Young Naperville Singers perform before European audiences during 10-day tour
Members of Bella Voce, Canto Vivo and Bella Cantare, the three most advanced choirs of Young Naperville Singers, returned from a visit to Germany, Switzerland and Italy on June 22.
The tour took place over 10 days, and the choirs sang to rave reviews.
A record-setting 104 singers embarked on this tour on June 13 on two flights out of O'Hare Airport, boarding three tour buses upon arrival in Germany. The singers represented their community and their country with pride as they kindly interacted with people from around the world throughout the tour.
Founded in 1984 by conductor Helen Grubbs, Young Naperville Singers has been growing for 40 years, now offering 11 choirs of over 450 singers from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Young Naperville Singers continues to attract members from a wide range of communities in the western suburbs of Chicago. This remains a true strength of Young Naperville Singers, as friendships develop among the singers even though they attend different schools, often in different towns.
Under the musical leadership of artistic director Angie Johnson, Young Naperville Singers has been growing in size and in artistry. There are choirs for beginning and intermediate singers, as well as the advanced touring choirs, Canto Vivo, Bella Voce and Bella Cantare. All of the choirs focus on excellence in singing and growth through leadership. The singers, in turn, learn to use music as outreach, to touch the hearts of all who hear them sing.
Performing before audiences of non-English speakers on the recent European tour gave the singers a newfound appreciation for music as a universal language. To see listeners weeping tears of joy, or to hear the unison applause of a European audience was heartwarming to the performers.
Additionally, to be able to sing in ancient and modern spaces with astounding acoustics was a breathtaking experience for the choirs. The singers had some tremendous sightseeing experiences in addition to their musical triumphs.
They explored the medieval cities of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Heidelberg in Germany, with cobblestone streets, castles and ancient walls and bridges.
From Germany, they traveled into Switzerland where they performed in the little mountain town of Einsiedeln, and again in the new concert hall of Vitznau on the shore of Lake Lucerne.
The singers were astounded by the mountain vistas of Switzerland as they took a train and then climbed the rest of the way to the summit of Mount Rigi.
The final stop on the tour was the town of Stresa in northern Italy, where the choir was treated to the sights of Lake Maggiore and then performed to a standing-room-only audience at the acoustically-amazing Santi Ambrogio and Theodolo church.
Many of the singers were moved to tears, knowing that the performance would be their last of the tour.
Young Naperville Singers has traveled internationally for a number of years, including to Costa Rica, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria.
Additionally, the Bella Voce and Bella Cantare singers have performed with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for the American Choral Directors Association, and locally for the Naperville Rotary Club and with the Naperville Municipal Band.
For more information about Young Naperville Singers, visit ynschoirs.org or contact the YNS office at (630) 369-9679.