Select Choir Travels to DFW for Annual Tour
This spring, Select Choir embarked on their annual tour, this time around the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where they shared their talents with new audiences and learned from professionals in the field of music.
The students began their trip with a visit to Texas Christian University, where they participated in a campus tour and a clinic with Dr. Marla Ringel, Assistant Director of Choral Activities. She introduced the choir to innovative singing techniques that they later applied to their performances on tour, like the use of resistance bands to reinforce breath support and musicality. That evening, the group was treated to a performance of the musical All Shook Up at the North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theater, a musical that brought to life a small Texas town through the songs of Elvis Presley.
The following day, the choir shared the stage with the ESD Choir and Lakehill Preparatory Choir at The Episcopal School of Dallas for an incredible collaborative choral experience. Each choir performed three pieces on their own and ended the performance with a rendition of "Fairest Lord Jesus,” directed by Ms. Havel. Later, at the University of North Texas College of Music, students received a clinic from Choral Conducting doctoral student and Music Education teaching fellow Evan Powers. Mr. Powers allowed Select Choir to explore their musicality through movement and gestures that helped students bring even more expression and emotion to their performance.
On Saturday, students enjoyed sightseeing and pop-up performances in both Fort Worth and Dallas. The first stop was Brookdale Lewisville, where students performed for senior living residents. After the performance, students visited with the residents and shared their passions for music. Next, Select Choir visited the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, where they viewed the collection and the Surrealism exhibit of Caribbean and African diasporic artists. The visit included a performance in the lobby of the museum and a scavenger hunt for a sculpture in the collection by Ms. Havel’s uncle, Joseph Havel. Finally, students ended this action-packed day with a visit and performance at the top of Reunion Tower where they enjoyed the panoramic views of downtown Dallas.
The tour concluded on a high note with a beautiful Palm Sunday service at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas. Students joined the church choir in singing their hymns as well as the anthem performance of “Ride on King Jesus” by Moses Hogan. The Highlanders felt right at home with the service, which was bookended by bagpipe performances by the Metroplex United Drum and Pipe Band!
Congratulations to all Select Choir on their hard work preparing for this tour as well as for their incredible performances throughout the trip!
