Voices travel, all the way to Europe
High school honors chorus leaves today for overseas performances
by Mary Lancaster • Independent Writer
Their beautiful voices and dedication to perfecting their art has won the Nantucket High School Honors Chorus a fourth trip to perform in Europe. The 41 singers from grades nine to 12, also known as The Accidentals and Naturals, leave today for a nine-day stay on another part of the globe where they will showcase their a cappella talent in Beaune and Paris, France and in London, England.

PHOTO BY ROBERT K. JAMES The Nantucket High School Honors Chorus, also known as the Accidentals and Naturals, held a bon voyage concert Sunday night in preparation for their fourth trip to perform in Europe. They will travel to France and England and return home at the end of next week.

Sunday night the students held a bon voyage concert at the Old North Vestry of the First Congregational Church where they entertained the audience with the repertoire they will present in Europe.

NHS Music Department Chairman Barbara Elder is proud of her stu- dents. She, along with three additional seniors and teachers and staff including Eric Wendelken, Rob Norton, Steve Laredo, Cathy Lepore, Page Martineau and Debbie Dooley will accompany the troupe, who will be lodged in hotels.

The chorus began traveling in 1999 to perform in New York City. Elder explained that in 2001 former NHS Principal Joseph Aguiar, with support from former Superintendent Alan Myers, suggested the chorus look into performing in Europe. That initiated an association with Encore, a subdivision of the American Council of International Studies, the oldest educational travel company in the country that helps plan the chorus tours.

"You decide as a teacher if a performance group is ready for a tour," said Elder. "Not every school is able to [do that] because of the level of commitment to prepare them. When you take a program abroad, you are not only representing your high school, you represent your community and the United States, so you want to ensure your group can represent well."

When a repertoire is chosen it must be submitted along with a CD to Encore for approval, which then sends the materials, as well as a school's list of preferred countries to visit, to Encore's European associates who determine the optimum venues for presentation of the selections.

The Honors Chorus this time will perform a double chorus piece called "O Filii et Filiae," where they sing back and forth to each other as in an echo. American representations include "Three Motets" by Elliot L. Levine; "There Will Be Rest," based on poetry of Sara Teasdale and composed by Frank Ticheli; "The Lone Wild Bird," which will be danced as modern ballet by Julia Wendelken, one of the three extra senior students going on the trip and four or five African- American spirituals. The program lasts a straight 45 minutes without breaks, said Elder.

The chorus travel is paid through fundraising and family and private donations.

"We keep working on it till we get there," said Elder. "It takes us a year to get there, but we've made it four times now so it seems we can

do it. I