By Lee Chaney with photos by William Dishmon
Being part of the Variations choir at Pellissippi State Community College can be stressful; students are expected to constantly learn new music and perform at different venues throughout the year. However, all of this stress and constant travels are made worth it every spring when the choir travels with Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS) to sing in another country as part of the choir’s study abroad program.
Previous years have seen students perform in places like France and Ireland, all leading to this year, as members of the choir got to perform in Prague. Even though the concert is a fantastic opportunity for students, there’s more to these trips than just the performance.
“Learning to travel internationally is also a huge part of it. There’s so much learning other than the singing,” says director Meagan Humphreys.
This sentiment is shared by student members of the choir, as tenor vocalist Edward Gary adds, “What I’ll remember the most are the connections and bonds made, as well as all the exploration and new experiences.”
Students begin preparing for the trip in the Fall when they audition for the choir and, after making it into the choir, begin learning the pieces they will be performing. Songs are selected from a variety of genres, since the group sings in different kinds of venues and for different types of audiences throughout the trip; this year’s selections included sacred pieces as well as musicals and a barbershop quartet.
For this year’s excursion, 28 students and four staff left by bus to Nashville where they flew to the United Kingdom. Everyone enjoyed a short layover in London before finally flying to Prague, where they stayed busy through six concerts and several cultural excursions spread over nine days.
The group travelled by bus, train, boat, and on foot to reduce their carbon footprint and experience the cities firsthand. Stone walkways line the streets in Europe, so travelers were in for a lot of walking; although it might have sounded rough, the group made a new friend in Slovakia when a stray cat decided to come along for a few miles.
“We walked about five plus miles a day. I think that’s the best way to see a place,” says Humphreys.
Peggy Hinkle, a much loved accompanist within the music department, was honored on the trip by students wearing t-shirts labeled Peggy Protection Program.
While these trips are a great opportunity for students to have fun and explore (with stops at LEGO Place and Castle Devin), they still must focus on their performances, even in conditions they might not be accustomed to.
“We could see our breath as we sang,” Edward told this reporter as he described a chillingly beautiful scene in which everyone had dinner and sang in freezing weather while traveling by boat down the Danube at night. Although this was certainly a highlight, other venues included Sunday Mass in Kutna Hora cathedrals and various schools throughout the country.
In short, students interested in studying abroad should be prepared to work hard while they’re having fun. After all, those who get the chance to travel also get to learn the inner workings of international travel and experience a different country firsthand, all the while becoming immersed in a new culture as they tour foreign cities and perform, meeting new friends and gaining experience along the way.
