By Sam Goodykoontz

This year’s Chamber Choir Jazz Madrigal Festival trip was full of twists and surprises. For instance, the numbers were much smaller. Usually, the Cantamus choir goes to the festival, but this year only the Chamber Choir went, which is much smaller than the Cantamus choir. The number of people on the trip last year was between 50 to 55, but this year it was only 24.

Also, due to there being two separate choirs, there was less rehearsal time for the Chamber Choir. Finally, the plans on the trip were changed last minute. Originally, we were supposed to go to a park to play in the snow; however, due to there being an unexpected change in the weather, we ended up walking around downtown Flagstaff.

All these things sound like they would make the trip end with a negative result, but that was not the case. The choir ended up getting a superior rating from a very prestigious choir director, Rollo Dillworth, who gave very helpful feedback.

The smaller numbers made the trip feel more intimate. Walking through downtown Flagstaff turned out to be really fun, and it even involved a public performance.

The impressions of peers about the trip were really positive. Senior Chloe Darling states, “I loved the trip! The energy was really positive and fun, and because it was a smaller group, it made it more intimate and special to earn our superior rating. I was so impressed with our choir for only practicing once a week and still managing to thoroughly impress one of the most renowned contemporary composers. It was so cool that our little school could get a superior rating from such an experienced and well-respected composer!”

When asked about her favorite part on the trip, Chloe responded, “My favorite part was probably walking around downtown after the performance. It was fun to explore Flagstaff with friends after all our hard work.” When asked about anything unexpected she really enjoyed, she responded, “I think the superior rating was unexpected because we went in feeling a bit unprepared but we really pulled it together and sounded amazing!”

Obviously, the trip was a blast for everyone, so hopefully that will continue for years to come.