Seghizzi, day two

Spoiler alert: chamber choir did not make it to the final round :(

That's right, thought I'd get that out of the way early for our readers! Though we didn't get the opportunity to perform in the final round of competition, our students sang at an absolutely incredible level of musicianship. I cried lots and lots of happy tears during their sets. 

Round two of competition happened midday, when Chamber Choir performed their folk set. "Folk", to clarify, meant traditional music from our country. Ethan primarily programmed a selection of African American spirituals, furthering Chamber Choir's commitment to celebrating and educating the choral community on the significance of these works. The repertoire included:
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Shenandoah- James Erb
Unclouded Day- Shawn Kirchner
Precious Lord- Thomas Dorsey
Beulah Land- Stacey Gibbs

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Our final round happened after dinnertime, and it was the one that everyone was most excited for: pop. Technically, the category was pop, jazz, and gospel. But since spirituals and gospel are the United State's traditional folk music (that's a whole doctoral study unto itself, so I digress), we sang all pop! Fall, Nic's arrangement, was able to make its way onto the main stage, alongside a duo of timeless arrangements by the one, the only, Ethan Sperry.

Fall- Nic Nipp
Balleilakka- Ethan Sperry 
Hallelujah- Ethan Sperry

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When the rounds were over, we were bussed to a big dinner with the other choirs near a vineyard. Wine was had, songs were exchanged, and we generally had a great time! At the end of the night, the organizers announced the top five, and our name was not called. And while it certainly stung, our students took it gracefully. Funny enough, I feel like the Polish choir was more offended that we didn't place than we were.

We were the last choir to be bussed back to the hotel, and that unto itself did us some good. Everyone was able to take some extra time to talk out their feelings and remind each other that they did an incredible job. Our hard work was certainly not all for naught; While we will not be going home with a trophy, stellar music was made and countless memories alongside it. We will be cheering on the other choirs in the final round of competition (Especially the Polish and Filipino choirs), and will still have the highlights concert tomorrow to look forward to. Send your favorite Chamber Choir singers a little extra love today, and stay tuned for more good things to come as we wrap up this amazing trip.