Concert Choir Travel to London for European Premiere

The UofSC Concert Choir is the flagship choral ensemble of the School of Music.  For more than fifty years, this outstanding ensemble has cultivated a legacy of excellence, with two significant hallmarks: commissioning and premiering new works, and international travel. These hallmarks have facilitated the choir’s reputation as one of the premier collegiate ensembles in the country, and beyond.

As the third conductor in the choir’s history, it is Dr. Alicia Walker's goal to perpetuate this culture of excellence while providing UofSC students with opportunities to make music in settings and circumstances they will remember all of their lives. The Concert Choir is an auditioned ensemble made up of 50 students from diverse backgrounds and majors, though most are pursuing degrees in music. It is often the case that some students who travel with the choir are experiencing international travel for the first time; there is usually one student in the group who has never flown on an airplane before, or one who is leaving South Carolina for the first time. These unforgettable milestones in the lives of young people are enhanced by the artistic expressions they engage in with their friends and classmates. For many, it is life changing.

The Concert Choir usually tours internationally every two years. The trip originally scheduled for June 2021 was postponed due to COVID. In June 2022, the Concert Choir will travel to England for a week-long tour. The trip will include performances in London and Canterbury, as well as Oxford, depending on venue availability. In London, the highlight of the trip will be a performance, with orchestra, in the historic Southwark Cathedral. It will include a performance of Will Todd’s Mass in Blue, by combined choirs from the US, UK, and Taiwan, and a feature performance, by the UofSC Concert Choir, of the Choir's newly commissioned piece by Mr. Todd. This will be the piece's European premiere.