When the earned one of 10 spots to compete in the biannual , Dr. William Plummer held high expectations for his students both as vocalists and ambassadors for the 小蝌蚪APP and the United States. They did not disappoint him on either front.
小蝌蚪APP淥ur students met the moment with empathy and sensitivity to the culture of Belgium and the Netherlands,小蝌蚪APP said Plummer, the choir小蝌蚪APP檚 director. 小蝌蚪APP淭hey responded to competitor choirs, not as adversaries, but by seeking to build friendships.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
CantaRode, whose name is a combination of the Latin 小蝌蚪APP渃anta,小蝌蚪APP or 小蝌蚪APP渟inging,小蝌蚪APP and 小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 first round kicked off on May 30 in the Dutch town of Kerkrade, UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 team joined a diverse field of choirs from the U.S. and across Europe, ranging from professional chamber choirs like Sweden小蝌蚪APP檚 to youth choirs like Austria小蝌蚪APP檚 . The 小蝌蚪APP 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 小蝌蚪APP淎ve Maria小蝌蚪APP 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小蝌蚪APP檚 social media coordinator Brenley Murry and her friends ran into Jacksonville State小蝌蚪APP檚 A Capella Choir and began singing with them in the streets of Bruges on Jacksonville小蝌蚪APP檚 first day in the city.
小蝌蚪APP淭hey came up, and they're like, 小蝌蚪APP極h my gosh, you guys are our competition,小蝌蚪APP and we were like, 小蝌蚪APP極h my God, you guys are our competition,小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP Murry said. 小蝌蚪APP淲e hit it off so well right then and there.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淣obody felt super-competitive,小蝌蚪APP Murry said. 小蝌蚪APP淚t didn小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Luna Touchet, a music media major and member of the Chamber Singers, also attested to the unity they felt through the competition. 小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檝e ever been,小蝌蚪APP Touchet said. 小蝌蚪APP淲hen we finished round one and round two, we were crying on stage because we were so happy.小蝌蚪APP
The return of post-graduate choir members enhanced the significance of CantaRode for the entire team. 小蝌蚪APP淲e were honored to have four recent alumni reconnect with the 小蝌蚪APP, adjust their work schedules, and enroll in the class in advance of our trip,小蝌蚪APP Plummer said. 小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 student arts fees were used to facilitate the trip. The majority of all students小蝌蚪APP travel expenses were covered.
小蝌蚪APP淒onations to the Choral Activities Fund are always welcome, and support is vital for these types of experiences to continue,小蝌蚪APP Plummer said.
Touchet said without this support, they would not have been able to attend the competition.
小蝌蚪APP淚'd say it's really beautiful to see funding going to the arts,小蝌蚪APP UL Lafayette Choir President Caleb Dixon said. 小蝌蚪APP淔or us to finally be able to afford to go on trips like these, it's really amazing.小蝌蚪APP
Photo caption: The UL Lafayette Chamber Singers perform at the CantaRode International Choral Festival. Photo courtesy of: Brenley Murry
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