Pacific Northwest Tour will take 32
members of the Touring Chorus on a diverse journey of the Pacific
Northwest, visiting busy metropolises in Washington and Oregon and
pristine sites in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The itinerary includes a performance as the headline choir at a prestigious
music festival in Oregon.
"We are looking forward to showcasing the
Chorus to a region we last visited 20 years ago," said Director
Julian Ackerley. "We are also honored to be performing as the
featured choir at the 5th Biennial Boychoir & Young Men's Singing
Festival in Salem, Oregon."
The Touring Chorus departs on Friday, March 1
on an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle, known as "the gateway
to the world". Hosted by the Pacifica Children's Chorus, choristers
will have the opportunity to tour many familiar sites of Seattle, including
the legendary Space Needle, and one of the nation's largest downtown
markets, Pike Place Farmer's Market.
With barely time to rest, the boys will prepare
for their first concert at the celebrated St. James Cathedral, located
in Seattle's historic First Hill neighborhood overlooking downtown
Seattle. The Chorus will perform a concert prior to mass, as well as
sing during the 5pm service.
After a day of sightseeing, the Touring Chorus
will rehearse for a joint concert with the Pacifica Children's Chorus
later that evening. The Chorus will bid farewell to Seattle and their
host families, and board a bus to Ellensburg, Washington.
Communicating with signing chimpanzees is next
on the itinerary. In Ellensburg, choristers will tour the Chimposium & Human
Communication Institute on the campus of Central Washington University.
Established in 1966, the program is the first and longest-running research
project of its kind in the world. Several concerts at schools and churches
are scheduled in Ellensburg.
After Ellensburg, the Chorus will travel by bus
to Vancouver for sightseeing and a collaborative concert with the Coastal
Sound Music Academy, located in Coquitlam in British Columbia, Canada.
The Chorus will then take a ferry to Victoria (the capital city of
British Columbia), located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
In Victoria, the Chorus will perform at VIVA's Spring Sing as well
as participate in a demonstration workshop. For sightseeing, choristers
will have the unique opportunity to explore picturesque Victoria, including
its renown Museum of Natural History.
Boarding a ferry for return travel to the mainland,
choristers will travel by bus to Portland for the last leg of the tour.
Planned is a collaborative concert with the Portland Symphonic Boychoir,
and several performances in local schools. In Portland, choristers
will visit the Oregon Museum of Science and History, where boys can
choose from a long list of sensory explorations from life in a submarine
to surviving an earthquake.
The tour's final destination is Salem, Oregon
for their five-day participation as the featured choir at the 5th Biennial
Boychoir & Young Men's Singing Festival. The Tucson Boys Chorus
will be featured in its own performance to kick off the festival, then
will participate in the various festival activities with nearly 200
other choristers from choirs around the country. Dr. Ackerley will
be the featured clinician and will serve as the guest conductor of
the massed choirs for the festival's gala final performance.
On Sunday, March 17, the Chorus will board a
bus to Portland for their return flight to Tucson via Alaska Airlines,
with a scheduled arrival at Tucson International Airport at 5:40pm.
