SUNY Oneonta students perform in English castle

Five SUNY Oneonta students flew to England recently to perform in a choir in Durham, UK.

The students rehearsed about 25 hours, during which they learned 18 short choral works for performance at the English Choral Experience course held at Durham Castle, part of Durham University. The English Choral Experience was led and directed by prominent English choral conductor, Paul Spicer, who serves as choral conductor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatory.

Durham Castle is a Norman castle that has been occupied since 1840 by University College, Durham. It is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working building and is home to over 100 students.

Oneonta students rehearsed and stayed in the 16th century Great Hall.

In order to be selected for the trip, SUNY Oneonta students had to audition. They were required to prepare one song of their choosing and complete several sight-reading exercises.

The students were able to do some sightseeing, as well, visiting the cathedral where segments of two Harry Potter movies, the latest Avengers film and "Elizabeth I" were filmed.

The trip was conceived through a Faculty Center grant for Applied Learning. The D'Antonio Student Travel for Excellence Fund, the Fund for Oneonta, the Dean of Humanities and the Music Department all supported the trip.

To view these students click here: https://oneonta.meritpages.com/achievements/SUNY-Oneonta-students-perform-in-English-castle/96621