From March 27-31, fifty members from various Irvington choirs went to perform on their annual tour, this time travelling to Boston, Massachusetts. While there, they performed six different songs in three distinct performances.
The weeks leading to the trip were filled with practice. Performing members were required to go to Thursday FLEX rehearsals, where they rehearsed every detail: including where to take a breath and where to rest in songs. Some of the rehearsals were exclusively for the sopranos and altos, whereas others were only the tenors and basses — but prior to the performance, everyone practiced together to ensure the parts were coordinated.
Upon reaching Boston, there were exchange performances at two different schools: Brimmer & May, as well as Boston Latin School. Everyone performed the pieces “Things That Never Die,” “Ave Maria” and “We Shall Be Free.” Additionally, Chamber Chorale sang “Softest Rains,” a compelling piece on various perspectives which is also going to be performed in Irvington’s spring choir concert. “The other choirs enjoyed listening to ‘Softest Rains.’ It’s a pretty impressive piece, in my opinion,” stated Diana Yin (12), a soprano in Chamber Chorale. Additionally, the Viking Jazz ensemble performed a barbershop piece called “Goodnight Sweetheart,” which was jazz inspired, with two to a part — making it complicated and cohesive to the audience.
The group also performed at Old North Church, where Yin, Avani Tibrewal (12), and Callista Sebastian (10) delivered a melodic solo on “We Shall Be Free.” Prior to each performance, the groups had the opportunity to rehearse in each of the venues so that they would get acclimated to the echo level, which was challenging to navigate at Old North Church.
Even with all these performances, students had time allocated for sightseeing, going out for food, karaoke, and making memories with friends. “It was very nice to experience life on the East Coast. I love the architecture over there. There were so many pretty things about Boston,” remarked Nataly Alfaro (12), who participated on tour for the first time as a singer in Encore.
It was bittersweet for returning seniors such as Yin, who commented: “I was pretty sad that it’s my last one. I think I took it for granted that we get to travel every single year, so then after this one ended, I said, Oh, no, it’s gone. We’re not doing this anymore. When’s the next time I can travel with a whole bunch of people from my classes?”
