Boston Magic

JFK Presidential Library and Museum
Photo courtesy Emily Schweich

After arriving late Tuesday night, we were excited for our first full day in Boston. Following breakfast at the hotel, we went to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for a tour and performance.

The tour began with a brief documentary on JFK's youth and young adulthood, told completely through clips from interviews with the late president. 

Exhibits chronicled his 1960 campaign and his accomplishments and challenges as president, from the space race to the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

We walked through a replica of the Oval Office and a replica of the Office of the Attorney General, which highlighted JFK's special relationship with his brother, Robert F. Kennedy. The museum also highlighted the work of First Lady Jackie Kennedy.

A replica of the Oval Office at the time of Kennedy's presidency.
Photo courtesy Emily Schweich

When I think about JFK, the first thing I think of is his assassination, so I appreciated how the museum didn't let his death overshadow his life. The final exhibit featured a simple black wall with television screens showing news footage of the assassination. The exhibits opened up into a lofty atrium with tall glass windows opening the Boston harbor -- a beautiful, resonant space for us to sing. While the museum wasn't particularly crowded, we enjoyed the chance to sing in a new space. 

The UMD Women's Chorus singing in the JFK Presidential Library and Museum's atrium.
Photo courtesy Jesse Florida

After our performance, we had a free afternoon in Boston. Many of us enjoyed wicked clam chowda (trying to talk like a Bostonian here) at Quincy Market for lunch. 

Abby Goron, Ashley Heard, Emily Schweich, Alexandra Forrester
and Sarah Barham visit the Old North Church.  Photo courtesy Ashley Heard.

A group of us visited the Paul Revere House and Old North Church, where Revere warned the Colonial militia the British were coming before the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775.

North End sweets; photo courtesy Emily Schweich

Some of us spent the afternoon enjoying pastries and coffee in the North End, the city's Italian district. A few of us stopped at St. Leonard's Church in the North End to get ashes for Ash Wednesday. 

Mae Almonte, Katie Harris, Gabrielle Bianchi and
Amanda Connolly with their Ash Wednesday ashes.
Photo courtesy Katie Harris

Others enjoyed shopping at Faneuil Hall, visiting Chinatown, walking the Freedom Trail, swing dancing at MIT and meeting up with friends in the city.  

Women's Chorus members exploring Boston.
Photo courtesy Nicole Peak

Boston is a dynamic city where rich history and modern character collide.  We had a wonderful time exploring!

St. Cecilia's Parish
Photo courtesy Abby Goron

Thursday -- the day for which we prepared for four months -- finally arrived.  We got an early start and left around 8:30 for our concerts at St. Cecilia's Parish in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. 

While the exterior and social hall are sleek and modern, the sanctuary is traditional, filled with stained glass windows, including a beautiful window of the Virgin Mary. 

During our sound check, we had a pleasant surprise -- composer Ēriks Ešenvalds was there to offer a few words of advice on our performance of "Only in Sleep."  He helped us with phrasing and encouraged our soloist Hayley Abramowitz to "shine."  It was very special to have him there. 

St. Cecilia's Parish; photo courtesy Emily Schweich

We were the first group of the day to perform.  Our set began with Schutz's "Cantate Domino" and Mendoza's "Sing a New Song," which are, respectfully, a traditional and a contemporary setting of Psalm 98.  Performing "Only in Sleep" was especially meaningful with Ešenvalds in the audience, and the church had beautiful, warm acoustics. 

We followed "Only in Sleep" with "Ergen Deda, our Bulgarian folk song, and the looks on audience members' face as we made that drastic genre shift were priceless (yay for versatility!)  Next, we sang "Ojos Azules," a Spanish folk song arranged by Stephen Hatfield, and closed with "Hold On," a spiritual arranged by Clifton J. Noble, Jr. 

We performed two concerts -- one in the morning and one in the afternoon -- and felt very proud of our performances. It was exciting to see Terp alumni supporting us in the audience and to work with Ešenvalds, who seemed very pleased with our performance.

The UMD Women's Chorus with Ēriks Ešenvalds before the concert.  Photo courtesy Becca Elpus.

We have worked on these pieces for a long time, and it was rewarding to see our hard work pay off and represent our university on a national level. 

Most of us took the bus back home to Maryland; we had a fairly smooth trip, complete with a Pitch Perfect sing-along.  But a few music education majors stayed at the conference, where they will continue to attend concerts, lectures and masterclasses and network with other choral music professionals. 

I'm grateful this trip brought us closer together. We see each other three times a week at rehearsal, but traveling and living together for three days helped us get to know each other on a deeper level. Ultimately, this connection will help us to make better music together, and I'm looking forward to going back to rehearsal on Monday with 43 new friends. 

That's a wrap for our trip to Boston for the ACDA conference. Our next performance will be at the 12th Annual Celebration of Women's Voices at the University of Maryland Memorial Chapel on March 5 at 8 p.m.  Thanks for following, and as always, go Terps!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Schweich is a senior broadcast journalism major, women’s studies certificate candidate and voice performance minor.  While this is only her second semester as a member of the UMD Women’s Chorus, she has been involved with UMD Choirs since her freshman year as a member of the University Chorale, the UMD Summer Chorus and Femmes de Chanson, a student-run classical a cappella group for women.