March 22, 2000
Chorale aims for high fundraising goal
West Senior High singers raise money to attend international festival in Wales
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Cherry Festival week this year will find 50 members of the Traverse City West Chorale departing for Europe to attend the prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales. The students will also be performing in famous cathedrals in Great Britain and Paris, recording their singing for a compact disc and creating memories to last a lifetime.
"There's nothing like performing a tour with a group that is rehearsed and concertized," said Chorale Director Russ Larimer. "These are hardworking kids who will have a life changing opportunity."
Garnering an invitation to the world's largest music festival, which features the best performers from 50 countries, is a huge accomplishment for the Chorale. The students will sing for just 15 minutes, performing a mandatory piece plus three others. They have been rehearsing the songs for this trip for months, in addition to preparing for their regular concert performances, the annual musical and Madrigals Dinner.
"The students have greatly increased their repertoire for this trip," said Larimer, who just led his students through sell-out performances of "Pirates of Penzance." "We are also preparing music appropriate for the cathedral setting, where most of these facilities do not have a piano or we cannot use the organ."
The students' fundraising efforts to pay for the trip over the past few months have been as intense and well planned as their performances. With the cost of each student estimated at $2,350, students have been pounding the pavement around town - between their myriad rehearsals and musical performances - to sign up sponsors. They have sung at benefits and the Madrigals Dinner, sold pizzas and cards and helped a department store conduct inventory. They have also been selling discount cards to area businesses and talking to friends, family, teachers, church members; anyone they can think of who would want to help.
"I have been going to area businesses to get sponsorships and my parents have been helping," said Mike Nyland, a senior in the Chorale, who traveled to Europe last summer to sing with the Michigan Ambassadors of Music. "I want to give a big 'Thank You' to the community, they've always helped out."
Larimer and students kept their fingers crossed after sending off their audition tape in the fall. They even began fundraising at the beginning of the school year, building a travel chest before they knew they were traveling. When the invitation to Llangollen came in December, the students set an ambitious goal of raising $50,000 by April 22. Just as they overcame the odds to be invited to the festival, they plan to meet that goal, which will bring each student's cost down to $1,400.
One upcoming fund-raiser is a benefit concert by the Cherry Capital Chorus, which will feature the student Chorale and barbershop quartets. This concert is scheduled for Thursday, March 23, at 8:00 p.m. at the West High School Auditorium. Tickets are $7.50 and are available at the door or at Captain's Quarters or the West High School Music Office.
In addition, sponsorships are still available, which can be earmarked either for a specific student or given to the general expenses fund. For more information on helping the Traverse City West Chorale defray expenses for their trip to Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, contact Russ Larimer at 933-7798.