TOUR DAY 2: Ethan Sperry & the Portland State Chamber Choir

The Wellesley College Choir, Dr. Ethan Sperry, and Dr. Graham (front row) before our first concert.

Yesterday marked the very first time the Wellesley College Choir has performed in the Pacific Northwest, and we are grateful to Dr. Ethan Sperry and the Portland State Chamber Choir for their incredibly warm welcome.

L to R: Megan '21, Audrea '22, Ellie '22,
Genevieve '22, Katharine '22, Lucy '21

We started our Friday morning with some free time to explore Portland. One group of choirbees took a walk to Powell's to peruse the shelves of the world's largest new and used bookstore. They bought some books, a few tote bags, and postcards, and almost got lost in the store one too many times. Afterwards, they made their way to Voodoo doughnuts to get a taste of the most common food recommendation from Portland natives. 

Later in the afternoon, the group made its way to St. Philip Neri Catholic Church to rehearse with Dr. Sperry for the evening's concert. After warmups, Dr. Sperry worked with us on conviction - more specifically, how to fully communicate the message of each piece to the audience. We jammed with him to his arrangement of A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho," met members of the PSU Chamber Choir, and headed off to get ready for the concert. 

Rehearsal at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church

We were beyond thrilled by PSU Chamber Choir's performance, and we are so grateful to have been able to share a stage with them. We ended the night with a joint performance of "O Salutaris" by Ēriks Ešenvalds, featuring soloists from both ensembles. We hope to work with PSU Chamber Choir again in the future, and we wish them the best with the remaining academic year! Check out their Facebook page to learn more about them. Trust me, you're in for a treat, as this group is incredibly talented and dedicated.

A quick bite at Voodoo Doughnuts!
Left to right: Ciara '20, Megan '21, Genevieve '22, Ellie '22