Concert Choir Hits the Road

What better purpose for music than to share it? On April 8 and 9, over 50 members of the Viterbo Concert Choir and 9th Street Singers packed onto a bus to celebrate the joy of music with high schoolers and community member in Tomah, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau, Chippewa Falls, and Galesville.

Directed by Dr. Brett Robison and accompanied by Dr. Mary Ellen Haupert, along with some student instrumentalists, the group brought a variety of styles to the different communities they visited, ranging from pop to gospel.

The journey began with a choir exchange at Tomah High School. The Viterbo choirs listened as the Tomah choir shared the music they had been previously working on. After they concluded, the Viterbo Concert Choir took their spot to display their proud vocal accomplishments, including songs from the Fall 2018 concert to music they had learned a couple weeks prior.

The event proved to be a great experience in sharing music, as well as recruiting high school students and teaching them about choral life in a university setting.

The group then traveled to Assumption High School in Wisconsin Rapids where they performed a concert at the school-wide assembly. Professors were reacquainted with alumni of the Viterbo University music department and high school students were once again treated to the music of the Viterbo Concert Choir.

To end the first day of touring, the group held their complete concert in the Church of the Resurrection Catholic Church in Wausau. The concert, lasting approximately 75 minutes, contained an array of choral tunes for the many community members in attendance. All members of the choir sang the praises of the beautiful acoustics in the church, which caused the voices to carry and bounce around like never before, creating a beautiful and unifying sound.

The second and final day of touring began at Chippewa Falls High School where the Viterbo ensembles performed for both the Chippewa Falls Men’s Choir and the Concert Choir. Both groups had plenty of time to share each other’s work as well as collaborate and sing together. The energy of the singers collided and grew as the love of music spread throughout the room.

The final stop of the tour saw the Viterbo choirs at G.E.T. High School in Galesville. This final stop of the tour was the last moment for the choirs to sing many songs that had been with them since the beginning of the school year, leading to passionate performances for the G.E.T. choir. The Viterbo choir gave their time to perform for the high school ensemble as well as answer any questions they had concerning choral music, the university choir experience, or even just college in general. Once the performance had concluded, the group was finally set to return to campus to give their vocal folds the rest they deserved.

The trip provided a wonderful opportunity for students to share their love of music with others while encouraging those students to pursue that love after high school. Hopefully even at Viterbo University.