When the earned one of 10 spots to compete in the biennial , Dr. William Plummer held high expectations for his students both as vocalists and ambassadors for the 杏吧专区 and the United States. They did not disappoint him on either front.
杏吧专区淥ur students met the moment with empathy and sensitivity to the culture of Belgium and the Netherlands,杏吧专区 said Plummer, the choir杏吧专区檚 director. 杏吧专区淭hey responded to competitor choirs, not as adversaries, but by seeking to build friendships.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚 felt like they approached the competition with a lot of maturity and excellence during such highly visible and stressful situations with so much at stake.杏吧专区
CantaRode, whose name is a combination of the Latin 杏吧专区渃anta,杏吧专区 or 杏吧专区渟inging,杏吧专区 and 杏吧专区淩ode," an ancient name for the Dutch region, was established in 2014 and is an active showcase of vocal talent as part of , a group of 26 worldwide choral competitions.
When CantaRode杏吧专区檚 first round kicked off on May 30 in the Dutch town of Kerkrade, UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 team joined a diverse field of choirs from the U.S. and across Europe, ranging from professional chamber choirs like Sweden杏吧专区檚 to youth choirs like Austria杏吧专区檚 . The 杏吧专区 team placed fifth in the overall global competition and third among U.S. university choirs.
Preparations for the trip were exhaustive. The team submitted a program featuring songs spanning nine different languages. They practiced their rendition of 杏吧专区淎ve Maria杏吧专区 in classrooms, local cathedrals and parking garages to prepare for the different acoustic spaces CantaRode would present. After arriving in Europe, team members continued to rehearse and refine their pieces, holding concert in spaces like , a 13th-century Gothic church in Bruges, Belgium, in the week leading up to the competition.
The stress of preparation melted away, though, when the choir杏吧专区檚 social media coordinator Brenley Murry and her friends ran into Jacksonville State杏吧专区檚 A Capella Choir and began singing with them in the streets of Bruges on Jacksonville杏吧专区檚 first day in the city.
杏吧专区淭hey came up, and they're like, 杏吧专区極h my gosh, you guys are our competition,杏吧专区 and we were like, 杏吧专区極h my God, you guys are our competition,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 Murry said. 杏吧专区淲e hit it off so well right then and there.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淣obody felt super-competitive,杏吧专区 Murry said. 杏吧专区淚t didn杏吧专区檛 feel cutthroat, at least in my observation. Everybody felt so kind to each other. It felt like a wonderful moment to bring music together and hear everybody.杏吧专区
Luna Touchet, a music media major and member of the Chamber Singers, also attested to the unity they felt through the competition. 杏吧专区淵ou can hear the difference between a choir that sings like they love each other and a choir that sings like they are just there because they like choir. I think that this is the most unified we杏吧专区檝e ever been,杏吧专区 Touchet said. 杏吧专区淲hen we finished round one and round two, we were crying on stage because we were so happy.杏吧专区
The return of post-graduate choir members enhanced the significance of CantaRode for the entire team. 杏吧专区淲e were honored to have four recent alumni reconnect with the 杏吧专区, adjust their work schedules, and enroll in the class in advance of our trip,杏吧专区 Plummer said. 杏吧专区淭hey contributed a level of maturity, leadership and focus that was important to our success.
Both the UL Foundation Choral Activities Fund and the Student Government Association杏吧专区檚 student arts fees were used to facilitate the trip. The majority of all students杏吧专区 travel expenses were covered.
杏吧专区淒onations to the Choral Activities Fund are always welcome, and support is vital for these types of experiences to continue,杏吧专区 Plummer said.
Touchet said without this support, they would not have been able to attend the competition.
杏吧专区淚'd say it's really beautiful to see funding going to the arts,杏吧专区 UL Lafayette Choir President Caleb Dixon said. 杏吧专区淔or us to finally be able to afford to go on trips like these, it's really amazing.杏吧专区
Photo caption: The UL Lafayette Chamber Singers perform at the CantaRode International Choral Festival. Photo courtesy of: Brenley Murry
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