The Northwestern Music Department operates on a rotating schedule of which ensembles go on tour throughout the year. Students may have heard about the choir’s trip to New Mexico and Arizona last year or the Symphonic Band’s recent expedition to Italy over spring break. This semester, the A Cappella Choir will embark on a journey to Sioux Falls and Omaha to perform concerts for a variety of audiences. Their schedule is packed with travel and performances, and their first day of tour includes four separate concerts. Leaving on April 3 and returning April 6, students will travel, live and perform together. These shorter tours serve as a time to bring music to the Midwest community, advertise NW’s programs and bring the choir members closer together as an ensemble and friends.
Throughout the semester, the A Cappella Choir has worked up many pieces in preparation for tour. They will not sing every song at every concert, since selections for each performance depend on the venue and audience. For instance, the choir will sing at several high schools, so that specific setlist is catered to songs that might resonate and appeal to a younger audience. Performances at churches or auditoriums will merit more mature and complex pieces. Several of the selected material include “Praise to the Lord,” “Beautiful Savior” and “Deep Peace.” Consistent with the all NW-sponsored endeavors, the concerts aim to spread the love of Jesus and the Gospel message to audience members, so several of the pieces have themes of God’s glory and love for His people in the hopes that the attendees will feel God’s presence during the performances.
In addition to their typical performances at churches, schools and retirement homes, the choir has a unique opportunity this year: a concert at Lifescape Children’s Services in Sioux Falls. Lifescape provides direct care, treatment and education to people with mental or physical disabilities. The Symphonic Band shared a meal and performed for the residents last year, and it was a positive experience for both parties involved. Bringing music to nontraditional spaces is an important goal of the Music Department, and oftentimes these performances bring the most joy to the performers.
Performing is not the only way that members spend time together. The choir leadership team makes time on the bus an intentional space for group bonding and fellowship. One of the ways students cultivate this goal is through “Bus Interviews.” One at a time, students are called up to the front of the bus to share their name, grade, major and hometown, along with two random and nonsensical questions. Such questions may include “If you were a guy selling hot dogs at a baseball game, what would your hotdog call be?” or “When’s the last time you thought about Cole Sprouse?” These questions, bizarre as they may be, seek to deepen friendships and create camaraderie between members of the choir that represent many different areas and friend groups across campus. Between concerts, choir members can be found playing card games, watching movies together or just hanging out. Post-tour ensemble dynamics are always friendlier than before tour due to the amount of time spent with each other and the connections built over the weekend.
Even though April is a busy month for students in the music program, A Cappella members generally look forward to touring as a way to change their normal routine and do something they love on a larger scale. Sophomore Ben Geary says he is looking forward to the performances the most. “Singing is my favorite way to worship, and our performances are the best way to glorify God with the gifts he has given us,” says Geary, “Ultimately, just the chance to worship God by singing in a large, resonant church is such a huge privilege and something I am really looking forward to.”
