Northwest Girlchoir recently returned from a successful 17-day European tour, performing nine concerts in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. Twenty-nine local high school students participated in the tour, including Andrea Love, a resident of Magnolia. The tour was led by Northwest Girlchoir artistic director Sara Boos. The first stop on the tour was Venice, Italy, where the choir performed during a Mass at St. Mark's Cathedral. The tour also included five performances in Croatia, many in small, historic churches.
The final concert in Croatia took place in Varazdin at the Church of the Assumption. The day of the concert, the choir learned that the elderly priest of the church had died that morning. It was a special privilege for the girls to sing "Lux Aeterna (Perpetual Light)", a text originally meant for a funeral, in his honor.
Throughout the tour, the choir was welcomed warmly by their hosts. The first of two concerts in Slovenia took place in Litija, where the girls were treated to a traditional Slovenian meal, accordion music and dancing at the local high school.The choir enjoyed enthusiastic and appreciative audiences at every concert. "It's moving to be able to share music with people," said Love, a junior at Garfield High School, "especially those who speak a different language than you and may have preconceived notions of what Americans are like.
"During one concert," she continued, "we started to sing a song in Slovenian, and they were so surprised and pleased that they just spontaneously started clapping. We weren't sure if they were going to stop! After concerts, we would stand outside and greet the audience, and they would just say thank you, as if the music we had sung was a gift, while we just felt lucky to be there." Founded more than 30 years ago, Northwest Girlchoir is dedicated to enriching the lives of young women throughout the Puget Sound region. The organization, located in the former Sand Point Elementary School, has five choirs with singers ranging from 8 to 18 years old.
Each year the choir participates in community concerts, outreach events and national or international tours, touching thousands of audience members with their critically acclaimed choral sound and artistry.For more information about Northwest Girlchoir, visit www.northwestgirlchoir.org.[[In-content Ad]]
