TOUR DAYS 3 & 4: Portland to Seattle

Day 3: Friends of Trees

The Wellesley College Choir with Friends of Trees Staff and Volunteers

On Saturday, we had a chance to plant trees with some wonderful Wellesley alumnae from Portland, working with a local organization called Friends of Trees. We broke up into teams tasked with planting different types of trees, digging holes, and mulching, and overall we had a bit too much fun driving stakes into the ground. We ended our adventure with an impromptu rendition of Dr. Ethan Sperry’s arrangement of “Jai Ho!” 

Edilia '20 (left) and Eunbie '20 (right) starting a band
at the PSU Farmers' Market

After cleaning up, choirbees had a last chance to explore downtown Portland before we packed our bags for the trip to Seattle the next morning. One group made their way down to Portland State University Campus to explore the Farmers' Market, where they were treated to delicious food, bought souvenirs, and even joined a band! 

L to R: Eunbie '20, Friends of Trees Coordinator, Rebekah '22, Mary '22, Ellie '20, Shannon '19

Day 4: Karen P. Thomas

Sunday morning began with a calm drive north to Seattle. We arrived at St. Mark’s Cathedral just after noon, where we were greeted with a beautiful view of Seattle and a resonant acoustic in the gorgeous Cathedral. We were fortunate to have worked with Karen P. Thomas, composer and conductor of Seattle Pro Musica, on two of her compositions, “O Virtus Sapientiae” and “How Can I Keep From Singing?” We are especially fortunate to have shared the stage with Chroma, the SSAA ensemble within Pro Musica, and performed both of Ms. Thomas’ pieces with this incredible group of women. 

After our afternoon concert, we had a group dinner with our Seattle host families before the group split up for the evening. 

Karen P Thomas, Chroma, Dr. Graham, and the Wellesley College Choir at St. Mark's Cathedral

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