Singing in Canterbury

Yesterday at noon, KYC hit a a home run. Our concert in the cathedral was so well received by faculty, clergy, parents and the other choral directors that our students heard praise all afternoon and today. The comments ranged from our selection of repetoire to the quality of our tone and import. Henry Leck, was very complementary and said he loved working with KYC. We had a private session with David Flood today. He told us that he thought our choir was BRILLIANT. We are all floating on cloud nine. Our large mass concert is tonight and it is going to be angelic. All for now and will try to connect from our London hotel.

Julie White

departing

directors and assistants are ready to go!

Tour

We have just passed security and waiting to board. There is excitement in the air. Chicago bound.

Thanks,
Pam Howell

Kentucky Youth Chorale

I think we are all packed and ready to travel” across the pond!” By the time we take our red-eye flight from Chicago to Heathrow we will be ready for “tea.” I can’t imagine how beautiful the choir’s music will sound in Canterbury Cathedral. This is a dream come true for me. I couldn’t be more proud of all the students on the trip. Thank you parents and sponsors for helping us achieve this goal.

Julie White

Hadley Rouse and Julie White sharing a hug on the coach bus ride in Washington DC.

jw

Tired but Happy

What a thrill it has been to come home to Owensboro and to see the excitement our friends and family have had with seeing our concert live at the Kennedy Center on line and also to see our trip in action on the blog. There were so many tours, monuments, concerts, practices, and activities that it is hard to believe that we were able to do so many things in such a short time.

Most of all, I am so proud of the way that our Kentucky Youth Chorale represented us in Washington DC. They not only performed with style and confidence but were good ambassadors of Owensboro with the way they behaved on the trip.

This has been the most wonderful choir trip and before we even got home we received and invitation to sing in England in 2011 at an International Festival in London. I am not sure we will do that yet but it does feel good to have been asked. BRAVI to all KYC members, teachers, accompanist, parents and the folks at NationsClassroom for making our trip so memorable. Our guides were first rate.

Sincerely,

Julie Ann White

Without music, life would be a mistake.

–Friedrich Nietzsche

We’re back!

Wow, what a weekend we had:) I can’t believe we actually did it!! Today in one of my classes we got to watch some of our concert. It made my day to hear everyone sing. I wore my “I performed at the Kennedy Center” t-shirt with much pride. It’s good to getting to sleep in my bed instead of a bus seat, but I miss my KYC family already! JoCarol and I got many compliments today from people who saw our video. I love you all!

Hadley Rouse

Thankful for the opportunity

Even though I already knew everyone in the choir, I got to know everyone better and deepened my friendships. I hope we have many good times to come and are able to take amazing trips like this again. I still can’t get over the fact we were singing in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center and at the National Cathedral. : )

Natalie Mathis

Poem

On the trip to Washington – With Mrs. White
We got on the bus – And we drove all night
The point of the trip was to hear the singers sing
And while we were there why not see everything!
Mark and Clift we used as our guide
Saw the Arlington Cemetery – thru tears we couldn’t hide
So many places where all the kids went
One of them was the Washington monument!
Then of course the Smithsonian and Hard Rock Café
Union Station, the Capital, oh what can we say!
We saw the Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson too
Tried to go in the White House – but left feeling blue
Singing at the National Cathedral was great
But we’re tired of all the burgers we ate!
Did I mention the singing at the Kennedy Center?
Why, after this trip we’ll all feel like a winner!
And when it’s all over we’ll give one last wave
To the guys who drove us ’round – well that’s George and Dave
Guess I’m sorry it’s over and the trip had to end
I’ll be singing the blues on the bus home from Washington!
- by Joni Lanham

Reflections part 4

I’m Makayla Huffines and I loved going to the top of the Wash. Monument, experiencing the Smithsonian, Mass, the rotunda at the capital building and swimming.

I’m Allison Saffel and I loved the architechure oh the National Cathedral.
I loved the Lincoln Memorial and the other memorials because they commemorate the people that sacrificed their lives for their country. I learned that 3 helicopters means the president has arrived, and that the Wash. Monu. was stopped from being finished for a while because they ran out of money. Performing with the choir was amazing bacause of the beautiful music and the chance to perform with my friends. I will never forget this trip, the things we did, or the people I have met.

Natalie Francis