Written by: Mattie K.
With an early start, day 3 of our tour began with breakfast and bonding with host families. Singers reconvened at Prospect UMC in Marion, where the Chorale gave their concert the night prior. First, we circled up to share stories of our gracious hosts and the concerts behind and hopes for those ahead of us. Then, almost immediately, we took a short walk a few blocks to visit the historic Palace Theater, where we were given an extensive tour of the auditorium, backstage, and dressing rooms!
The theater was quite the sight to behold, and our guide Valerie had a lot of knowledge to share with us. Of course in true Cardinal Chorale fashion, we had to test the acoustics of the stage, serenading our very small audience with “This Is My Father’s World.” It felt as if we were in the courtyard of a real-life Spanish courtyard, singing to the statues of George Washington, Greek figures, and a very special parrot. After wandering around, hundreds of pictures taken, and some questions asked & answers, we thanked Valerie in the traditional Chorale way, with a cheerful “Thank You Very Much!”
After our journey through theatrical history, we traveled back to the coach to officially start our travels for our concert later that day. Before that though, we took a shopping/lunch break in Easton for new books, lego sets, collectibles, and full appetites. Personally, a Lego Batman keychain was the perfect addition to my backpack 🙂
Arriving at Capital University, we had a few moments for rehearsal to review the new pieces for the night and work on memorization. The Office of Admissions were gracious enough to give us a tour of their beautiful campus, sharing some fun facts and history along the way. We were able to see the dining hall, music hall, campus center, and much more!
Did you know… stepping on a college’s seal is bad luck?
After our informative tour, we had a bit more rehearsal before our dinner provided by a revered Capital University staff member, Phil. He prepared a delicious luau dinner with Hawaiian beef, ham and rice, sweet mashed potatoes, coconut shrimp, and piña coladas. After our amazing meal, we once again wished Phil our gratitude and thanl-you song, and then were off to prepare for pre-concert circle.
Once we were all dressed up, we had another few minutes of reflection and hopes for the rest of the tour. Then, of course, we sang a beautiful concert in Capital’s Gloria Dei Worship Center in the Trinity Lutheran Seminary. The space was wonderful and carried our voices so well, which made us very happy that we could give our audience a great concert!
At the end of the night, the singers and staff met with their hosts for the night and were off to much needed showers and some good sleep.
Only part of the way through the tour, we are having so much fun already! Follow along with our journey!! Come to a concert near you! ❤️
something, something…
Mattie 🙂