TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - This is no ordinary summer for members of Indiana State University's Concert Choir.
Thirty-eight students will leave June 30 for a nine-day jaunt across the Atlantic Ocean to Lucerne, Switzerland to perform at the 2008 International Choral Festival, a celebration of music involving choirs from the United States and abroad.
This isn't the first time Indiana State's Concert Choir has had an experience on this magnitude. In 2004, the choir performed in New York City's Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.
Scott Buchanan, director of choral activities, said the Lucerne festival and tour gives students the opportunity to perform internationally while allowing them to experience the culture and history of Europe.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their talent and ISU on an international level while learning about the Swiss and Italian cultures," Buchanan said.
For Teresa Ulrich, a junior music major from Columbia City, the tour is a chance to bring people together.
"Music brings people together, whether they are from the same nation or live across the globe," she said.
At the festival, the choir will perform selections such as Z. Randall Stroope's "Homeland," Samuel Barber's "Adagio/Angus Dei," "Ave Verum Corpus," by Mozart, Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" and Gabriel Faure's "Cantique de Jean Racine." The selections require singing in four languages - Latin, French, Hebrew and English.
When they aren't rehearsing, the students will visit the Alps and will enjoy Lucerne's sights such as the Covered Wooden Bridge, Mussegge Towers and the Lion Monument.
After participating at the festival, they will travel to Venice and Lugano, Italy, to perform two concerts in conjunction with Italy's 2008 American Celebration of Music. Along the way, choir members will enjoy a walking tour of St. Mark's Square, the Bell Tower, the Basilica of St Mark and the Palace of the Doges in Venice; tour Verona; visit the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, Chiesa de Santa Maria degli Angioli, Alprose Chocolate Factory in Lugano and cruise Lake Lugano.
Ulrich, who has never traveled abroad, is excited to see in person areas of Europe that she's studied about.
"I've studied Europe in my music education classes and some general education courses, but I'm excited to finally see it in person," she said.
Ulrich added the Lucerne experience complements the instruction she's received in the classroom.
"Our faculty members in the music department want us to reach out beyond the classroom and see the world for ourselves," she said. "This is experiential learning at its best."
Four choir members will be blogging about their experiences abroad - Lucas Utterback, Terre Haute; Andrew Brewer, Terre Haute; Shelly Mitchell, Batesville; and Melissa Thorne, Winslow. To follow their adventures, go to http://blogs.indstate.edu/~wpmu/isu-choir/.
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Contact: Scott Buchanan, director of choral activities, (812) 237-2763
Writer: Paula Meyer, ISU Communications & Marketing, (812) 237-3783 or paula.meyer@indstate.edu