Good morning!

Happy first day of spring! We got snow last night in Galena, much to our surprise. Good thing we've got matching sweatshirts to keep us warm. :) We are now back on the road after being dropped off at St. Mary's Church by our host home parents and a quick photo op on one of the many beautiful (and now snowy) staircases in Galena. Special shout-out to Julie E. and Rev. Patricia for getting my phone charger back to me in record time--I'll be extra careful next time! We appreciate everyone's hospitality and willingness to open up their homes to us. Thank you all!

Coming into Dubuque, Iowa

Photo op before leaving Galena

On to Jefferson High School for a short visit then to Cornell College for a "choir exchange", in which we will sing for them and vice versa. Be on the look-out for another update later on today! Here are some pictures from yesterday:

 Galena River

 Choir walking from St. Michael's back to UMC

 

 Galena UMC

One of the many staircases in Galena

Day One is Done

Our first concert of the week was a wonderful success! We could not have done it without the wonderful Mark Baglione, choral director at Galena High School and NCC alum. Although our concert took place at St. Michael's, we were welcomed with open arms by the pastor of Galena United Methodist Church, Reverend Patricia Allen-Stewart, and her lovely congregation members. They graciously prepared for us a traditional Galena meal of meat pasties, accompanied by salad and brownies. Yum! Thank you to everyone who had a helping hand in preparing dinner for us--it is very much appreciated.

After our dinner and change of attire at Galena UMC, we walked four doors down to St. Michael's Catholic Church to sing our first concert of the tour. The audience was extremely welcoming and receptive to our music-making, and we had a wonderful time singing our piece for them! After the concert, we connected with our "homestays"; in other words, the congregation members we would be staying with tonight. Personally, my homestay "mom" gave us a complete tour of Galena with history of the town and of the many well-known people who have stayed and lived here. We learned all about General (and President) Grant and his many influences over Galena, as well as had the fun experience of riding up and down the hilly landscape while sight-seeing. The choir is so grateful for all of the wonderful people who have opened their homes to us for the night. Thank you for giving us a place to rest on our "road home".

Tomorrow we depart Galena and head over to Iowa, first to Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids and Cornell College in Mt. Vernon. Then it's back to Illinois where we'll give a concert at the First United Methodist Church of Savanna. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures from today's events!

"There is no such beauty as where you belong. Rise up, follow me, I will lead you home."

And...we're off!

We are currently en route to our very first tour concert in Galena, IL! We've got our brand new "Road Home" sweatshirts packed and ready to wear tomorrow. Our gracious bus driver, Bob, gave us a warm welcome and aided us in putting away our luggage. We've got snacks, friends, and Thor: The Dark World. Everything is in order to make for a great tour!

 Today's Featured Film

Our concert tonight is at 7:30 PM at St. Michael's Church in Galena. If you are in the area, or want to take a road trip, you should come check it out. Otherwise, stay tuned and see what the Concert Choir is up to next!

 St. Michael's in Galena

"Rise up, follow me, I will lead you home."

Almost there!

Greetings CC members, friends, and family,

We're almost there--just two days are left until we depart for our "Road Home" tour. To students: good luck on finals and don't forget to pack before 1:00 PM on Wednesday rolls around! As we are finalizing some small last minute details, we'd like to invite family, friends, and community members to come out to one of our many performances open to the public throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. Here is the performance itinerary:

Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30 PM

St. Michael's Church in Galena, Illinois

 

Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 PM

First United Methodist Church in Savanna, Illinois

Friday, March 21 at 7:30 PM

Sun Prairie United Methodist Church in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Saturday, March 22 at 7:00 PM

Whitefish Bay United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sunday, March 23 at 8:15 AM and 10:45 AM

Brown Deer United Methodist Church in Brown Deer, Wisconsin

Come hear beautiful music of all kinds--from traditional Concert Choir repertoire like "River in Judea" to exciting, upbeat pieces like "Gede Nibo". We look forward to seeing you there!

Welcome!

 North Central College Concert Choir

Thank you for visiting our blog for the Concert Choir "Road Home" tour! We have many things to look forward to while preparing for our tour, one of which is how our music will touch those we perform for, whether we're singing at an informal rehearsal-type setting at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or at a full-on evening concert at Whitefish Bay United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This blog will serve as a way for the members of the choir to keep "in the know" about tour happenings before departure, and once we've begun our tour, it will also serve as a source for parents, friends, and community members to keep up with our travels across the Midwest.

"There is no such beauty as where you belong,

Rise up, follow me, I will lead you home."