On the college campus, we commonly see singers running off to practice for Wooster Chorus. You might even run into the pipe band members practicing outside or in McGaw depending on the season. Every year during the first week of spring break, members of the Wooster Chorus and Scot Symphonic Band embark on separate domestic tours in the United States.
Between March 6-13, The Wooster Chorus, under the direction of professor of music Lisa Yozviak, traveled and performed in cities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington DC. The tour was officially titled, ì2010 Wooster Chorus,” featuring the line, ì…Stars I Shall Find.” According to Yozviak, this ì arch of the musical program encompassed the typical journey that one makes throughout life, in that we start out alone, join with others in community or in a variety of relationships, but then our lives end in much the same way that they began.” ìStars I Shall Find” is a line of in a poem by Sarah Teasdale, and the line of composer Frank Ticheliís ìThere Will Be Rest.”
With 41 students to tour and lead, Yozviak notes that this ìcreates a unique bonding experience among choir members, which not only builds a sense of camaraderie that is essential for performance, but also establishes lasting relationships between members and with the College of Wooster.” According to Yozviak, part of the mission of the chorus tour is to continue relations with the Wooster alumni community, and recruit prospective students.
Baritone singer Paul Winchester í11 noted that the music for the concerts is a mix of 20th and 21st century choral music which ranges in a selection of types and qualities. ìMost of these pieces were neo-tonal and attractive, with a few instances of severe dissonance and aggression as well,” said Winchester.
ìWe started off in a traditional choral fashion, standing and singing, used hand bells for one piece, and for one spread out into small groups,” says Kyle Thomas í11. Within these groups, Thomas adds that choir members faced each other and used ribbons in the piece to add another level of artistic expression. Two pieces for the concert also included a movement piece from dancer Brandelle Knights í12. The song ìPseudo-Yoik,” according to Thomas, was a favorite among the group to perform.
The Wooster Chorus has previously traveled to the West Coast in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, in addition to Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago.
While the Wooster Chorus was touring, the Scot Symphonic Band tour was also traveling throughout the north east of the United States. According to alto saxophone player, Brett Dawson í11, the tour consisted of performances in New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The Band tour was directed by professor of music Nancy Ditmer, with Tom Robble as percussion instrumentalist, and Ned Brooks as the assistant director. There were more than 90 people involved in the band tour; approximately 70 were in the band, as well as nine pipers and three highland dancers.
Five out of the six concerts, according to Dawson, were performed in churches, with a special performance at the high school of band member John Hotchkiss í10. Dawson notes that there were different crews to set up and run the band tour. Some of these crews included setup crew, tear down crew and luggage crew. Dawson was the head of the truck crew for unloading and loading all the of band equipment for the band tourís rental truck.
Dawson notes that one particular piece, ìBallet Sacra” (Scared Ballet) by composer David Hollsinger was the most challenging to perform during the concerts. ìIt features a big section with singing, making it a very powerful piece,” says Dawson.
In contrast to the Wooster Chorusís tour theme, the Wooster Band is ìwhere are we going?í” notes Dawson. T-shirts featuring a Wooster kilt draped across the Statue of Liberty indicated that the Band tourís final destination was New York City. Like the Wooster Chorus, the Scot Symphonic Bandís tour is also utlilzed to recruit students and connect to the Wooster alumni community.