As we count down the days to Spring Break, the Northwestern A cappella choir is gearing up for a trip to Taiwan, a small island to the east of China. Connecting with an existing ministry, the ensemble will perform at schools, churches and hospitals in Taipei, the capitol, and Hualien. While there, they will be performing a large range of mostly American pieces, including sacred music, tender love songs and spirituals, and some Taiwanese pieces.
The choir originally planned to go to China, but due to the choir’s ministry involvement, the plan fell through. It had not been considered before, but as planning continued Taiwan was chosen as the tour destination.
The members of the ensemble had their share of preparation.
“I had to send lots of letters, get a passport, turn in a bunch of paperwork,” sophomore Celsey Aswegen said, “but it will all be worth it!”
Not only were preparations needed for travel plans, but students also had to prepare to travel to a country with a different culture and language. Dr. Holm addressed the struggle of learning a new language.
“[It is] beautifully different,” Holm said. “For us to capture the essence of the language is challenging.” David Lee helped the choir learn some common expressions, but Aswegen still has struggles.
“The language is difficult,” Aswegen said. “There is a lot of inflection of the voice.” Thankfully, many people in Taiwan know English.
Aswegen is looking forward to the trip because of the unique opportunity. She is eager to try new foods and experience a new culture.
One of the goals of the trip is for the choir to be stretched and enriched. Dr. Holm encourages his choir to keep an open mind. He is also using this opportunity to see where he will be living while on his upcoming sabbatical.
As the choir takes off for their long journey on March 4, which includes a 14-hour flight, Dr. Holm asks for help in prayer. While the choir takes part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience, prayers for the miracle of heart change and the encouragement with new people and each other is greatly appreciated.
