Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs 2020 Italy Concert Tour Comes Full Circle: Capstone Performance Season Planned for Spring 2021

​Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) will be resuming rehearsals in Spring 2021 for the Cecilia Ensemble, the region’s premier high school choral ensemble. The season will begin in early April culminating with celebratory capstone performances on June 19th at Cathedral of the Pines and June 20th at Robin Hood Park Amphitheater in Keene.

​Performances will include the works by American and Italian composers, and will feature pieces sung in the Italian churches, cathedrals, piazzas, restaurants, airports, and rooftops during the ensemble’s 2020 Italy Concert Tour.
 
In February, 2020, the ensemble embarked on a trip of a lifetime; the singers completed an eight-day concert tour of Italy just as Covid-19 was quickly spreading in the Lombardi region of the country. While abroad, last minute changes were made to both the tour itinerary and the flights, and director Esther Rhoades was in daily communication with families back home. “We all felt the gravity of the situation, and tried to navigate a difficult situation with grace,” Rhoades reflected. After returning home, GMYC made the recommendation that all participants quarantine for 2 weeks but shortly after that, NH schools closed and the choir has not gathered since their return on February 29, 2020.
 
The capstone season will be a time to celebrate the singers’ accomplishments preparing for the trip, and finally performing abroad. The singers will share memories and stories about the trip, give updates on their year of quarantine, and finally put words to the meaning of music within their lives. It will also provide closure for the three seniors who graduated in Spring 2020, and the five seniors who will graduate spring 2021.

GMYC will keep the safety of the singers and their families at the center of each rehearsal. “Rehearsal precautions such as masking up, social distancing, and rehearsing outside will be part of the new routine, at least for right now,” said Esther Rhoades, Artistic Director of GMYC and director of the Cecilia Ensemble.

Performance details and other information can be found by visiting www.GrandMonadnockYouthChoirs.org.

To learn more about GMYC, please visit www.GrandMonadnockYouthChoirs.org or contact Esther Rhoades, GMYC Artistic Director, at [email protected].

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