing, Concert Choir singers rode the Cross Sound Ferry, explored the treasures of Mystic Aquarium, played games on and off the bus, and built friendships with one another and with host families.
Enjoy a few journal entries from singers!
Today we met at Neffsville Mennonite Church at 7 a.m. and embarked on tour. At about 10 a.m., we arrived at Westminster Choir College and had a choral master class. We practiced finding the beat in songs by stepping to the notes in the songs. We practiced adding phrasing to “Ich will den Herrn loben” and eliminating “trashy vowels” (wide and unfocused) in “O Love”. After the master class we ate lunch on the campus. We then drove to Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church. There was some traffic on the road so we were a little rushed as we ate dinner, had a devotions lesson about surprises, and prepared for the concert. Despite all of this, the concert went well. – Tessa
On Friday, we woke up early to catch the ferry. On the ferry, we played games, talked, and sang. We stopped at McDonald’s for lunch and then traveled to the Mystic Aquarium. Highlights of the aquarium were the Beluga whales, touch tanks, and a sea lion show. We then went to Davis place (nursing home), where we sang for the residents. Afterward we greeted the residents and then went to Adam and Max Fisher’s (former MCCL singers) house for dinner. – Maddelena
Around 4 p.m on Saturday we stopped at an authentic Mexican restaurant. The food was amazing and there was a lot of it. It was kind of cool to hear people talking in Spanish and to put your Spanish class lessons to the test. After that, we were back on the bus. We arrived at Souderton Mennonite Home to sing an evening concert. I was surprised to see my Grandma, Grandpa, aunt, uncle, and two cousins there. We sang, then our host families picked us up and we all parted ways. – Rachel
On Sunday, the last day of tour, Chamber and Concert choirs participated in the Souderton ALIVE worship service. Seven area churches gathered together at a local park for a meaningful time of worship. In the afternoon, the two choirs shared a post-tour concert at Cambridge Mennonite Church with friends and family!
