The Linfield Concert Choir used its recent tour of New Mexico and Arizona as more than just an opportunity to sing, but an opportunity to grow.

“Tour was many things, but most of all, it was a journey the students and I embarked on together filled with opportunities to make music together and share the joy of singing with others who love to sing, as well as those who do not have easy access to live music,” said Anna Song, choir director and assistant professor of music. “There were opportunities to grow musically, emotionally, spiritually, and as an ensemble, and opportunities to represent Linfield in a different part of the country.”

The choir toured Phoenix, Prescott, Sedona, Winslow and Window Rock in Arizona and Albuquerque and Santa Fe in New Mexico.

Sophomore and Concert Choir Secretary Jaimie McDonald said that the most valuable experience she had during tour was visiting a rehabilitation center in Sedona, Ariz.

“Mostly for older adults with medical rehabilitation needs, the rehab center was a very quiet place,” McDonald said. “When we performed, you could just feel the energy in the room brighten up, and the smiles on the patients’ faces were huge. It was so special to bring joy to their lives through music.”

McDonald said that bringing happiness to the audience is what the choir tries to do every time they perform.

“One of the best things about being a service-based choir is the giving of oneself to others and also having the joys we give multiplied and returned to us,” McDonald said.

The tour concluded with its last performance at Linfield in the Ice Auditorium on April 4.

The performance opened with a showing of a video made by Jeremy Moll that documented the eight days the choir spent on tour. It chronicled the choir’s activities and performances, and  it depicted the contagious joy and positive energy of the members of the choir and the people they came in contact with.

When reflecting on the tour, McDonald said, “My favorite part of choir tour was the opportunity to form deeper connections with my peers who I may not have known as well prior to tour.”

“Although it is a choir tour, it is much more than just about singing,” Song said. “The purpose of the annual trip is to transform the world around us with the beauty of music and to be transformed through the music and through all those we encounter along the way.”

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Sam Nixon/Staff writer
Sam Nixon can be reached at [email protected].