St. Pete high school choir to perform overseas during spring break
Bay Area school choir to perform in Europe
FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis spoke with members of the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School's Vox Nova Chamber Choir, who will perform in Spain and Portugal.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School's Vox Nova Chamber Choir is traveling abroad for a Spring Break International Tour. The 29 student singers will travel to Portugal and Spain, and perform at three venues.
On Sunday afternoon, the choir hosted a Bon Voyage concert at First Presbyterian Church in St. Pete to thank loved ones and faculty for their help in making the trip happen.
What they're saying:
"It means so much to see our students working so hard and making such beautiful music," PCCA Choral Activities Director Matthew Clear said.
The Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School's Vox Nova Chamber Choir will perform at three venues overseas.
The choir performs a cappella selections. Their 45-minute showcase features nine songs. One is in Spanish, and another is in Latin.
"We also sing in English. But our English pieces are very deep pieces. They mean so much to us," he said. "They explore humanity. The things that we feel, and we go through, and we think. Everything from when we have trouble falling asleep to heartbreak and relationships and so we explore those themes in a variety of ways."
Clear said music transcends language.
"That way, we relate to the cultures we're visiting. Because while we might not speak the same language, we're able to relate with the human experience through music," he said.
The Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School's Vox Nova Chamber Choir will perform at three venues overseas.
Clear said the idea of the trip stems from one he went on with his choir group in college.
"It changed my life forever," he said. "I wanted to provide the same opportunity for our students."
Students have spent the past few months learning about both countries' cultures, history, and food.
The Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School's Vox Nova Chamber Choir will perform at three venues overseas.
"Now that they're ready to go, it's really exciting to see them get ready to engage with other cultures overseas," he said.
Clear and chaperones will travel with the students through a travel agency. The trip cost each student $3,000. He said they've spent the last year raising those funds.
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PCCA Senior Jendayi Timothy said it will be her first time leaving the country.
"I've gone out of my way to research different locations just because of how in-depth I want to be when I get there," she said. "I just know I'm going to be holding onto these memories for a long time and it's going to mean a lot to me."
The group leaves on Saturday, March 15, and will visit Lisbon, followed by Segovia and Madrid.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis.
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